Risk assessment training course

Module 1
Principles of risk assessment

Principles of risk assessment

Session outcomes

Understanding the principles and practicalities

of risk assessment

Understanding risk evaluation

Selecting control measures

Implementing control measures

Monitoring and reviewing

Principles of risk assessment

Legal background
Management Regulations (1999) are the
umbrella regulations
Require employer to:

Identify hazards
Assess risks
Eliminate or control exposure to risks
Write it down if significant

Principles of risk assessment

Risk Assessment the 5 steps

What are the hazards?
Who is doing what, where & when? (WWW)
AND
Who else might be affected by what is done?
What is the degree of risk?
What do we need to, or can we, do to control
(eliminate/minimise) exposure to the risk?
How will we monitor the work/people?
Principles of risk assessment

What comes first?

Even before the 5 steps one question:
What is it we have/want/would like to do?
We can call this: The task
The job to do
The procedure
Everything can be covered in this way
Principles of risk assessment

Lets have some examples

Principles of risk assessment

Hazard and Risk

Hazard

the potential to cause harm or damage

Risk

the chance of that harm occurring

Calculated as -

potential severity of harm

(the consequence or damage)
x
likelihood of event occurring

Principles of risk assessment

Hazard identification
What will I be using/doing?
How much do I know about what I am
using/doing?
What factors or properties could there be that
affect the level of hazard (not risk)?
Do I really have to do the work/task at all?
Can I substitute something less hazardous?

Principles of risk assessment

Who is affected by the work?

Those who do the work

Maturity
Experience
Health and immune status
Medication
Disability
Pregnancy

Others in the workplace

Cleaning and maintenance staff
Visitors
External including neighbours

Principles of risk assessment

Can we work out how high the risk is?

Consequence - severity
What could go wrong?
What is the worst that could happen?

Likelihood
How often must it be done?
How many people do it?
Is everyone doing it competent and trained?
Principles of risk assessment

How likely?

Where do our risks fit on the spectrum?

How bad?

Principles of risk assessment

Evaluating the risk

1. Highly unlikely

1. Slight harm

2. Possibly

2. Injury affecting work

3. Quite likely

3. Serious injury

4. Very likely

4. Possible fatality

Principles of risk assessment

Risk Matrix

12

16

12

Principles of risk assessment

Risk Matrix

12

16

12

Principles of risk assessment

Risk Matrix Does it work?

4
Tolerable

8
Significant

12
Unacceptable

16
Unacceptable

3
Insignificant

6
Tolerable

9
Significant

12
Unacceptable

2
Insignificant

4
Tolerable

6
Tolerable

8
Significant

1
Insignificant

2
Insignificant

3
Insignificant

4
Tolerable

Principles of risk assessment

Controlling the risk

Unacceptable
stop doing it until
improvements made
Significant

- proceed with caution but

improvement high priority

Tolerable

- OK to proceed but plan to

improve

Insignificant

- Any improvements low

priority
Principles of risk assessment

Controlling the risk

Decide measures to be taken

Implement them according to priority
Confirm measures appropriate and work

Principles of risk assessment

Monitoring and Review

Monitoring
Live nature of assessments
Possible modification to procedures

Review
Identifies changes to procedures
Possible modification to assessment

Principles of risk assessment