Assessment & Evaluation of Risk

Question 1

List the key steps to Risk Assessment

Answer 1

STEP 1
Identify the hazards

STEP 2
Identify the people who might be harmed and how

STEP 3
Evaluate the risk and decide on precautions

STEP 4
Record the significant findings

STEP 5
Review and update as necessary

Question 2

What categories of people need to be considered during a Risk Assessment?

Answer 2

Employees carrying out a task

Other employees working nearby who might be affected

Visitors/Members of the public

Maintenance staff

New/Young workers

Persons with a disability

Persons who work for another employer in a shared workplace

Question 3

What is meant by ‘Risk Estimation’?

Answer 3

Risk estimation is determining the magnitude of the size of the risk

Question 4

What is meant by ‘Risk Evaluation’?

Answer 4

Risk evaluation is the process of deciding whether a risk is acceptable or not

Question 5

What is meant by ‘Risk’?

Answer 5

Risk is the chance that somebody could be harmed by hazards, together with an indication of how serious the harm could be.

Question 6

How is the magnitude of risk associated with an incident determined?

Answer 6

The magnitude of risk is determined by two factors:

The likelihood or probability of the event occurring, and

The consequence or harm realised if the event takes place

Question 7

How is the likelihood of an adverse event occurring determined?

Answer 7

Degree of exposure to the hazard and, once exposed to the hazard,

The likelihood that harm will occur

Question 8

What is meant by ‘consequence’?

Answer 8

The consequence is the outcome from the adverse incident occurrence.

Question 9

Having evaluated the risk and established whether or not it is acceptable, you have to ensure that the controls meet minimum standards. What types of standards is referred to?

Answer 9

Legislation
Approved Codes of Practice
Approved Guidance

Question 10

When deciding what action to take following a risk assessment, the hierarchy of controls should be followed. What are the steps in the hierarchy of control?

Answer 10

Elimintation
Can the hazard be removed? If not, how can the risks be controlled so that harm is unlikely?

Substitute the Hazard
Try a less risky option

Contain the Risk
Prevent access to the hazard

Reduce Exposure to the Hazard
Reduce the number of persons exposed to the hazard and/or reduce duration of exposure

PPE
Provide protection for each individual at risk

Skill/Supervision
Rely on the competence of the individual

Welfare Arrangements
Provide washing facilities to remove contamination and first-aid facilities

Question 11

MHSWR makes it a legal requirement to record the significant findings of a risk assessment including any group identified as being especially at risk. What should the significant findings include?

Answer 11

A record of the preventive and protective measures in place to control the risks

What further action, if any, needs to be taken to reduce risk sufficiently

Proof that a suitable and sufficient assessment has been made.

Question 12

List the three types of Risk Assessment

Answer 12

Generic Risk Assessments

Specific Risk Assessments

Dynamic Risk Assessments

Question 13

What is a generic risk assessment?

Answer 13

A generic risk assessments apply to commonly identified hazards and set out the associated control measures and precautions for that particular hazard.

They give broad controls for general hazards but do not take into account the particular persons at risk or any special circumstances associated with the work activity.

Question 14

What is a specific risk assessment?

Answer 14

These apply to a particular work activity and the persons associated with it.

Specific activities, processes or substances used that could injure persons or harm their health are identified, along with exactly who might be harmed.

Some workers have particular requirements such as new and young workers, migrant workers, new or expectant mothers, people with disabilities, temporary workers, contractors, home workers and lone workers.

The risk assessment needs to be specifically tailored to the individuals at risk as well as the specific nature of the work task.

Question 15

What is a dynamic risk assessment?

Answer 15

These are needed when work activities involve changing environments and individual workers need to make quick mental assessments to manage risks.

Police, fire-fighters, teachers and lone-workers, for example, often have to make swift risk judgments and identify controls, sometimes on their own and in high-pressure, potentially stressful environments.

Question 16

List the steps of the Dynamic Risk Assessment as detailed in the Home Office’s 1998 Dynamic Risk Assessment Method.

Answer 16

EVALUATE THE SITUATION
Consider issues such as what operational intelligence is available, what tasks need to be carried out, what are the hazards, where are the risks, who is likely to be affected, what resources are available.

SELECT SYSTEMS OF WORK
Consider the possible systems and choose the most appropriate. The starting point must be procedures that have been agreed in pre-planning and training.

ASSESS THE CHOSEN SYSTEMS OF WORK
Are the risks proportional to the benefits? if yes, proceed with the tasks after ensuring that goals, both individually and team, are understood. Responsibilities should be clearly allocated; safety measures and procedures understood. If no, move to the next step.

INTRODUCE ADDITIONAL CONTROLS
Reduce residual risks to an acceptable level, if possible by introducing additional control measures, such as specialist equipment or PPE

REASSESS SYSTEMS OF WORK & ADDITIONAL CONTROL MEASURES
If risks remain, do the benefits from carrying out the task outweigh the costs if the risks are realised? if the benefits outweigh the risks, proceed with the task. If the risks outweigh the benefits, do not proceed with the task, but consider safe, viable alternatives.

Question 17

What is a qualitative assessment?

Give an example.

Answer 17

Qualitative risk assessments are based entirely on judgement, opinion and experience, including approved guidance, rather than on measurements

A qualitative risk assessment is carried out by the risk assessor making qualitative judgement with respect to the likelihood and consequence associated with a particular loss event.

Minor Injury
Lost Time Injury
Major Injury

Question 18

What is a semi-quantitative assessment?

Give an example.

Answer 18

In many risk assessments where the hazards are not few and simple, nor numerous and complex, it may be necessary to use some semi-quantitative assessments in addition to the simple qualitative assessments.

This may involve measuring the exposure of a worker to a hazardous substance or noise which can then be used to assess whether the risks to the workers are acceptable or not.

Semi-quantitative risk assessments may also use a simple matrix to combine estimates of likelihood and consequence in order to place risks in rank order.

The likelihood and consequence are each characterized as low, medium or high and are assigned a number 1, 2 or 3 respectively.

The risk is determined by calculating the product of the likelihood and the consequence, so risks range from 1 to 9.

The key point about such matrix is that they are used to rank risks. They have no meaning in terms of their relative sizes so it cannot be assumed that a risk value of 9 is nine times the size of a risk rating of 3.

Question 19

What is a quantitative risk assessment?

Answer 19

Quantitative risk assessments attempt to calculate probabilities or frequencies of specific event scenarios. This is sometimes mandated by legislation, so that the results can be compared with criteria on what is considered an acceptable or a tolerable risk.

They may use advanced simulation or modelling techniques to investigate possible accidents and will utilize plant component reliability data.

They are sometimes referred to as QRA or Probabilistic Risk Analysis.

The degree of quantification is variable. This type of risk assessment typically uses advanced tools such as Fault Tree Analysis and Event Tree Analysis.

It relies heavily on having suitable data to calculate the probability or frequency of a defined event.

QRAs are evidence based to be as objective as possible.

Question 20

The three classifications of risk are ‘acceptable’, ‘unacceptable’ and ‘tolerable’.

Explain each of these

Answer 20

ACCEPTABLE
No further action required. The risks are considered insignificant or trivial and adequately controlled.

UNACCEPTABLE
Certain risks that cannot be justified despite any benefit they might bring. Here we have to distinguish between those activities that we expect those at work to endure, and those we permit individuals to engage in through their own free choice.

TOLERABLE
Risks that fall between acceptable and unacceptable. Tolerability does not mean acceptable but means that we, as a society, are prepared to endure such risks because of the benefits they give and because further risk reduction is grossly out of proportion in terms of time, cost, etc.