Risk assessments are crucial when it comes to complying with legal requirements and promoting workplace health and safety. They play an important role in businesses’ risk-management strategies. Once completed and written up, they can be viewed by workers on all levels and used to encourage excellent health and safety standards and safe working practices across the organisation. But before you start your processes, there are different types of risk assessments to consider.
We here at CHAS have created this brief guide to the different types of risk assessments and what they’re used for to help you keep your employees and supply chain safe, manage risks and comply with legal requirements.
Remember that organisations that have five or more employees must record their risk assessments.
What Are the Types of Risk Assessments and When to Use Them?
There are several different types of risk assessments used by health and safety (H&S) professionals and those with H&S responsibilities. You may decide to use only one of these, or you may use several different types for different purposes. Different approaches to risk assessments can even be used within a single assessment.
Qualitative Risk Assessments
Most risk assessments will fall under this category. When carrying out a qualitative assessment, the assessor will use their personal judgement to identify hazards around the workplace, assess risks and plan control measures.
Risks may be classed as high, medium or low-level after the assessor has considered both the probability and severity of the risk in question.
Quantitative Risk Assessments
This type of risk assessment uses quantitative tools and techniques to measure the level of risks. A risk matrix may be used so that a value can be assigned to the likelihood and severity of risks. For example, you might use a 3×3 matrix with the following values:
3×3 Risk Matrix — Probability
- Highly Unlikely = 1
- Likely = 2
- Highly Likely = 3
3×3 Risk Matrix — Severity
- Slight = 1
- Serious = 2
- Major = 3
To calculate the level of risk, the following equation can then be used:
Risk = Severity x Likelihood
You can see this type of risk matrix used in our risk-assessment template.
There are also other options for risk matrices, such as the 5×5 matrix. The values you use will depend on personal preference and the variability you need in risk levels.
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Generic Risk Assessments
Generic risk assessments assess the hazards and risks involved in work tasks and activities. They can be used in different locations and by different companies for activities that are the same/similar, so they’re often used as risk-assessment templates. This allows you to reduce duplication in your risk-management processes.
However, when using a generic risk assessment, it’s important to note that every workplace and activity will be slightly different, and any differences can affect the accuracy and relevancy of these risk assessments. To ensure generic assessments are relevant and that they’re going to be effective at mitigating risks, you need to review them and adjust or update them accordingly.
Site-Specific Risk Assessments
These are the most important types of risk assessments, as they’re carried out for a specific activity in a specific location. This means they’re completely relevant and should be effective at eliminating or controlling risks and keeping people safe. Think of these risk assessments like taking a deep dive into the health and safety of different activities and work sites.
These assessments may be completed after carrying out generic risk assessments to gain a better understanding of hazards and risk-control methods in the workplace.
You’re legally required to take reasonable steps to mitigate risks and protect people from harm. Site-specific risk assessments can help you plan and implement control measures proportionate to the level of risk.
As the most thorough method of risk assessment, they can help you keep your workforce and members of the public safe and protect your business from the legal liability and reputational damage that comes with health and safety breaches.
Dynamic Risk Assessments
Dynamic risk assessments are carried out on the spot, during unforeseen circumstances. If there are sudden, significant changes to the health and safety of the workplace or work activities, written risk assessments may not be applicable. Risks may need to be considered on the spot to assess whether it’s safe for work to continue.
One thing all of the risk assessments above have in common is that they should be completed following the five steps to risk assessments process.
Remember
Whatever risk-assessment process you adopt, it is always advisable to engage with your workforce when completing risk assessments, as they may know of the workable solutions needed to complete tasks safely.
When you join CHAS, you’ll gain access to a variety of risk-management resources — including risk-assessment and method-statement templates. You’ll also have access to leading accreditation schemes that can help you achieve compliance and grow your business by appealing to more clients.
Join CHAS as a contractor to make the most of these benefits. Or become a CHAS client for FREE to access supply-chain risk-management services.
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