What is a Risk Assessment?
People often ask how often should risk assessments be conducted, the general rule of thumb it’s at least once a year. It’s worth always keeping this as a reminder in you calendar, so you don’t forget. Then, you can check when you last completed one and the next best time to update.
Risk assessments are the process of spotting potential hazards in the workplace and evaluating the harm that they may cause. It’s important to be proactive, and taking actions to minimise them. You must carry out a careful examination of your workplace and ensure you have taken the necessary precautions and put into place the mandatory control measures to combat any hazards.
What are the five points of a Risk Assessment?
When conducting a risk assessment, there are five points that you need to stick by whenever carrying out these assessments, these are as follows:
- Identify Hazards – Looking around your workplace and thinking about what could cause any harm
- Assess the risks – How likely it is someone could be harmed and the seriousness of it
- Control the risks – Understanding the controls you already have in place, what could be done differently?
- Record findings – If you are employing 5 or more people you must record findings (Hazards, who could be harmed and action taken to control risks)
- Review the controls – Reviewing to make sure they are working properly
When should employers carry out Workstation Risk Assessments?
Employers need to carry out DSE workstation Risk Assessments when:
- A new workstation is setup
- A new user starts work
- A change is made to an existing workstation or the way it’s used
- A user complains about pain or discomfort
Potential risks of not doing them
It’s a legal requirement for employers to undertake a thorough assessment of a workstation. If you don’t conduct Risk Assessments often, then there is a greater chance legal action may be taken. So getting them done regularly minimises your risk.
DSE Risk assessments need to be done if someone is working at home as well, especially as the risk can actually be higher at home. So it’s the employers responsibility to be on top of this.
What are the benefits of regular Assessments?
Doing workstation risk assessments often highlights issues before they become a real problem for a business. These are the reasons why it is so important to keep up with them:
- Improves staff wellbeing
- An increase in productivity
- Reduces the risk of injury
Conclusion
To summarise, it’s clear that risk assessments are vital in ensuring safety throughout the workplace. For any additional advice or queries regarding risk assessments please don’t hesitate to contact us on 0330 332 0880. Alternatively, you can email us enquiries@posturepeople.co.uk.