It is a legal requirement to protect employees, and others, from harm.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires businesses to identify:
The above is an iterative process which benefits from employee engagement and from reviewing processes (especially if they are new or change) and following an accident or near miss.
A risk assessment should be carried out by a Competent Person.
A hazard is something which has the potential to cause harm. Consider how people work; what equipment, materials or substances they use; and the work environment. Hazards may be physical but could also be psychological such as stress.
Illness, accident and near miss records may also help identify hazards.
Consider hazards from day-to-day operations, emergencies, maintenance and other things which might happen which could create additional hazards.
Consider hazards which may apply to certain people such as young workers, migrants, new or expectant mothers and people with disabilities.
Employees should be consulted to identify additional hazards.
Identify the likelihood and seriousness of someone being harmed by a hazard to determine the level of risk. Then identify who might be harmed and how and what is being done to control the risk and what more can be done. Identify further actions to control risks and when they should be carried out and by who and by when.
Ideally, risks should be eliminated but should otherwise be controlled to reduce the risk so far as is reasonably practicable.
Controls could include changing processes or the ways of doing something; utilisation of different equipment, materials or substances; reducing exposure; or putting safety measures or personal protective equipment (PPE) in place.
Controls only work if they are adhered to so consider how to monitor compliance with the control measures.
Employers with 5 or more people must record significant findings including the hazards, risks to people (who and how), and the controls put in place.
This is usually recorded in a Risk Assessment.
You must review controls to check they are, or continue to be, effective. This is especially true if there are changes to the workplace, processes, staff, equipment, materials or substances used.
Controls should also be reviewed if concerns are raised by staff or if there has been an accident or near miss.