CHAPTER 4
Health and safety
management systems –
measures to eliminate or control both acute and immediate and long-term risks to the health and safety of people at work. The principles of control can be applied to both health risks and safety risks although health risks have some distinctive features that require a special approach. The chapter concludes with emergency procedures and the treatment of first-aid.
4.1 Principles and practice of risk assessment
4.1.1 Introduction
There are several descriptions of the meaning of ‘risk assessment’. NEBOSH defines risk assessment as:
‘the identification of preventative and protective measures by the evaluation of the risk(s) arising from a hazard(s), taking into account the adequacy of any existing controls, and deciding whether or not the risk(s) is acceptable.’
4.1.2 Legal aspects of risk assessment
The general duties of employers to their employees in Section 2 of the HSW Act 1974 imply the need for risk assessment. This duty was also extended by Section 3 of the Act to anybody else affected by activities of the employer – contractors, visitors, customers or members of the public. However, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations are much more specific concerning the need for risk assessment. The following requirements are laid down in those Regulations:
X
u the risk assessment shall be ‘suitable and sufficient’
and cover both employees and non-employees affected by the employer’s undertaking (e.g.
contractors, members of the public, students, patients, customers); every self-employed person shall make a ‘suitable and sufficient’ assessment of the risks to which they or those affected by the undertaking may be exposed;
X
u any risk assessment shall be reviewed if there is reason to suspect that it is no longer valid or if a significant change has taken place;
X
u where there are five or more employees, the significant findings of the assessment shall be recorded and any specially at risk group of
Introduction
Risk assessment and minimum levels of risk prevention or control are regulated by health and safety legal requirements. Risk assessment or profiling is an essential part of the DO stage of any health and safety management system (see Figure 4.1). Risk assessment methods are used to decide on priorities and to set objectives for eliminating hazards and reducing risks.
Wherever possible, risks should be eliminated through the selection and design of facilities, equipment and processes. If risks cannot be eliminated, they should be minimised by the use of physical controls or, as a last resort, through systems of work and personal protective equipment. The control of risks is essential to secure and maintain a healthy and safe workplace, which complies with the relevant legal requirements. In this chapter, hazard identification and risk assessment are covered together with appropriate risk control measures. A hierarchy of control methods is discussed that gives a preferred order of approach to risk control.
This chapter also concerns the principles of prevention that should be adopted when deciding on suitable
This chapter covers the following NEBOSH learning objectives:
1. Explain the principles and practice of risk assessment
2. Explain the general principles of prevention in relation to risk reduction measures 3. Identify the key sources of health and safety information
4. Explain what factors should be considered when developing and implementing a safe system of work 5. Explain the role and function of a permit-to-work system
6. Outline the need for emergency procedures and the arrangements for contacting emergency services 7. Outline the requirements for, and effective provision of, first-aid in the
workplace
Figure 4.1 Risk assessment or profiling is covered by the DO part of the management cycle
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those Regulations. For example, reference to the legal requirements of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations will be necessary when risks from the operation of machinery are being considered.
However, there is no need to repeat a risk assessment if it is already covered by other Regulations (e.g. a risk assessment considering personal protective equipment is required under the COSHH Regulations so there is no need to undertake a separate risk assessment under the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations).
Apart from the duty under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations to undertake a health and safety assessment of the risks to any person (employees, contractors or members of the public) who may be affected by the activities of the organisation, the following Regulations require a specific risk assessment to be made:
X
u Ionising Radiations Regulations;
X
u Control of Asbestos Regulations;
X
u Control of Noise at Work Regulations;
X
u Manual Handling Operations Regulations;
X
u Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations;
X
u Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations;
X
u Confined Spaces Regulations;
X
u Work at Height Regulations;
X
u Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (not under HSW Act);
X
u Control of Vibration at Work Regulations;
X
u Control of Lead at Work Regulations;
X
u Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.
See http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/ the HSE’s risk management site.
4.1.3 Forms of risk assessment
There are two basic forms of risk assessment.
A quantitative risk assessment attempts to measure the risk by relating the probability of the risk occurring to the possible severity of the outcome and then giving the risk a numerical value. This method of risk assessment is used in situations where a malfunction could be very serious (e.g. aircraft design and maintenance or the petrochemical industry).
The more common form of risk assessment is the qualitative assessment, which is based purely on personal judgement and is normally defined as high, medium or low. Qualitative risk assessments are usually satisfactory as the definition (high, medium or low) is normally used to determine the time frame over which further action is to be taken.
The term ‘generic’ risk assessment is sometimes used, and describes a risk assessment which covers similar activities or work equipment in different departments, sites or companies. Such assessments employees identified. (This does not mean that
employers with four or less employees need not undertake risk assessments.)
The term ‘suitable and sufficient’ is important as it defines the limits to the risk assessment process. A suitable and sufficient risk assessment should:
X
u identify the significant risks and ignore the trivial ones;
X
u identify and prioritise the measures required to comply with any relevant statutory provisions;
X
u remain appropriate to the nature of the work and valid over a reasonable period of time;
X
u identify the risk arising from or in connection with the work. The level of detail should be proportionate to the risk.
The significant findings that should be recorded include a detailed statement of the hazards and risks, the preventative, protective or control measures in place and any further measures required to reduce the risks present.
Figure 4.2 Reducing the risk – finding an alternative safer method when fitting a wall-mounted boiler
When assessing risks under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, reference to other Regulations may be necessary even if there is no specific requirement for a risk assessment in
Incident and near miss
The HSE states that an ‘Incident includes all undesired circumstances and “near misses” which could cause accidents’. Knowledge of near misses is very important as research has shown that, approximately, for every 10 ‘near miss’ events at a particular location in the workplace, a minor accident will occur.