Published 12 Jul 2017
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What is a Risk Assessment Template?
A risk assessment template is a standardized document used to identify, control, and record risks in the workplace. It involves a systematic examination of a workplace and its environment to determine hazards, assess injury severity and likelihood, and implement control measures to reduce risks.
Why Perform In-house Risk Assessments?
While outsourcing can save your team time and effort, performing in-house operational risk assessments can bolster your company’s culture in several ways:
Enable workers to be proactive rather than reactive – A proactive approach to safety pays off in the long run since the majority of workplace injuries are preventable only if workers know the possible risks and how to handle the situation.
Reinforce responsibility and accountability – When workers are obligated to look out for one another’s safety through in-house operational risk assessments, the habit and culture of responsibility and accountability are reinforced.
Promote transparency and collaboration against operational risks – To identify, evaluate, and control operational risks, teams need to be open and transparent with their activities and processes.
Risk Assessment Requirements in Different Countries
Beyond continued business operations, unhindered by incidents caused by hazards, another important reason to perform a workplace risk assessment is that it’s a legal requirement in most countries and regions, including the following:
UK
In the UK, workplace risk assessments are required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR). Based on guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Regulation 3 of MHSWR, employers in the UK have to do the following to manage risks:
Identify what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazards)
Decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk)
Take action to eliminate the hazard, or if this isn’t possible, control the risk
Review the workplace risk assessment when there is reason to suspect that it has become obsolete or there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates
Make changes required by the result of such review
Additionally, if employers in the UK have 5 or more employees, they must record the following:
Significant findings of the workplace risk assessment
Any group of employees identified as being especially at risk
US
In the US, workplace risk assessments, more commonly known as hazard assessments, are required under the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 29, Part 1910, Subpart I, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Standard 132.
Canada
Similarly in Canada, workplace risk assessments are also known as hazard assessments and are required under Part XIX of Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations.
Australia
In Australia, while hazard or risk assessments aren’t specifically required, Part 2 of the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act 2011 states that employers must ensure the health and safety of their employees.
How to Write a Risk Assessment with a Template
One of the main things to keep in mind on how to perform a risk assessment is the format of your report. Depending on the type of the risk assessment, this format will serve as the outline of the full risk assessment.
What is the Correct Format of the Template?
When creating a risk assessment report, the following information should always be present:
Who is at risk? It is important to specify the demographic that is at risk of an identified hazard.
Current control measures Find out and include what the organization is currently doing to lower the risk of injury for identified demographics.
Necessary improvements /changes to control measures Come up with ideas on how they can be improved or replaced to further lower the risk of injury for identified demographics.
Assignments and deadlines Finally, include the names of personnel who will be responsible for the updates, along with clear deadlines.
Writing the Title Page
Who prepared it? Refers to the name of an individual risk assessor or the company/team working on the risk assessment report.
Who is it for? Indicate what or who the risk assessment is for.
Done on Specify the date on which the risk assessment and the report were completed.
Review date This indicates a specific date set for reviewing risk assessment protocols. As a general rule, a risk assessment review must be done whenever significant changes are made to operations.
Writing the Main Body
The two types of risks are physical and substance risks. Slips, trips, falls, getting or injuries due to falling objects all fall under physical risk. Injuries due to toxic, flammable, and caustic materials are covered under substance risks. These findings should be recorded, preferably in easily accessible risk assessment templates for future reference.
Risk Assessment Example Report
To help you visualize what a risk assessment report looks like, here’s an example report using the Risk Assessment Template.
Preview Risk Assessment Report PDF
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