Page 1 of 5 SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENT POLICY 1. AIMS 1.1 The main reason for conducting risk assessments is to comply with legislation. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (Regulation 3) states the following: ‘Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of: the risks to the health and safety of its employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work; and the risks to the health and safety of persons not in its employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by the employer of its undertaking’. In summary this means that the risks to the health and safety of employees and any one else as a result of the work activity must be risk assessed. 1.2 In addition to the legal requirements WATMOS will carry out risk assessments for the following reasons: Reduction in accidents, injuries, ill health and fatalities. Increases in quality standards, efficiency and productivity. Reduction of costs of injuries and ill health. Improved targeting of resources. Good management practice. 2. WHAT IS RISK ASSESSMENT? 2.1 The risk assessment process involves a careful examination of what in the workplace, could cause harm to people (staff, members of the public, contractors etc.). This enables WATMOS to decide whether sufficient precautions have been taken or whether more should be done to prevent harm. The aim is to make sure that no one gets hurt or becomes ill. Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and impede the effective operation of WATMOS. 2.2 It is important to decide whether a hazard is significant and whether satisfactory precautions have been implemented so as to minimise the risk. The terms “hazard” and “risk” and defined as follows: Hazard: is something having the potential to cause harm, (e.g. chemical, working from ladders, electricity, etc). Risk: is the probability or likelihood, great or small that injury will result from the hazard. 3. ASSESSING THE RISKS IN THE WORKPLACE 3.1 It is important not to overcomplicate the risk assessment process. In a lot of cases the hazards are few and simple. Checking them is nothing more than common sense. In many cases it will be evident already what is present in the workplace that could cause harm. If so, it is necessary to check that reasonable precautions have been taken to avoid injury. It is also very important to think if a hazard being realised is ‘reasonably foreseeable’ or not. Could it be reasonably expected to