PRIORITY business intelligence

Every business must carry out a risk assessment of its workplace to check that the necessary precautions are in place.

The law does not expect you to eliminate all risk, but you are required to protect people as far as possible. A risk assessment helps you focus on the risks that could potentially cause real harm. Risk assessment is a straightforward process that can usually be carried out by a competent member of your staff.

In general, to do an assessment, you should:

• identify hazards,
• evaluate the likelihood of an injury or illness occurring, and its severity,
• consider normal operational situations as well as non-standard events such as shutdowns, power outages, emergencies, etc.,
• review all available heath and safety information about the hazard such as MSDSs, manufacturers literature, information from reputable organizations, results of testing, etc.,
• identify actions necessary to eliminate or control the risk,
• monitor and evaluate to confirm the risk is controlled,
• keep any documentation or records that may be necessary. Documentation may include detailing the process used to assess the risk, outlining any evaluations, or detailing how conclusions were made.

When doing an assessment, you must take into account:

• the methods and procedures used in the processing, use, handling or storage of the substance, etc..
• the actual and the potential exposure of workers,
• the measures and procedures necessary to control such exposure by means of engineering controls, work practices, and hygiene practices and facilities.

By determining the level of risk associated with the hazard, the employer and the joint health and safety committee can decide whether a control program is required.