Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment
Risk assessment is the cornerstone of the European approach to prevent occupational accidents and ill health. There are good reasons for this. If the risk assessment process – the start of the health and safety management approach – is not done well or not done at all, appropriate preventive measures are unlikely to be identified or put in place.
A risk assessment is the process whereby health and safety risks arising from hazards in the workplace be evaluated. A hazard is anything that can cause injuries, such as chemicals, electricity, machinery and equipment, an open tray, organizational aspects of work, etc. The risk is the likelihood or probability - high or low - that someone by this or other hazards injured. A risk assessment is a careful and systematic examination of all aspects of the work which determines what injuries or damage could cause or hazards can be eliminated and, if that is not possible, what preventive or protective measures are taken or should be taken to the risks.
Good practices
Seventeen good practices related to the risk assessment are given here. The practical examples were all entries in the 9th annual Good Practice Competition run by the European Agency for Safety and Health at work. The cases presented here are the eight winning entries and nine entries recommended by the jury.
It is important to mention that before good practice information can be applied, an assessment of the risks present in the workplace should be carried out and reference made to relevant national legislation.
