What is a risk assessment?

Risk assessment is the process of identifying hazards and determining their associated risks. The outcome is an action plan that helps employers to focus attention on reducing risks where it is needed and to prioritise any action to safeguard against harm occurring to people.

In practice risk assessment is a continual cycle of improvement as changes in the workplace are reviewed and further actions identified to reduce risks. This continual cycle helps to ensure that health and safety standards are kept high. To this end, risk assessments should be reviewed at least annually.

Why do you need a Health and Safety Risk Assessment ?

Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires that risk assessments are carried out and that reasonable steps are taken to reduce the risk.

Employers with five or more employees are required to record the significant findings of the assessment and any group of employees found to be particularly at risk.

What can SM&MS do ?

SM&MS can carry out risk assessments in the workplace on behalf of the employer and provide an action plan for the reduction of risk. We can provide advice to assist with the implementation of the action plan as well as an annual review and reassessment of risk.

Risk assessment reports can be provided in hard copy and can also be viewed on-line via our PropertyPlus data management system where actions can be actively managed and closed off when completed so providing an audit trail of pro-active management of health and safety. Compliance can also be monitored in real time.

Other Assessments

As well as carrying out general health and safety risk assessments, SM&MS can carry out specific assessments in respect of the following:

• Display Screen Equipment
• Manual Handling
• Hazardous substances (COSHH)
• Work at height
• Personal protective equipment
• Noise at work