Risk Assessments Aren’t The Problem

Do you find it challenging to prove your workers have read, understood and following risk assessments?

This Company was prosecuted in January 2021 for failing to risk assess and provide engineers with effective information, instruction and training.

This Company – according to the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) left engineers to rely on techniques they were familiar with from the factory which, were not suitable for the circumstances of the site.

Failing to not create a risk assessment and for failing to not provide employees with effective information, instruction and training, resulted in a worker suffering a life-threatening injury.

Why are risk assessments important?

Companies which fail to create risk assessment(s), provide workers with the information, instruction and training to carry out the work safely and to follow the control measures detailed in the risk assessment are failing Health and Safety Law.

Failing to meet the required standards in health and safety not only increases the risk of an employee or contractor being injured, it also increase the likelihood of a prosecution or an injury claim.

Why do you do a risk assessment?

Is you answer to this question any one of the following:

• Because your clients asked you to?
• Because they make the job safer?
• Because they provide effective information and instruction?

These three items will not make the worker safer, the activity less risky or provide suitable and sufficient information for workers to complete a task safer, if… The worker has ‘not read and understood the risk assessments.

If the worker hasn’t received the actual instruction and training which maybe detailed as a control measure.

And if the task has not been checked to affirm the control measures are being followed and suitable for the task.

So, in summary, risk assessments can be absolutely pointless if they are not disseminated to the workers, checked for suitability and followed by all the workforce.

What will be achieved by not meeting the required standards in health and safety?

There is no benefit at all.

People may say time and money, but looking at this case from the HSE, did this company save anytime and money?

NO! the failure cost over £60,000, extensive downtime for workers and managers and also the impact of a considerable injury claim.

Risk Assessments are not the problem…

Always educating, helping and simplifying, Safety PAL has created this short ‘Risk Assessments Aren’t the problem, processes and people are’ video.

This video:

• explains why businesses fail,
• how easy meeting the required health and safety standards is,
• supports your strategy to prove you are So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable doing everything to prevent harm.

Who should watch this

• Duty holders in businesses who have five or more employees, as the law changes for you!
• Safety representatives looking for confirmation a worker/contractor has read and understood.
• Any person with an interest in health and safety enforcement.

​More on Risk Management

Free Supporting documentation

We have created a Safety Alert 091 based on the Company prosecuted for you to use in your organisation to help prevent harm and protect directors and duty holders.