General Risk Assessments

What it is : The aim of a noise risk assessment is to help you decide what you need to do to ensure the health and safety of your employees who are exposed to noise. It is more than just taking measurements of noise sometimes measurements may not even be required.

Why you would need one : This will depend on how loud the noise is and how long people are exposed to that noise. As a simple consider the following:

• Is the noise intrusive
• Do your employees have to raise their voices to carry out a normal conversation when about 2 m apart for at least part of the day?
• Do your employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour each day?
• Do you work in a noisy industry?
• Are there noises due to impacts?

What it is : The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) require employers to control the risks to safety from fire,  explosions and substances corrosive to metals.

Why you would need one : DSEAR requires employers to:

• Find out what dangerous substances are in their workplace and to assess the risk
• Put control measures in place to either remove those risks or, where this is not possible, control them
• Put controls in place to reduce the effects of any incidents involving dangerous substances
• Prepare plans and procedures to deal with accidents, incidents and emergencies involving dangerous substances
• Make sure employees are properly informed about and trained to control or deal with the risks from the dangerous substances
• Identify and classify areas of the workplace where explosive atmospheres may occur and avoid ignition sources.

What it is : A Legionella Risk Assessment will identify the risks in your water system, this is carried out by a competent person who understands your water systems and any associated equipment,  this should establish any possible exposure to legionella risks.

Why you would need one : Under general health and safety law, as an employer or person in control of a premises (eg a landlord), you have health and safety duties and need to take suitable precautions to prevent or control the risk of exposure to legionella.

Carrying out a risk assessment is your responsibility and will help you to establish any potential risks and implement measures to either eliminate or control risks.

What it is : A COSHH assessment concentrates on the hazards and risks from substances in your workplace, it uses the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and how the substance is being used/applied and identifies the risks and helps you establish the controls to reduce the risk to as low as is reasonably practicable.

Why you would need one : There is a legal requirement to carry out an assessment of the risk to health created by work involving substances hazardous to health. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 Regulation 6, An employer shall not carry out work which is liable to expose any employees to any substance hazardous to health unless he has made a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk created by that work to the health of those employees

What is it: Lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision.

Why would you need one: Lone workers face the same hazards at work as anyone else, but there is a greater risk of these hazards causing harm as they may not have anyone to help or support them if things go wrong.

As an employer, you should provide training, supervision, monitoring and support for lone workers.

An assessment of the risk to lone workers would help you identify the hazards and put measures in place to control or eliminate them.

What it is : An asbestos Risk assessment would define, locate and identify the condition of Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) and its risk to all. It enables the employer or landlord to manage the risks from ACM.

Why you would need one : As defined with in the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 Regulation 5, an employer must not undertake work in demolition, maintenance or any other work which exposes or is liable to expose employees of that employer to asbestos in respect of any premises unless either; that employer has carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment as to whether asbestos, what type of asbestos, contained in what material and in what condition is present or is liable to be present in those premises; or If there is doubt as to whether asbestos is present in those premises, that employer assumes that asbestos is present, and that it is not chrysotile alone, and observes the applicable provisions of the Control of Asbestos Regulations.

What it is : Where you identify risks from hazardous manual handling in your workplace that cannot be avoided, you must do a manual handling risk assessment to help you decide what you need to do to manage these risks.

Why you would need one : A suitable and sufficient risk assessment is required when hazardous manual handling cannot be avoided. The assessment should identify where the risk of injury lies and identify appropriate ways to reduce that risk.

What it is : A Display Screen Equipment assessment is referred, as an analysis of workstations and is a requirement under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992.

Why you would need one : Every employer shall perform a suitable and sufficient analysis of those workstations which are used for the purposes of his undertaking by users have been provided by him and are used for the purposes of work and, for the purpose of assessing the health and safety risks to which those persons are exposed in consequence of that use.

A means an employee who habitually uses display screen equipment as a significant part of his normal work.

What it is : When employing a young person under the age of 18, whether for work, work experience, or as an apprentice, employers have the same responsibilities for their health, safety and welfare as they do for other employees. There is a clear requirement to carry out an assessment as defined with in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Regulation 19.

Why you would need one : Every employer shall ensure that young persons employed by him are protected at work from any risks to their health or safety which are a consequence of their lack of experience, or absence of awareness of existing or potential risks or the fact that young persons have not yet fully matured.

What it is : You must, by law, take in risks to female employees of childbearing age in your general workplace risk assessment. This includes risks to new and expectant mothers, who can be exposed to harm through certain working conditions and the use of chemical physical, or biological agents.

You should regularly review your assessment, particularly after significant changes to the workplace or work conditions.

Why you would need one : When an employee has informed you in writing that they are a new or expectant mother, you should immediately review your existing workplace risk assessment for any known risks that could affect them. In doing this you must also consider any medical recommendations provided by their GP or midwife.