3.4 Assessing Risk

The meaning of hazard, risk, risk profiling and risk assessment

Hazard

A hazard is a source or situation with the potential to cause harm, in terms of human injury or ill health, damage to property or the environment, or a combination of these.

Hazards can be grouped into categories such as:

• noise
• vibration
• radiation
• mental ill health
• violence at work
• substance abuse at work
• work-related upper limb disorders (ergonomics, workstation design and so on)
• manual handling
• load handling equipment
• hazardous substances, chemical or biological
• health, welfare and work environment
• working at height
• confined spaces
• lone working
• slips and trips
• movement of people and vehicles in the workplace
• work-related driving
• work equipment and machinery
• fire
• electricity

Risk

Risk is the chance that a person will be harmed or suffer an adverse health effect if exposed to a hazard. It can also apply to loss of property or equipment, or to harmful effects on the environment. The level of risk reflects two things:

• the likelihood of the unwanted event
• the potential consequences of that event

Risk profiling

Risks go beyond health and safety to include quality, environment and damage to assets, and a problem in one area can affect another. Unsafe forklift driving, for example, may damage goods and so create a service or quality problem as well.

A risk profile examines the nature and level of the threats an organisation faces. It looks at the likelihood of adverse effects, the disruption and cost linked to each type of risk, and how well existing controls work.

Risk assessment

Risk assessment is the systematic process of identifying hazards that could cause harm, analysing and evaluating the risk from each, and deciding the right way to eliminate or control the risk when the hazard cannot be removed.

Risk profiling: what it involves and who takes part

The risk profile informs every part of the approach to leading and managing an organisation's health and safety risks. Each organisation has its own, and it is the starting point for finding the biggest health and safety issues. In some businesses the risks are tangible and immediate safety hazards. In others they are health-related, and it may be a long time before illness shows.

A risk profile examines the:

• nature and level of threats the organisation faces
• likelihood of adverse effects
• disruption and cost linked to each type of risk
• effectiveness of the controls in place

The result is that the right risks are identified and given priority, minor risks do not take up too much attention, and decisions about the control measures needed are better informed.

Summary notes for Element 3 · Cheat sheet · Glossary. A study aid, not published or endorsed by NEBOSH.