Risk Assessment for Your Staff

As an employer, you are required by law, under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, to assess potential risks to the health and safety of employees whilst at work. Under these regulations, employers must meet the minimum requirements of:

• Identifying what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazards).
• Deciding how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk).
• Taking action to eliminate the hazard or, if this isn’t possible, control the risk.

Identifying the Hazards in a Staff Risk Assessment

The content of a staff risk assessment will vary massively between industries and workplaces and is based on a variety of risks present in each individual work environment. Slips and trips are an example of a potential hazard that is common in most workplaces. Hazards like slips, trips and falls can be caused by wet floors, loose cables and poor housekeeping.

Manual handling is another common hazard found in most staff risk assessments. In fact, one in three accidents at work is caused by manual handling. The risks to staff associated with this hazard include pain to the limbs and joints, back pain and various long-term health associations like repetitive strain injury.

Another frequent workplace hazard is the risk of hazardous substances. The term “hazardous substance” doesn’t just include chemicals and can range from dust and powders to fumes inhaled or substances with severe health implications like asbestos. Hazardous substances can present a risk if staff are not familiar with cleaning products and their proper use.

Assessing the Likelihood of Risk to Staff

When assessing the likelihood of risk to staff in the workplace, you should consider whether there are some workers who may be more at risk than others. While the hazards themselves should be ranked by severity, there may be cause to assess risk severity in relation to individual workers. 

Examples of vulnerable workers at risk could include pregnant women, young people under 18 or individuals with disabilities. You should tailor your staff risk assessment to take into consideration whether any of your staff members have an increased chance of risk at work. 

In the instance of manual handling, an individual’s capability will determine what is doable for your staff. Some workers may have pre-existing health conditions that make them more prone to risks in the workplace. For example, an individual who suffers from hypersensitivity will be more sensitive to noise in the workplace. Loud noises can have lasting effects on a worker’s hearing, so the risks of noise in the workplace should be considered for all staff, but be sure to check if there may be an increased risk for certain individuals. 

Actions to Eliminate or Control the Risk

One of the most effective ways to reduce the risks found in your staff risk assessment is thorough training. For example, businesses should familiarise themselves with resources like the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Including regulation standards in your staff training will keep risks to a minimum. Ensuring that workers understand the need for compliance and that management is enforcing training standards across the workforce means that you can be confident that adequate health and safety precautions are being taken. Training resources in electrical safety, fire safety and gas safety are widely available and should be based around the government regulations in each area.

For a true insight into the hazards and risks faced in the workplace, you should be consulting with your staff — those that are at work in the environment under assessment every day. This is a useful tool to give management a thorough understanding of the potential risks as advised by the people most affected. Include workers in your staff risk assessment wherever possible to not only gain insight but make them feel included in the process.

Companies should also cultivate a culture of open communication in the workplace. Workers must feel comfortable stating when they’re not capable of carrying out a task or are assigned a job beyond their remit. Setting boundaries can feel daunting for workers, but doing so will reduce the risk of injury to themselves and, ultimately, others in the workplace. It’s important to include the process for reporting a workplace injury in your staff risk assessment.

In the case of manual handling, employees should consult the Manual Handling Operations Regulations and measures to reduce the risk of injury from such activities. In some instances, as well as training to reduce the risk, lifting equipment may be required. Companies should be as accommodating as possible when dealing with the limitations of staff.

Providing personal protective equipment (PPE) is another example of a measure employers can take to reduce the risk of certain hazards in the workplace. This equipment will help protect users against health and safety risks at work by ensuring they are suitably prepared for any potential risks they may encounter. Remember that the provision of PPE should be the last resort and that hazards should be eliminated or controlled using other methods in the first instance.

The CHAS Common Assessment Standard makes it easier for both clients and contractors to achieve compliance. Once a year, a CHAS assessor will review your information and make sure you’re compliant with risk management regulations, including health and safety regulations. Sign up for a CHAS Elite Membership today and secure accreditation for your company.