Risk assessment is not a form to file and forget. It is a method for understanding how people can be harmed and what should be done about it.
Identify, evaluate, control
Teams walk through tasks and workplaces to identify hazards, consider likelihood and severity, and select controls. Hierarchy of controls still applies: eliminate or reduce risk at source before relying on PPE.
Involve the people who do the work
Employees closest to the task often see hazards that documents miss. Job Safety Analysis and HIRA are more accurate when operators and supervisors participate.
Keep assessments alive
New equipment, layout changes, contractors and incidents should trigger a review. A dated assessment that no longer matches the workplace provides false comfort.
This article is educational content explaining workplace risk assessment practice.
