Stockwell Safety

Having identified the hazards, who might be harmed and how you must decide how likely it is that harm will occur and if it does occur, how bad it will be, i.e. the level of risk. Risk is a combination of consequences, in terms of the severity of harm and the likelihood of those consequences occurring. … Read more

Once the significant hazards have been identified, consideration should be given to the people that may be affected, the type of harm that could occur and the situations that might lead up to it (under reasonably foreseeable circumstances). Really think this through, considering both normal, routine operations in addition to situations that are outside of … Read more

Hazards may arise from: acts such as manual handling; situations such as working at height or in a confined space; or sources of energy such as a radiation source, or the moving parts of a machine. Hazards may be categorised as: Mechanical: e.g. moving parts of machinery or moving vehicles. Physical: e.g. noise or vibration … Read more

Hazards may be categorised as: Mechanical: e.g. moving parts of machinery or moving vehicles. Physical: e.g. noise or vibration energy, radiation, or electricity. Biological: e.g. legionella bacteria or blood borne viruses. Chemical: e.g. corrosive or toxic cleaning chemicals. Environmental: e.g. cold or hot environments. Organisational: e.g. lack or resources, poor culture The approaches to hazard … Read more

Before diving into the 5 steps to risk assessment, let’s quickly go through some of the terms that we’ll be using. Don’t worry too much if they seem confusing to begin with as we’ll be covering them in more depth as we go through the 5 steps. Hazard A hazard is something with the potential … Read more

The fourth quadrant of the PDCA cycle includes the sub-parts of reviewing performance and learning lessons. Reviewing Performance Carrying out reviews will confirm whether health and safety arrangements still make sense. For example: check the validity of the health and safety policy; ensure the system in place for managing health and safety is effective. An … Read more

The third quadrant of the PDCA cycle includes the sub-parts of measuring performance and investigating incidents. Measuring Performance Checking that risks are being managed in an organisation is a vital, sometimes overlooked step. It provides the confidence that it is doing enough to keep on top of health and safety and maybe show how it … Read more

The second quadrant of the PDCA cycle includes the sub-parts of risk profiling, organising and implementing. Risk Profiling Effective leaders and line managers know the risks their organisations face, rank them in order of importance and act to control them. The range of risks goes beyond health and safety risks to include quality, environmental and … Read more

The first quadrant of the PDCA cycle includes the sub-parts of policy and planning. Policy An important part of achieving effective health and safety outcomes is having a strategy and making clear plans. An organisation needs to think about what they are going to do to manage health and safety, then decide who is going … Read more