The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require every employer to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for all work activities. This is the foundation of the UK health and safety management system. Without a proper risk assessment, hazards are not identified, controls are not put in place, and workers are exposed to preventable harm. This talk explains what the risk assessment duty means in practice on construction sites.
Key Hazards
Workers injured by hazards that were not identified in the risk assessment
Prosecution for failing to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments
Generic assessments that do not reflect actual site conditions leaving gaps
Controls not implemented because the assessment was never communicated to workers
Control Measures
Carry out a risk assessment for every work activity before it begins on site.
Identify all foreseeable hazards and assess who might be harmed and how seriously.
Determine control measures that eliminate or reduce the risk so far as is reasonably practicable.
Record the significant findings of the assessment in writing and keep them available on site.
Communicate the assessment findings to all workers who may be affected by the identified risks.
Review the assessment whenever the task, location, equipment, or personnel change.
Involve workers in the assessment process to benefit from their practical task knowledge.
Ensure the assessment covers risks to third parties including visitors and the public.
Use the assessment to inform method statements, toolbox talks, and pre-task briefings.
Remember
Every work activity on site must have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment before it starts
Identify all foreseeable hazards and determine who might be harmed and how
Record the assessment in writing and communicate the findings to everyone affected
Review the assessment whenever the task, location, or conditions change on site
Involve workers in the assessment to capture practical knowledge of the task
Applicable Legislation: MHSWR 1999 (Regulation 3) · Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · CDM 2015 · HSE INDG163 (Five Steps to Risk Assessment)