The purpose of risk assessment is to identify all hazards and risk factors arising from work and the work environment and evaluate whether measures should be taken to eliminate or reduce the risks.
Tips for risk assessment:
1) Plan the assessment process
- How will the assessment be implemented, for example, for each task, work stage or workstation. Also take into account less frequently recurring work stages, such as maintenance and repair.
- Who will participate in the identification of hazards. Make sure that the participants’ expertise on the subject of the assessment is taken into account as much as possible.
- Who will evaluate the significance of the risk and who will decide on the measures.
- What information is already available.
2) Identify hazards
- The most important part of the risk assessment is to identify the hazards and risks potentially arising from work.
- Immediately remove any hazards that you can.
- Various checklists, for example, should be used as an aid in the hazard identification process.
3) Evaluate the magnitude and significance of each risk
- Once you have identified the hazards that cannot be removed immediately, put them in order of importance
- You can assess the magnitude of the risk through a variety of matrices which take into account the probability of the risk or hazard, and the severity of the possible consequences.
4) Take the necessary measures
- The greater the risk, the sooner measures must be taken.
- Monitoring the situation is enough for less serious risks.
- However, even a smaller risk should be removed immediately if possible.
5) Monitor the situation and reassess
- By monitoring the measures taken, you can ensure that things get done.
- If you find that a measure is not sufficient or it has not been completed, reassess the situation.
- A risk assessment enables you to focus on relevant occupational safety issues and prepare for such risks before they actually cause any accidents or injuries.
- To ensure that the risk assessment process is as effective as possible, the entire organisation should take part in the assessment.
We offer your company functional tools for risk assessment, ask more!
Assess easily any workplace hazards and keep up to date on workplace safety
The Pohjola Risk Management Service is a digital service, which you can use to enter safety observations, identify workplace hazards, assess risks and carry out continuous monitoring.
Your staff can report observations easily using a computer, smartphone or tablet. If your company has taken out Pohjola Occupational accident and occupational disease insurance, Risk Management Service will be available to you for free.