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This section describes the Company system for management of the risk assessment process as prescribed by The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR).
Regulation 3 of MHSWR - Risk Assessment requires employers (and self-employed persons) to make suitable and sufficient assessment of risk to workers and any others who may be affected by their activities and to record the significant finding of that assessment.
The need to assess risks is applied to all areas of the Company business. The assessment process effectively starts upon Company being awarded the job until completion, and during the maintenance phase. This procedure defines the assessment process and is split into the following sections: land, project, activity specific, COSHH, noise and manual handling.
Risk Assessment is an examination of a work process, or assessment carried out by a competent person or on behalf of an employer, which assesses the hazards inherent in an operation and all others who may be affected. It involves identifying the risks present in a work operation, and evaluating that risk, taking into account whatever precautions are already in place.
The risk assessment may cover just one task e.g. digging the foundations for a new building/property. If the work to be carried out is substantial, difficult or complex, then it will not be possible to carry out just one assessment. Each part of the operation should be identified and a risk assessment carried out.
A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm.
Risk contains the following elements:
The work method being used
The place where the work is being carried out and
The people carrying out the work and those affected by the work.
The process of practical Risk Assessment has no fixed rules on how it should be undertaken, but whatever the process or procedure is followed they must take on board the principles of preventative and protective measures, that is:
Avoid the risk altogether;
Evaluate the risks that cannot be avoided;
Combat the source of the risk;
Adapt work to the individual wherever possible;
Adapt to technical progress;
Replace the dangerous with the non-dangerous or less dangerous;
Develop a coherent overall protection policy which covers such items as technology, working and social conditions;
Adopt measures that protect the greatest number of individuals;
Give appropriate training, information and instruction to employees; and
Provide Personal Protective Equipment
A Risk Assessment can be carried out in five steps:
Look for the hazards that could cause harm;
Decide who might be harmed, how, why, when and by what;
Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing controls and precautions are adequate, or whether more could be done;
Record the findings;
Review the findings and revise if necessary
The first action in the exercise of risk assessment is to identify the hazard. A hazard may be defined as a potential for somebody to be harmed either by an accident or exposure to a hazardous substance.
Having identified the hazards, it is necessary to quantify two factors that will then identify the degree of risk posed by the hazard.
The severity of harm that would arise if that hazard manifested itself
The likelihood that harm will occur.
The following equation shows how an evaluation may then be made of the risk.
SEVERITY OF HARM × LIKELIHOOD OF OCCURRENCE = RISK ARISING
At the design stage, only a simple judgement may be needed, e.g. HIGH, MEDIUM or LOW, for each of the two factors of severity and likelihood (see below). A more quantified assessment may be needed at the construction phase when the risk may be measured more precisely.
The relative severity of harm should be classified as follows.
SEVERITY RATING | |
Index | Description |
1 | No injury, damage, sickness or loss (with no time off) |
2 | Minor injury or illness, minor damage or loss (and/or up to 7 days off) |
3 | Reportable injuries or illness, substantial damage or loss (or over 7 days off) |
4 | Major injury, long term absence |
5 | Fatality, catastrophic damage or loss (Death) |
The likelihood that an accident will occur will depend on:
The situation of the workplace
The number of people exposed to the potential for an accident.
LIKELIHOOD RATING | ||
Index | Description | Definition |
1 | Very Unlikely | Less than once every 10 years |
2 | Unlikely | Once in every 5 - 10 years |
3 | Likely | Once in every 2 - 5 years |
4 | Very likely | Once in every 2 years |
5 | Certain | More than once a year |
Risk Assessments and the production of safety method statements will be required for all high-risk activities carried out by Company. They will include but not be limited to the following;
Piling Operations
Groundworks
Road Works
Drainage , Excavations (deep and shallow)
Traffic Management & Plant Operations
Crane Operations including erection & dismantle and operation
Any work at Height
Work on or near Water
Working with Hazardous Materials
The Objective of the Method Statement is:
To ensure that Site Management agrees a safe working method with our employees and our subcontractors prior to works being carried out. They should be written for the benefit of those carrying out the works and their immediate supervisors.
Task specific Method Statements should be produce in advance of the works starting and be revised and amended as and when necessary if work situations change. To enable the site management to process and agree Method Statement with a minimum of delay. Method Statements should be produced that include full reference to the following headings;
The location of the works
Description of the works
Arrangements for access and egress
Arrangements for storage and housekeeping
The Health and Safety Constants that will apply such as
Inductions, Training and certification of operatives
Plant certification and inspection
Permit systems
Edge protection
First Aid & Welfare
Arrangements for the environment
Details of plant and equipment that will be used
Details of personnel involved
A sequence of the works
Supervision details
Reporting and monitoring details
Details on working times and constraints
Details of PPE that may be required
A full evaluation check sheet HSF 503 can be found in on the hub for acceptance of subcontractor’s MS/RA’s.
For high-risk activities Permits to Work will be required which form part of the control measures to minimize this risk.
The Safety Department has undertaken Risk Assessments for the majority of the works that are undertaken by Company and produced a set of generic Risk Assessment and Method Statement templates. These documents are located on the hub under 'Controlled documents'.
The Site Management Team will produce the necessary site-specific Risk Assessments and Method Statements using these templates. If required, the Safety Department will assist with this procedure if required and the Health and Safety Advisor will assist and provide guidance with any additional requirements.
Prior to works commencing, the Site Management will ensure that the contents of any Risk Assessment and Method Statement are briefed to the operatives involved in the work. All such operatives will sign the Risk Assessment/Method Statement Acceptance Form as confirmation that they have read and understood the contents of the document and agree to work as per the requirements of it. This form must then be attached to the back of the document.
Each method statement produced will require authorisation before works commence. This authorisation must be completed by a separate individual from the author of the document. If the author is the contracts manager, then the site manager must review the contents of the RAMS to ensure they are specific and applicable. Once checked the method statement must be signed off to verify a review was completed. Where a member of the site management team drafts a method statement, then the contracts manager can sign off the authorisation.
The Management Team will review and make any necessary changes to the Risk Assessments and Method Statements to reflect any changes in working methods, changes in hazards and any subsequent control measures required. In some instances, this may require a revised document to be produced, if variations of the main methods are required, then this can be addressed using a Task Sheet Template HSF 901. This form must then be signed by all operatives involved in the work, then attached to the main Method Statement.
During any site safety inspection, the Health and Safety Manager will undertake periodic reviews of any Risk Assessment and Method Statement or Task Sheets so as to ensure that the document reflects the current work practices and incorporates the correct control measures.
Method Statements and Risk Assessments are often regarded as “just paperwork “and when operatives are briefed on their contents, they are not always read and understood. It is important that all persons at work understand the contents of these documents. If they do not, how can they be expected to work to their requirements?
