Health & Safety Procedure / Procedure Ref :
Issue No. :
Issue Date :
Originated By :
Approved By :
Page: / ACS / SA / 01
7
01.02.17
TJ Day
P. Grady
1 of 4
Hazard, Risk Assessment and Control Procedure
Policy
It is the policy of the company to ensure that suitable and sufficient risk assessments are in place for all work which involves significant risk.
Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to explain the company’s method of ensuring that suitable and sufficient risk assessments are in place prior to work activities being undertaken.
Scope
The scope of this procedure is all work activities in the office and on site.
A risk assessment is a thorough examination of a work activity or a workplace to ascertain if the risks present are adequately controlled. If the assessment finds that some risks are not as low as is reasonably practicable, then the assessor must identify controls which will allow the risk to be reduced
References
- The Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974.
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
- The Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015)
- INDG163 (Rev 1) Five Steps to a Risk Assessment.
- Operating Company Procedures.
- Clients Procedures were relevant.
Definitions
Manager: The person responsible for the day to day Management of Business, Contract or Department.
Hazard: Anything that has the potential to cause harm (e.g. chemicals, electricity, working from ladders, etc)
Risk: Is the likelihood high or low, that somebody will be harmed by the hazard.
Best overall options: The best overall option is ensuring we have invested enough time and resources to offer suitable and sufficient protection to those affected by our works.
Example: working at height – Best Overall Option.
Sample one: RISK – One person inspecting a high level situation for short period of time.
Best Overall Option; could be tied ladder (or footed) so long as the operation can be done without removing hands or reaching out. A second person to be used to foot the ladder and warn any passers by.
Sample two: RISK – Two operatives inspecting and cleaning the same high level situation for 8 hours.
Best Overall Option: Could be a mobile elevated work platform so long as training has been undertaken and the public are protected.
Sample three: RISK – A number of operatives carrying out maintenance work at the same high level for a week or more.
Best Overall Option: Could be an independent constructed scaffold with debris netting and suitable guarding erected to protect public.
Responsible Persons
SHE Manager
Site Managers
Procedure
The relevant manager shall ensure that for all operations likely to expose employees (or others who may be effected by the work) to risk, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is conducted (minimum competency - CITB, SMSTS, SSSTS or equivalent). Operatives on all works will be instructed in the correct method of assessing and controlling risks and the use of the relevant forms.
The risk assessment should be carried out using the principles of prevention set out in Article (6(2) of Council Directive 89/391/EEC (e)).
a)Avoiding risks;
b)Evaluating the risks which cannot be avoided;
c)Combating the risks at source;
d)Adapting the work to the individual, especially as regards the design of workplaces, the choice of work equipment and the choice of working and production methods, with a view, in particular, to alleviating monotonous work and work at a predetermined work-rate and to reducing their effect on health;
e)Adapting to technical progress;
f)Replacing the dangerous by the non-dangerous or the less dangerous;
g)Developing a coherent overall prevention policy which covers technology, organisation of work, working conditions, social relationships and the influence of factors relating to the working environment;
h)Giving collective protective measures priority over individual protective measures; and
i)Giving appropriate instructions to employees.
“An assessment of risk is nothing more than a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more”
Risk assessment has to be carried out by law, under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and other regulations dealing with specific hazards.
Hierarchy of risk assessment: Before any operation is undertaken the Manager must ensure that the resultant method is the best overall option by following the five steps to risk assessment.
Look for the hazards: Walk around your site/workplace and look afresh at what could reasonably be expected to cause harm. Ignore the trivial and concentrate on significant hazards, which could result in serious harm or affect several people. Use site documentation to assist with exercise such as data sheets, manufacturers instructions and clients risk assessments and planned works. Use the following examples:
- Slipping/tripping hazards (e.g. poorly maintained floors, stairs and poor housekeeping;
- Chemical (use, spillage)
- Moving parts of machinery
- Working at height (e.g. from mezzanine flooring)
- Ejection of material
- Pressure systems
- Vehicles
- Electricity
- Dust
- Fumes
- Manual Handling
- Fire
- Noise
- Poor lighting
- Low temperatures or (high)
- Excavations
Decide who might be harmed, and How? Don’t forget
- Young Workers, trainees, new and expectant mothers, who may be at particular risk.
- Cleaners, visitors, contractors, maintenance workers, who may not be in the workplace all the time.
- Members of the public, or people you share your workplace with, if there is a chance they could be hurt by your activities.
Evaluate the risks and decide whether existing precautions are adequate or more should be done:
- Consider how likely it is that each hazard could cause harm; this will determine whether or not you need to do more to reduce the risk.
- Even after all precautions have been taken, some risk usually remains.
- What you have to decide for each significant hazard is whether this remaining risk is high, medium or low.
- In taking action ask yourself:
(a)Has the hazard been removed altogether.
(b)If not, how can I control the risks so that harm is unlikely?
- In controlling risks apply the principles below,
(a)Try a less risky option.
(b)Prevent access to the hazard (e.g. by guarding).
(c)Organise work to reduce exposure to hazard.
(d)Implement permit control systems (ie Hot works , confined space permit to dig etc.)
(e)Issue personal protective clothing as a last resort when all other action has been taken.
(f)Provide suitable welfare facilities.
(g)Provide adequate information, instruction and training.
Record your finding: if you employ five or more people you must record the significant findings of the assessment, and inform your employees about the findings. Risk assessments must be suitable and sufficient; you need to be able to show that:
- A proper check was made.
- You asked who might be affected.
- You dealt with all the obvious significant hazards, taking into account the number of people who could be involved.
- The precautions are reasonable, and the remaining risk low.
Review and revision: When making chances in the workplace, e.g. when bringing in new:
- Machines.
- Substances.
- Procedures.
- Process.
- Design changes.
- Following an accident.
- Changes in legislation.
- Risk is not adequately controlled.
The above procedures should be used in conjunction with the Flow Chart attached
Procedure for Office Risk Assessments
The SHE Manager will ensure that a Primary Office Risk Assessment (HS-PO-01)for the office has been carried out which identifies activities which need further risk assessments. On the basis of this Primary Office Risk Assessment, the SHE Manager will ensure that specific risk assessments in the office (such as Fire, DSE, Manual Handling etc.) have been undertaken by competent persons and that they are reviewed appropriately (i.e. after accidents, significant changes, changes in legislation etc. or in the absence of the foregoing, annually).
A new Risk Assessment should be completed for any changes in office layout / expansion of offices / change in working conditions to identify hazards prior to that change taking place.
Procedure for Site Risk Assessments
The SHE Manager will ensure that a set of Site Risk Assessments is in place which are appropriate to the main work activities which the company undertakes. This set of Site Risk Assessments will cover the majority of standard work undertaken by the company.
Site Managers will prepare Method Statements for their work on site, and part of the Method Statement is a Primary Risk Assessment, which identifies which Site Risk Assessments apply to the work activity.
The Site Managers will then identify any work which is not covered by the Site Risk Assessments (non routine activities) and either amend the existing assessments or prepare a new assessment for that particular work activity. In either case, it is the responsibility of the Site Manager to ensure that all sites have suitable and sufficient risk assessments in place for all work activities on site. A template for new Risk Assessments is available (ACS-RA-044).
When preparing any Risk Assessment, all types of factors should be considered i.e. young people, human factors, literacy capabilities, members of the public etc.
Also consider activities happening around you, which may be outside your control, but which could affect your operations (e.g. plant movement, other subcontractors working in the vicinity, overhead cables and obstructions etc.).
A new Risk Assessment should be completed for any change in working conditions / new activities / design changes to identify hazards prior to that change taking place.
Managers will ensure that all those engaged in work covered by the Risk Assessments have been briefed on those Assessments and have signed the Assessments to indicate that they understand the significant findings of the Assessments.
Associated Forms
ACS RA 000Risk Assessment Index
Audit / Monitoring
This procedure will be included in the programmed management system audits and site audits.
Review
This procedure will be reviewed every year, or subject to any changes to relevant legislation or standards.
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