Risk assessment
Risk assessment
Businesses need to identify hazards and assess the risk of harm to someone in the workplace. To be compliant with health and safety laws, you must then take reasonable steps to limit the risk.
Step 1: Hazard identification
- Identify all hazards that may contribute to a workplace incident.
- Businesses and parties in the supply chain should consult and develop a list of real and potential hazards that could arise during the course of work.
Step 2: Risk assessment
- Assess each of the hazards identified for their likelihood of occurring and the expected consequences.
Step 3: Risk control
- Eliminate the hazard so far as is reasonably practicable; or if that is not possible, implement the best control measures to manage the identified risk, in line with the hierarchy of control measures.
Step 4: Monitor and review
- Monitor and review the effectiveness of control measures and revise if necessary.
- The control measures put in place should be reviewed regularly to make sure they work as planned. Don’t wait until something goes wrong and an incident occurs.
- A review is required:
- when the control measure is not effective in controlling the risk
- before a change at the workplace that is likely to give rise to a new or different health and safety risk that the control measure may not effectively control
- if a new hazard or risk is identified
- if the results of consultation indicate that a review is necessary, or
- if a health and safety representative requests a review.