Module 5 · Regularly Reviewing Risk Assessments

Module 5 · Regularly Reviewing Risk Assessments0% complete · 11 slides left

Risk Assessment
Module 5

This course contains audio. Use headphones in public places.

Introduction

Earlier modules covered the first four steps of risk assessment:

Identifying the hazards.
Deciding who may be harmed, and how.
Evaluating the risks, and selecting controls.
Recording the risk assessment.

This final module looks at step five: why you must review your risk assessment regularly, how to do it, and how to make sure everyone knows about the changes.

Why Reviews Matter

Most risk assessments stop being effective when they are not reviewed. An out-of-date assessment can lead to:

Controls that are no longer good enough, or have fallen out of use.
Existing and new employees not being told about changes to their work.
New processes and activities that have never been assessed.

Any of these can leave hazards in the workplace that nobody has assessed, which makes accidents and ill health more likely. That is why you need a clear procedure for reviewing every risk assessment.

Step 5: Review and Update

The final step is to check regularly whether anything has changed that could affect your risk assessment. Ask:

Have new processes, plant, machinery or workstations been introduced?
Are there improvements that have still not been made?
Has employee feedback, or a new accident report, revealed further hazards?
Has any new equipment been brought into use?
Are there new employees who need training?
Have new systems of work been introduced, such as revised maintenance procedures?

The Law on Reviews

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers must review their risk assessment where there has been a significant change in the work, or where there is reason to believe it is no longer valid.

The safety statement, which is based on the risk assessment, must be reviewed and updated in the same circumstances.

An inspector may also ask to see that your risk assessment is up to date. But do not wait for an inspection: keeping it current is your responsibility.

Reviewing When Things Change

Any change in the workplace, whether new equipment, substances, procedures or staff, can bring new hazards or alter existing ones.

So whenever plant, machinery, the working environment or staffing changes, review the relevant risk assessments and decide whether the controls need updating.

A simple way to make sure this happens is to keep a copy of the risk assessment available at or near the relevant work activity. Whenever something changes, it can be checked and updated straight away.

Other Reasons to Review

You should also review your risk assessment:

Immediately after an accident, incident or near miss. Reviewing and revising the risk assessment must be a key action from every investigation.
After an unexpected event, such as severe weather that has damaged buildings or equipment.
After repairs or alterations that change how the work is done.

Routine maintenance with no repairs or alterations, a like-for-like replacement of worn PPE, or bad weather that causes no damage, would not normally require a review.

Setting a Review Schedule

Even when nothing seems to have changed, regular reviews are good practice. Small changes can build up without anyone noticing.

Many employers review every six months or once a year. The right frequency depends on the organisation and the level of risk: the greater the potential harm, the more often you should review.

Set up a formal process, with named people responsible, and make sure each assessment shows the date it was carried out and the date of its next review.

Informing Employees and Contractors

Everyone must know the hazards of their work, and how to use the controls in place. So any update to a risk assessment must be communicated clearly to all the employees and contractors it affects.

Keep evidence that this happened, for example by asking people to sign a form to confirm they attended a briefing on the changes.

Simply saying that people were told verbally, with no supporting evidence, is not enough.

The Five Steps: A Recap

You now know the whole process:

Identify the hazards, including long-term health hazards.
Decide who may be harmed, and how, including people at greater risk.
Evaluate the risks, and choose controls using the hierarchy of control.
Record the findings, with the date and the review date, and put the controls in place.
Review regularly, and after any change, accident or incident, and tell everyone affected.

Done well, risk assessment keeps people safe and well at work.

Summary

In this module, you have learned that:

Risk assessments must be reviewed when things change, and immediately after any accident or incident.

Keeping a copy near the work activity makes it easy to check and update whenever something changes.

Changes must be communicated to employees and contractors, with evidence that this was done.

You have now completed all 5 modules. When you are ready, go to the final test.

Knowledge Check

When a risk assessment is updated, what should the employer do?

Select one answer, then press Check.

Tell staff verbally, with no need for written evidence

Communicate the changes to employees and contractors, and keep evidence of this

Only inform the employees who ask about the changes

Wait until the next inspection before telling staff

Correct. Changes must be communicated to everyone affected, including contractors, with evidence that this happened.

Not quite. Everyone affected, including contractors, must be told about the changes, and the employer should keep evidence, such as a signed record.

Go to the Test →Answer the question to unlock the test.