City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Risk Assessment Training Pack

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

Risk Assessment

Training Pack


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Issued Feb 2005

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Issued Feb 2005

IntroductionThis training pack is for use by staff who are required to carry out risk assessments for work activities and working environments.

You need to keep this training pack as it has health and safety information you need for your job.

If you are having difficulty with this pack, approach your manager for help or call the Safety Section.

This symbol in the top right corner of the page means you need to find something out and write it in the

space provided.

This symbol means that the page contains example answers


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Issued Feb 2005

Training Pack ObjectivesIn this training pack you will learn about the principles and beguided through the practice of risk assessment to help keep everyone well at work.

This training pack will give you the following information:-

• What risk assessment is and what it aims to do

• People’s responsibilities for risk assessment

• The steps needed to do an adequate risk assessment

• How to reduce risks

• Why everyone should know about risk assessment


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Issued Feb 2005

Risk AssessmentBy Law, risk assessments must be carried out for all work activities and working environments.

It is the manager’s responsibility for making sure this is done, but the actual task of doing risk assessments can be delegated to suitable staff.


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The Aim of Risk AssessmentThe aim of a risk assessment is to make working reasonably safe.

To do this you should look at the risks to the staff and to anyone else likely to be affected by the work, eg visitors, service users, members of the public.

You must then identify reasonable action to take to make the job safer. Your manager is then responsible for making sure this action is taken.

Your manager needs to make sure that risk assessments are shown to the staff they cover and tell them about anything they need to do to make the job safer.


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Issued Feb 2005

What are Hazards and Risks?Look at the following questions and write your answers in the spaces provided.

What is a Hazard?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

What is a Risk?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


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What are Hazards and Risks?

A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm, eg a wet floor. A person can be a hazard too, eg someone who could be potentially aggressive or violent towards you.

A risk is the likelihood that the hazard would cause an accident resulting in damage or injury, eg the chance that someone would walk over the wet floor and slip as a result, causing an injury.


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The Risk Assessment Process

Step 1 Identify hazards – ask the staff to help with this if needed

Step 2 Evaluate risk for each – is it a significant risk?

Step 3 Identify suitable control measures to reduce significant risks

Step 4 Implement any control measures you have identified

Step 5 Tell staff about the risk assessments. Also tell any new staff when they are inducted

Step 6 Monitor control measures put in place – are they working?

Step 7 Review your risk assessments yearly as an absolute minimum or sooner if work changes



Step 1 – Identify the Hazards


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Write down all the areas you can think of where you might find hazards around your work and the working environment:-

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

_______________________________ _______________________________

Step 1 – Identify the Hazards


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• Violence• Staff Kitchens• Stress• Food Safety • Hazardous Substances• Window Cleaning• Transport • Any other risks specific to the work

Step 1 – Identify the HazardsThe following are suggestions for areas which may need a written risk assessment:-• Electricity• External environment• Entrances & exits• Fire• First aid• Gas• Housekeeping• Internal environment• Moving and handling• Noise• Personal safety• Slips, trips & falls

These examples are only a guide. You may find others where you work.


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Issued Feb 2005

Step 1 – Identify the HazardsYou may find it useful to involve other staff members when you are identifying hazards. Perception of risk can vary from person to person. Ask them about what they see as hazards - they may notice things that you might not.

Write down the hazards that you have identified on a risk assessment form. (See example form overleaf)


Example Risk Assessment FormHazard Risks resulting

from hazardExisting control

measuresNew control measures

Date completed

Department: Service/Establishment:

Name of Assessor _____________________________________ Job Title ___________________________Managers Signature ____________________________________ Date of Assessment _________________

All risks should be reviewed at least once a year or if circumstances change



Step 2 – Evaluate the Risks


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Issued Feb 2005

Step 2 Evaluate the Risks -Is the Risk Significant or Insignificant?

To decide whether or not the risk from a hazard is significant, you need to consider the following things for each hazard you have identified:-

A. The Probability, or likelihood, of the hazard leading to an accident

B. The likely Consequences of any accident that would be caused

C. Then make a judgement – is it significant or insignificant? If it is significant, is it Medium or High priority?


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Issued Feb 2005


A. Probability (Likelihood)

How likely is it that an accident will occur as a result of this hazard?

For example, you have identified an uneven floor surface that could be a tripping hazard.

If it is in a main thoroughfare, it could potentially affect staff or anyone else likely to be present so it is likely that it would cause an accident.

If it is situated in a corner of a room or an area where it was unlikely people would have to walk over it, it would be unlikely to cause an accident.


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B. Consequences

What would be the worst that could happen if you did nothing about this hazard?

Would it be likely to result in serious or moderate consequences? Eg a death, a fracture, an amputation or a dislocation.

orWould it be likely to result in minor consequences such as a small cut to a finger or minor damage to equipment?



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Issued Feb 2005

C. Significant or Insignificant? For each hazard you have identified, look at the answers you have come up with for Probability and Consequences and decide whether or not the risk is significant. If it is a Significant risk, you will also need to decide if it is high or medium priority.


Insignificant RiskNo or Low Priority

Significant Risk Medium

Priority

Significant Risk

High Priority

For the examples below, decide whether the risk is significant or insignificant and tick the corresponding box:-

Likely probability and serious consequences

Likely probability and moderate consequences

Likely probability and minor consequences

Unlikely probability and serious consequences

Unlikely probability and moderate consequences

Unlikely probability and minor consequences


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Issued Feb 2005


Likely probability and serious consequences

Likely probability and moderate consequences

Likely probability and minor consequences

Unlikely probability and serious consequences

Unlikely probability and moderate consequences

Unlikely probability and minor consequences

Insignificant No or Low Risk

Significant Medium Risk

Significant High Risk

C. Significant or Insignificant? Answers:-


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Issued Feb 2005


If the risk is insignificant, no further action is necessary, but you should monitor the situation and encourage your staff to tell you about any changes.

If the risk is significant, ie a High or Medium risk, you need to complete the rest of the risk assessment form, detailing the risk and the control measures needed to reduce it to an acceptable level.



Step 3 – Identify Suitable Control Measures to Reduce the Risks


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Step 3 Control Measures – Reducing the RisksWhat Are Reasonable Control Measures?

A balance between … Cost & Risk

Control measures are things done or action taken to control or reduce the risks to people’s safety. “Reasonable” means that the cost of taking the action is in proportion to the risk, ie the higher the risk the higher the cost.

CostRisk

cost

ris

k


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You need to identify the things you can do to reduce the risks from a hazard. The action you should take could include:-

Elimination/Substitution

Do not do the task that presents the risk or do a different task which is a lower risk activity.

For example, the hazard in question might be the need to use step ladders to reach something on a high shelf or cupboard. By rearranging the storage of items so that you can reach them all without using the stepladder, the risk of falling off or dropping something on someone

else is eliminated.

Step 3 Control Measures – Reducing the Risks


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Isolation/ContainmentKeep people away from the hazard.

For example, the hazard might be a wet floor being cleaned. By putting up barriers or warning signs around the floor area being cleaned, the risk of people slipping on it would be reduced because people would see the danger and avoid the area, or be prevented from crossing it by the barrier.


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Engineering ControlsMake the task safer by design.

For example, the hazard might be evacuating people with mobility problems down a step in the event of an emergency.

The solution could be fitting a ramp to the fire exit instead of steps, reducing the risk of falling.


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Personal Protective EquipmentThis should be used as a last resort and only after all of the previous control measures have been considered and judged unsuitable or impractical to put into place.

You must make sure that any control measure you decide to put into place is working and does

not cause another hazard, as the risk may be made even higher than the original risk.



Step 4 – Implement Control Measures


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Step 4 – Implement Control MeasuresWhen you have identified the best way to reduce the risks, you must take reasonable action to put these control measures into place.

Things that can be done easily should be done immediately or as soon as possible.

The rest of the control measures you have identified should be prioritised for action.



Step 5 – Communication


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Issued Feb 2005

Step 5 - CommunicationWhen you have identified and evaluated the risks and put control measures intoplace, the staff need to be made aware of the result of the risk assessment.

You should tell staff about:-• the risks that apply to them

• the control measures in place to protect them

• any further control measures to be implemented and any interim measures

You should also tell staff where to find the risk assessments if they need to refer to them, and give them reasonable access.If there are any other services working in the same building and any of the risks identified would affect them, you should share your risk assessment with them.

You should also make sure that any new staff are shown the risk assessment before they start work there. Risk assessments must be available for inspection at all timesto Enforcement Officers, managers and Safety staff.



Step 6 – Monitor the Risks


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Issued Feb 2005

Step 6 - MonitoringWhen you have put control measures into place to reduce the risks, you need to make sure that they are working properly. Sometimes putting a control measure or procedure into place causes another hazard that was not thought of before the control measure was introduced.

Encourage staff to tell you if they think that a control measure or precaution is not working or is not practical.

Where control measures are not working, you should look at other ways of reducing the risk that may be more effective and put those into place instead.

RiskRisk



Step 7 – Review the Risk Assessments


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Step 7 - Review• Once a year, or more often if the work changes, you will need to look

again at your risk assessment to make sure that it is still valid

• You should look at each hazard and its associated risk(s) in detail. This is so that you can see if it is still relevant, that the controls or procedures put into place are working and that the risk is reduced as much as is practical

• You should always encourage staff to tell you if they notice anything where they are working that they think may be a hazard

• For any new hazard identified, if it is a significant risk you will need to add them to your risk assessment. You will also need to implement any control measures needed within a reasonable amount of time.

• You should tell your staff about the review and whether or not anything has changed

RiskAssessmentsRiskAssessmentsRiskAssessments


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Risk Assessment Summary

Step 1 Identify the hazards

Step 2 Evaluate the risks

Step 3 Identify suitable control measures

Step 4 Implement control measures

Step 5 Tell staff

Step 6 Monitor the control measures

Step 7 Review your risk assessments


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Risk Assessment - Why Should I Bother?Why are risk assessments important? Make a list in the space provided:-

_________________________ _________________________

_________________________ _________________________

_________________________ _________________________

_________________________ _________________________

_________________________ _________________________

_________________________ _________________________

_________________________ _________________________


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Issued Feb 2005

Risk Assessment - Why Should I Bother ?Risk assessments are important because:- they help us to look after staff and other people who could be affected by the

work they improve the quality of the service we provide - a fit, healthy workforce can

provide a better service they help to stop people from being injured or becoming ill due to accidents and

incidents at work. it is the Law. Managers have a legal duty to make an assessment of the risks to

their staff and anyone else that might be affected by the work. The Council can be prosecuted by Inspectors or sued by injured workers,

members of the public or service users. they save the Council money. Less accidents means less people

have to have time off work, so the cost of covering absence is reduced

if anyone has an accident, everyone will want to know where the risk assessments are. If a risk assessment has not been done, we could be found to be failing in our health and safety responsibilities.


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Risk Assessment Self Assessment Questions

Please tick the answer you feel is correct:-

1. Who is responsible for safety?a) your managerb) youc) your staffd) all of the above

2. Who has the responsibility for doing risk assessments?

a) agency staffb) your managerc) your staff

3. Why do we do risk assessments?a) Because it saves the Council moneyb) Because it helps to keep people healthy and

safec) It is the Lawd) all of the above

4. What is the difference between a hazard and a risk?

a) A hazard is the likelihood that a risk will cause an accident

b) A risk is the likelihood that a hazard will cause an accident

c) It has something to do with gambling

5. What should you do if a member of your staff reports a hazard to you?

a) Ignore it and hope it goes awayb) Evacuate the buildingc) Add it to your risk assessment if

it is a significant risk and take reasonable action control it.


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Issued Feb 2005

6. If you decide a risk is Insignificant, you need not take any further action.

True/False

7. If you decide a risk is Significant, you need not take any further action.

True/False

8. What is a reasonable control measure?

a) One that balances the cost against the risk

b) One that costs as much money as possible

c) One that is very time consuming and bureaucratic


9. Personal protective equipment should only be used after other control measures have been considered.

True/False

10. When your risk assessments are completed, what should you do with them?

a) File them on a high shelf out of reach and let them gather dust

b) Lock them away for safe keeping so no-one else can see them

c) Share them with your staff, keep a copy at the house or patch base and review them at least annually


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Issued Feb 2005


1. d2. b3. d4. b5. c6. True7. False8. a9. True10.c


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Issued Feb 2005

Safe U

se of S

ub

stances at W

ork T

rainin

g P

ack

You should com

plete the following checklist w

ith you manager to provide e

vidence that you understand the con

tent of the Risk A

ssessmen

t-

Perfo

rman

ce Statem

ents

Tick

Bo

x

I under

I understand my em

ployers legal duties for risk assessment

I understand my legal duties for risk assessm

ent

I know

what the steps o

f the risk assessment process are

I hereb

y decla

re th

at

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

_____

___

(print nam

e)

of__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

___

(Esta

blishm

ent)

has w

orked

throug

h the R

isk Assessm

ent tra

ining p

ack and

unde

rstands the

basic principles of h

ealth

& sa

fety

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

___(S

igned

Sup

ervisor/M

ana

ger)

(print Sup

ervisor/Man

ager n

ame

)

____

____

_____

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____

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igned

Sta

ff Me

mbe

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ate)

Yo

u n

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you

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Risk A

ssessmen

t Train

ing

Pack

You should com




tent of the training pack:

Perfo

rman

ce Statem

ents

Tick

Bo

x

I under stand the aim of the risk assessm

ent

I feel confident that I can now

carry out simple risk assessm

ents in my area of w

ork

I hereb

y decla

re th

at

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

_____

___

(print nam

e)

of__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

___

(Esta

blishm

ent)

unde

rstands the


ealth

& sa

fety

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

___(S

igned

Sup

ervisor/M

ana

ger)

(print Sup

ervisor/Man

ager n

ame

)

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

___(S

igned

Sta

ff Me

mbe

r)(D

ate)

Yo

u n

eed

to ke

ep a co

py o

f this ch

ecklis

t with

you

r com

pleted

trainin

gp

ack

an

d yo

ur m

anag

er w

ill als

o ke

ep a

cop

y for yo

ur tra

inin

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Safe U

se of S

ub

stances at W

ork T

rainin

g P

ack

You should com




tent of the Risk A

ssessmen

t-

Perfo

rman

ce Statem

ents

Tick

Bo

x

I under

I understand my em

ployers legal duties for risk assessment

I understand my legal duties for risk assessm

ent

I know

what the steps o

f the risk assessment process are

I hereb

y decla

re th

at

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

_____

___

(print nam

e)

of__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

___

(Esta

blishm

ent)

has w

orked

throug

h the R

isk Assessm

ent tra

ining p

ack and

unde

rstands the


ealth

& sa

fety

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

___(S

igned

Sup

ervisor/M

ana

ger)

(print Sup

ervisor/Man

ager n

ame

)

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

___(S

igned

Sta

ff Me

mbe

r)(D

ate)

Yo

u n

eed

to ke

ep a co

py o

f this ch

ecklis

t with

you

r com

pleted

trainin

gp

ack

an

d yo

ur m

anag

er w

ill als

o ke

ep a

cop

y for yo

ur tra

inin

g rec

ord

Risk A

ssessmen

t Train

ing

Pack

You should com




tent of the training pack:

Perfo

rman

ce Statem

ents

Tick

Bo

x

I under stand the aim of the risk assessm

ent

I feel confident that I can now

carry out simple risk assessm

ents in my area of w

ork

I hereb

y decla

re th

at

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

_____

___

(print nam

e)

of__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

___

(Esta

blishm

ent)

unde

rstands the


ealth

& sa

fety

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

___(S

igned

Sup

ervisor/M

ana

ger)

(print Sup

ervisor/Man

ager n

ame

)

____

____

_____

____

_____

____

_____

__

____

_____

____

____

_____

____

___(S

igned

Sta

ff Me

mbe

r)(D

ate)

Yo

u n

eed

to ke

ep a co

py o

f this ch

ecklis

t with

you

r com

pleted

trainin

gp

ack

an

d yo

ur m

anag

er w

ill als

o ke

ep a

cop

y for yo

ur tra

inin

g rec

ord

Documents

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council Risk Assessment Training Pack