Risk Assessment
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 state that all employers must undertake a “suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their employees and others who may be affected by their work activities” in order to identify the measure necessary to comply with the law. This means that all work activities undertaken by an employer in the pursuit of the business must be identified, managed and controlled.
In order to comply with the requirements of the law in the case of any business employing 5 or more people, the findings from each risk assessment undertaken must be recorded. The assessments should be regularly monitored and reviewed and, where significant changes in any work process takes place, the assessment should be repeated, taking into account the changes that may have taken place.
The Regulations also require employers to appoint one or more “competent” persons to assist them in complying with the law. The numbers of such persons and the time and resources available must be adequate for the size of the business and the risks present in the undertaking.
The term “competence” in relation to this requirement might involve:
- Knowledge and understanding of the work activities involved
- Knowledge of the principles of risk assessment and prevention
- Understanding of relevant legislation and current best practice
- The capability to apply this in a practical environment