Health and Safety Made Easy

UNDERSTANDING HAZARDS AND RISKS

ASSESSING - CONTROLLING RISKS

RISK ASSESSMENTS

SAFE SYSYTEMS OF WORK

METHOD STATEMENTS

Number of slides 34

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 CONTENTS

Simply

Background

Details

1. Hazards

2. Risk Assessments
HSE
All information is
3. Method Statements provided to
ensure full compliance
with the HSE
4. Example Site Specific Risk Assessment

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Simply

What is the difference between a 'hazard' and a 'risk'?

• A hazard is something that can cause harm, e.g. electricity,
chemicals, working up a ladder, noise, a keyboard, stress,
etc.
• A risk is the chance, high or low, that any hazard will actually
cause somebody harm.

Risk Assessment and Method Statement

• An evaluation of the hazards, how they are controlled, and the order in which the works are
to be undertaken.

Safe System of Work

• A safe system of work is a formal procedure which results from systematic examination
of a task in order to identify all the hazards. It defines safe methods to ensure that
hazards are eliminated or risks minimised.

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Background

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – Prime Legislation

• The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) lays down wide-ranging duties on
employers.
• Employers must protect the 'health, safety and welfare' at work of all their employees, as
well as others on their premises, including temps, casual workers, the self-employed,
clients, visitors and the general public.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

They require the employer to:-
• Undertake an assessment of the risks to health and safety of their employees and others
who may be affected by their work activity.
• Employers with 5 or more employees should record the significant findings of this risk
assessment.

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Details
Chemical

1. Hazards

A hazard is anything that may cause harm,

such as chemicals, electricity, working from
ladders, an open drawer etc..

Example hazards:-
• Chemical
• Electrical
Electrical

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What is a hazard?
• A hazard is a potential source of harm.

• Example: A trip hazard is present and if you do trip over it then you could do yourself some harm.

• Example: A falling from height hazard is present when using a set of steps because of the harm
you could do to yourself if you fell.

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UNDERSTANDING HAZARDS

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• Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would allow
them (even just theoretically) to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of
value.

• A hazard is any biological, chemical, physical or radiological agent that has the potential to cause
harm.

• A hazardous event is an incident or situation that can lead to the presence of a hazard (what can
happen and how).

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What Are the Most Common Hazards in a Workplace? 1 of 2

The six main categories of hazards are:

Biological.
• Biological hazards include viruses, bacteria, insects, animals, etc., that
can cause adverse health impacts.
• For example, mould, blood and other bodily fluids, harmful plants,
sewage, dust and vermin.

Chemical.
• Chemical hazards are hazardous substances that can cause harm.
• These hazards can result in both health and physical impacts, such as
skin irritation, respiratory system irritation, blindness, corrosion and
explosions.

Physical.
• Physical hazards are environmental factors that can harm an employee
without necessarily touching them, including heights, noise, radiation and
pressure.

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What Are the Most Common Hazards in a Workplace? 2 of 2

The six main categories of hazards are:

Safety.
• These are hazards that create unsafe working conditions.
• For example, exposed wires or a damaged carpet might result in a
tripping hazard. These are sometimes included under the category of
physical hazards.

Ergonomic.
• Ergonomic hazards are a result of physical factors that can result in
musculoskeletal injuries.
• For example, a poor workstation setup in an office, poor posture and
manual handling.

Psychosocial.
• Psychosocial hazards include those that can have an adverse effect on
an employee’s mental health or wellbeing.
• For example, sexual harassment, victimisation, stress and workplace
violence.

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 Details

2. Risk Assessment

Risk:-
• A risk is the chance, high or low, that any hazard will actually
cause somebody harm.
Likelihood:-
• An estimation of the harm occurring.
Severity:-
• An estimation of the result of that harm.

Severity

Likelihood

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UNDERSTANDING RISK

ASSESSING RISK

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Details

2. Risk Assessment

Risk Assessments
All employers have a legal duty to prepare risk assessments for work activities that could
foresee result in injury to people or damage equipment.
• Risk assessments outline the ways in which the job could result in injury or damage and the
• measures put in place ensure that the chance of anything going wrong is eliminated or
• reduced to an acceptable level.
• Employer with five or more employees must have written risk assessments.
• If there are less than five employees, the risk assessments must still be carried out although
• there is no legal duty to write them down
• Employers also have a legal duty to communicate the findings of the risk assessment to
• operatives who may be affected by it.
• Therefore, depending upon the size of your company, you should either be told, or be asked
• to read, what the risks and control measures are for each job that you carry out.
• There is no specified way for laying out a risk assessment so you must familiarise yourself
• with the way your employer lay out theirs.
• In many cases, the risk assessments are part of the method of statement.

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Details

2. Risk Assessment

The 5 Steps to Risk Assessment

Step 1:-
• Identify the hazards
• Walk around your workplace and look at what could reasonably be expected to cause
harm.
Step 2:-
• Decide who might be harmed and how
• What is the best way of managing the risk.
Step 3:-
• Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
• Everything ‘reasonably practicable’ to protect people from harm will be done.
Step 4:-
• Record your findings and implement them
• Keep it simple
Step 5:- Review

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Details

3. Method Statements

Method statements are a written list of operations, to be carried out in a specified sequence, in
order to complete a work activity in a safe manner.
• Everyone involved in a job which a method statement has been written should read it and sign
as having done so.
• Well-written method statements address all the hazards present and plan the work so that the
risk of accident is eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level.
• Most method statements also include the risk assessments for the same job so that the
operative can read what hazards have been considered and how the risk of accidents have been
overcome.

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Details

3. Method Statements

The core contents of a Method Statement:-

• Activities – a summary of the works
• Hand Tools – a list of manual and powered
• Plant and Equipment – a list
• Materials – a list
Appendices examples:-
• Hot Work Permit
• HAV Register

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Details

4. Example Site Specific RAMS

Items to be looked at in greater detail are:-

1. Cover sheet - site management details
2. Site Specifics
3. Work components
4. Competencies – training
5. Method Statement
6. Appendices

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

1. Cover sheet - site management details

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

2. Site Specifics

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

3. Work components

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

4. Competencies – training

5. Method Statement

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

6. Appendices

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

H&S Overview

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

Risk Assessment Record and Controls

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

General Hazard Controls

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Details

3. Example Site Specific RAMS

General Hazard Controls

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THE END
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