Introduction

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act (HSWA, 1974) places a duty on every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable​, that both employees and persons on our sites not in our employment (e.g., visitors, contractors, etc.) are not exposed to risks to their health or safety. The HSWA and Management Regulations include a requirement for 'suitable and sufficient'​ risk assessments. 

As well as a legal requirement, risk assessments (RAs) are a proven method of ensurin​g everyone who visits our sites remain safe, therefore it is essential that STFC staff produce high quality RAs and know how to assess visiting workers RAs. The outcome of any RA should be an analysis of the activity and clear control measures which will outline the safe way to perform each activity.

Different types of risk assessment​

A ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment consists of 5 key principles which are outlined in HSE guidance:

1. Identify the hazards (activities with potential to cause harm).
2. Decide which categories of people may be harmed by your activities and how.
3. Analyse and decide upon your control measures [most important part!].
4. Record your findings in a way all relevant staff are consulted and informed.
5. Review the risk assessment regularly to ensure it reflects current practice.

The form on which your risk assessment is completed may vary depending on the particular hazard and any specific Regulations involved.

General activities:

• The general activity risk assessment proforma
  

• Personal risk assessment - for any staff with existing medical condition which could be impacted upon due to their occupational activities. If you require medical advice to complete the risk assessment, the line manager can submit a management referral for Occupational Health advice via​ HR.
  
• Seizure acti​on plan – a very useful document for any staff member with a medical condition which involves seizures in order to inform colleagues of what to expect and how to help the individual
  
• Workplace-Anaphylaxis-Risk-Assessment (1).doc and ADULT-ALLERGY-ACTION-PLAN.pdf
  
• Pregnant women/new mothers proforma
  

Other pro-formas for risk assessment:​​

Office risk assessment – a useful proforma for 100% office based staff

On the Job pad - for low risk activities that are one offs, repeated activities should be covered by a full risk assessment (pads can be collected from SHE Group)

Training

If you are involved in writing or reviewing risk assessment then please contact the people below for in person training:

• DL and UKATC – DL SHE Training Team
• RAL and Chilbolton – RAL SHE Traini​ng Team

For awareness training on risk assessment, see Risk Assessment Awareness Video (instructions on how to locate training courses on Totara)

• This video is intended as an awareness tool and refresher for those already trained. It is not intended to replace the in-person STFC risk assessment course, contact your local SHE team to arrange this if you perform risk assessments as part of your role.
• Ignore the link to the free risk assessment tool advertised on slide 22/23. Instead you should use the STFC word template linked above or enter your risk assessment data onto Evotix Assure, also linked below.
• Video takes approximately 30 mins to complete

For more information on the requirement of Regulations and STFC policy relating to risk assessment see:

• SHE Code 6: Risk Management
  
• BiteSize training for SHE Code 6​

Where should I store my risk assessments?

STFC policy is to store risk assessments on Evotix Assure (excluding health related assessments). For information on how to use Evotix Assure see the below video tutorials:​

Other proformas for risk assessment

Whilst all risk assessments conform to the 5 principles stated above, some industry sector specific legislation includes explicit requirements for risk assessment which are recorded in proformas specific to the relevant hazard. Examples, together with the relevant SHE Code are detailed below:

1. SHE Code 37 – COSHH: Control of Substances Harmful to Health
   
2. SHE Code 20 – DSEAR: Dangerous Substances Explosives Atmospheres Regulations
   
3. Ionising radiation
   

​There are also Regulations which explicitly state a requirement for risk assessment. However, these hazards can be covered in Dept activity risk assessments. These include: Noise, DSE, Manual Handling, Confined Spaces, Legionella, Asbestos, Lead and Vibration.