The Agency states that a risk assessment should match the hazards, risks and potential harm. For example, a large chemicals plant is likely to have a very technical system of assessment, whereas a small enterprise carrying out low-risk activities needs a simple straightforward system.
The document, which is some fifty pages long, sets out five basic questions to be asked in the process of risk assessment:
Step 1 What information should I collect and how?
Step 2 How can I identify hazards?
including a General Checklist
Step 3 How can I assess risk arising from a hazard?
Step 4 How can I plan actions to eliminate or reduce risk
arising from that hazard?
Step 5 How should I document my risk assessment?
It also includes a series of checklists, with suggested preventative measures, for:
- uneven or slippery flat surfaces
- moving vehicles and machines
- moving parts of machines
- electrical installations and equipment
- fire
- explosion
- chemical substances
- noise
- vibration
- lighting
as well as focusing on specific sectors such as:
- office work
- construction
- food processing
- woodworking
- car repair
- agriculture
- small-scale surface mining
The OSHA risk assessment tool can be downloaded here
For further advice on risk assessment visit EEF’s Health and Safety Guide