Risk Assessment Principles & Practice (Cont.)

1.17

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The 5 steps to Risk Assessment

Lets us now consider the HSE guidance leaflet, Five Steps to Risk Assessment (INDG163). Later, you will note that we have expanded on this HSE document. However, for the purposes of your NEBOSH examination, it is essential that you can recall the following:

STEP 1

Look for the hazards.

STEP 2

Decide who might be harmed.

STEP 3

Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done.

STEP 4

Record your findings and implement them.

STEP 5

Review your assessment and revise it if necessary.

 

We will now consider each of the five steps in turn and in some detail.

1.18 Step 12

Identify the significant hazards

T IDENTIFY & SIGNIFICANT.

hazard safetyinspectionsafety safety tour

accident suitable and sufficient riskassessment

We can use a simple analogy of 'Significant' in this case, the difference between trivial and non-trivial, i.e. significant = important.

Hazard

1.19 Step 2

Consider, groups of people or individuals who may be harmed from the hazard(s).

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We are all different; different in size, age, experience and attitude. Older people tend to move slower, younger people may be less experienced workers who may lack an understanding of the workplace hazards.

Persons with disabilities must have particular consideration. How will you warn a person with a hearing defect of the fire alarm? What about the road worker who only has vision in one eye (see the law section and table of cases).

Regulation 18 of the MHSAW Regulations deals with expectant and new mothers. Take a look at this regulation and make a note of the requirements.

1.20 Step 3 Consider the existing control measures

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Before you start assessing how likely a hazard is to cause actual harm or loss, you must consider what controls are in place to reduce the likelihood. In the example, you will note how this is achieved.

Implementing control measures should be

considered from a hierarchy:

Order of Control Measure. Priority / Control Hierarchy.

1 ) Total elimination or avoidance of the hazard at source.

This means don't do what you are intending to do. In reality, this is difficult to achieve in the workplace but it must be considered in certain circumstances.

2 ) Substitution of the hazard at source.

This means to substitute for a less hazardous process or substance for instance.

3 ) Placing a guard of some kind.

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Moving parts of machinery, attack-proof glass in a bank etc.

4 ) Remove the employee from the hazard.

In a noisy environment, the employee could be placed in a sound-proof work area.

5 ) Reduce the expose of the employee from the risk.

In noisy environments, reduce the time that the employee is exposed to the high noise levels.

6 ) Produce a safe method of working/safe system/safe procedure that is known to the employee and followed.

When erecting a tower system for instance or administering medication.

7 ) Ensure adequate and suitable levels of supervision.

Close supervision is sometimes required for complex high risk activities or where the employee is inexperienced, young, requires training etc.

8 ) Training.

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Employees require safety training commensurate with their work activities.

9 ) Make safety rules, or issue instructions.

Ensure that employees are aware of these rules and follow them.

10 ) Issue Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Hard and bump hats, boots, gloves, knee pads, safety goggles and ear defenders etc. This really should be the last resort and where the risks cannot be adequately controlled by other means

11 ) Tell the employee to be careful.

This may help, but it should not be relied upon. HSE figures show that 90% of all accidents are caused through human error.

You will note that some of the control measures will require additional measures, for instance, training on the job may require close supervision, issuing PPE will require training in its use etc.

It is essential that you can recall this list in the correct order for your NEBOSH examination.

1.20.1 Step 3 (Continued.)

Assess the Risk (Probability)

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There are so many methods and models of assessing risk that we

cannot list or detail them all here; in any case, you may find that you develop your own. Nevertheless, we have provided one method below for you to consider.

Many charities, as you will be aware, have retail outlets, shops. In most cases, the hazards are easily identified and relatively simple to assess and control. In these cases, most managers of the shops would use a risk rating of Low, Medium or High risk, which is to say that they would simply say that one hazard is more dangerous than another. They did not see the need to complicate the issue. In the case of medium risks, they would implement measures to attempt to reduce the risk to low. High risks meant that the activity would not be undertaken or in the case that the activity was already in place, would be stopped.

Example of Risk evaluation tool.

Prioritising Risks

Probability

Very Likely Likely Unlikely Highly Unlikely

Consequence

Fatality High High High Medium

Major High High Medium Medium

Minor High Medium Medium Low

Negligible Medium Medium Low Low

Hazard RA Control Action by Date

S68 Drill Press

Entanglement. Med Adjustable clamp base plate fixing

Area supervisor.

▫ Investigate

By next staff

meeting-

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Cutting.

Abrasion.

Base plate moves.

Overseas machine switches do not meet AS

specification.

Ejection swarf.

Electrocution.

Med

Low

High

High

Med

Bolt/Wingnut.

Wear eye protection.

Provide eye protection in vicinity of machine, include usage in SOP and inform staff about its use.

SOP hair tied back, not to wear jewellery, secure loose clothing etc.

Produce SOP for plant.

Investigate provision of shielded footswitch.

Electrically test every 6 months.

footswitch

▫ Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) produced in consultation with operatives.

Operator Ian Wood to repair base clamp fixing - wing nuts.

Maintenance -electrically test.

8/7/10

2/5/10

Ongoing

Desktop Computer

Electrocution.

Back/Arm/Neck injury OOS (RSI).

Eyestrain.

Low

Med

Med

Test 5 yearly.

Workstation assessment.

Regular breaks/job rotation.

Area electrical tester.

Supervisor and staff member carry out assessment and organise work.

Ongoing

Epsom Printer Electrocution. Low Test 5-yearly. Area electrical tester. Ongoing

Moving A4 paper boxes from store to workstation (admin assistant)

Manual handling injury - eg back, shoulder or neck.

High

Use trolley to move paper, assess load before lifting - seek assistance if necessary.

Look at getting paper delivered to workstation in smaller packages.

Area supervisor to make sure trolley available and to speak with caretakers regarding smaller packages.

By 7/2/10

1.20.3 Step 3 (Continued.)

Quantitative

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Risk Assessment

Staying with the retail outlet, let's consider a theft from the point of

sale using a simple quantitative method:

Thief attempts to take the day's takings from the point of sale machine while the staff member is at the machine.

Now let's consider the likelihood, the RISK, the Probability of Exposure (PE) to the considered hazard. We can use the aid below.

Fig 1 below and Fig 2 below are simply an aid to assist you in calculating the Risk Rating, i.e. the final calculation that allows you to consider if the risk is acceptable, requires action within a time scale or requires immediate action.

The calculation used is Probability of Exposure (PE) plus the Maximum Possible Loss (MPL) multiplied by the Frequency of Exposure (FE).

(PE + MPL) X FE =

Fig 1 Risk Assessment matrix aid

Probability/RiskVery Unlikely Even Probable Very likely Certain

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Maximum Possible Loss Unlikely chance

1 2 3 4 5 6

First Aid Required/short rest/recovery

2 4 5 6 7 8

Fracture of a major bone or mild temporary

illness

3 5 6 7 8 9

Loss of limb, eye or permanent illness

4 6 7 8 9 10

Fatality 5 7 8 9 10 11

Low = 1 - 4 Medium = 5 High = 6 - 11

Fig 2 Frequency of Exposure (FE) calculation aid

Infrequent Annually Monthly Weekly Daily Constantly

1 2 3 4 5 6

Based on past experience, it is unlikely that the theft/attack will take place because it has not happened in the past in any other shop; however, this is a new shop and in an area of deprivation, high crime and high unemployment.

We do know, however, that the frequency of such events is rare or infrequent.

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1.20.4 Step 3 (Continued.)

Maximum probable loss

A staff member is injured during the theft; either pushed away, falls

and suffers an injury of three days or more lost time. Many persons, but not all of course, who work in the charity shops are older.

Why do you think it is important to consider the age of a person is this situation?

Risk Assessment calculation:

Probability Exposure = 2 Unlikely

Maximum Probable Loss = 2 First Aid Required/short rest/recovery

Frequency of exposure = 1

PE = 2 + MPL = 4 X FE 1 = 4

The risk rating has a value of 4 (four)

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Q. Calculate the hazard rating if the staff member attempts to fight off the

attacker and is severely injured, suffers long term disability or death.

PE = ?

MPL = ?

FE = ?

Risk Rating =

Your risk rating should be no higher than a value of 10 (ten). This is because the probability has not changed, nor has the frequency of the event. The only factor that may change is that fighting back may have more severe consequences for an older person and as such, the maximum possible loss could be death.

If making an assessment of a missing guard on a power press of 100 tons and we have an untrained, inexperienced operator who lacks attention, the risk rating could be

PE = 2 Certain

MPL = 5 Death

FE = 1 Constantly

Risk Rating = 7

Now let's consider a table of actions required and what priority should be given to a particular hazard rating:

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Fig 1.3 Table of timescales.

Risk Hazard Rating Action timescale

Low 1 - 21 Within a month

Medium 22 - 35 Within a week

High 35 - 77 Immediately

This really is a guide. In many cases, the hazard will be dealt with immediately. It really may depend upon resources and the number of hazards that are being dealt with. In many small businesses, the process of risk assessment can take as little as one day to complete; hazards are then dealt with as they arise or in a more proactive management system are dealt with before they arise.

Large businesses with complex risks will require strategies of risk management to ensure that hazards are dealt with effectively and in a timely fashion. Prioritising hazards in this case is essential.

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1.20.5

Implementing Additional Controls

Implement additional control measures where the risk is not acceptable

Eliminate the hazard.

In this case, the charity shop would consider the controls listed and consider if the shop was required to be located in the area. 

Entrance to the shop to be restricted.

Not practical in this case. However, some jewellery shops do restrict access for obvious reasons and some newsagents have signs that restrict the number of children allowed in at any one time.

Install distance guards around point of sale area.

Not practical in this case. You will be aware that banks, post offices and other places of cash handling adopt this type of protection.

Have a security guard in place in the shop and patrolling.

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Not in this case. The cost for the organisation would be unreasonable. However, they are seen in larger shops and shopping centres etc.

Train staff in dealing with violence and aggressive situations.

This will help, but not self-defence such as the police force has to

adopt. The training will have to be in `how to defuse a potential violent situation` and also must ensure that the shop staff understand and follow a safe method of dealing with such situations. Instructions would include such actions as: open the till and stand well out of the way, try not to make direct eye contact and only when the attacker has left the premises, phone the police. It is common sense really but things go wrong; staff might on an impulse decide to try and get invovled. You also have to ensure that you employ the right sort of staff in the first place.

Ensure that the minimum of cash is kept in the till at any one time.

This will reduce the amount of cash lost in a single theft. The fact could also be advertised in a notice in the window. Many places that handle cash put up a notice stating their cash machines etc are emptied on a regular basis. It does deter the thief on some occasions.

What control measure is at the top of the hierarchy in regards priority?

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1.   ?   Reduce exposure2.   ?   Place a guard

3.   ?   Elimination at sourrce

What control measure should be considered as a last resort?

1.   ?   Substitution2.   ?   Training

3.   ?   Personal protective equipment

1.21 Step 4

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Record your Findings

Make a written record of the Risk

Assessment where five or more employees are employed at the business.

Of all the steps, this is probably the easiest. This can be produced as a hard copy or computer-based. Management of such documents may be required, particularly where many assessments and supporting safe methods of working are undertaken but we will deal with that later in Managing Data etc.

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1.22 Step 5 - Review

Review the assessment as required.

It may be necessary to review the assessments at regular intervals. The

example above may be required to be reviewed if an incident takes place or where changes occur in the work place.

In the machine shop or when evaluating the risks of fire, things may change in the environment or to the premises; this will mean that the assessment will require further consideration.

Some work activities, environments and operations require specific risk assessments and have other sets of Regulations; these include:

The Noise at Work Regulations 1989. The COSHH Regulations 2002. The Manual Handling Regulations 1992. The Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

[Remember the link between RR(FS)O and MHSWR.] The Personal Protective Equipment at Work

Regulations 1992.

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Match the items on the right to the items on the left.

STEP 2:STEP 3:STEP 4:STEP 5:

Identify the persons at riskIdentify the hazardsReview your assessment and revise it if necessaryEvaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be doneRecord your findings

When would a training risk assessment need to be reviewed?

1.   ?   When new equipment is introduced2.   ?   When new people are introduced3.   ?   All of the above

4.   ?   When legislation changes

Your risk assessment needs to be recorded in a written format when how many employees are employed?

1.   ?   102.   ?   5

3.   ?   3

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1.23 Conclusion

The benefits of conducting risk assessments will be reflected in the

reduction of the chances of an accident, and hence injuries, illness, lost production and legal consequences

The more assessments you undertake, the better a risk assessor you will become. However you must have logic in your chosen method, and you will rely mostly on your experience of the workplace, of the people and your knowledge of risk assessment in practice.

We have included some risk assessment forms as example for you to consider.

Risk Assessment Principles & Practice (Cont.)

Congratulations - end of lesson reached

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