What is a Risk Assessment Template?
A risk assessment template is a standardized document used to identify, control, and record risks in the workplace. It involves a systematic examination of a workplace and its environment to determine hazards, assess injury severity and likelihood, and implement control measures to reduce risks.
Why Perform In-house Risk Assessments?
While outsourcing can save your team time and effort, performing in-house operational risk assessments can bolster your company’s culture in several ways:
- Enable workers to be proactive rather than reactive – A proactive approach to safety pays off in the long run since the majority of workplace injuries are preventable only if workers know the possible risks and how to handle the situation.
- Reinforce responsibility and accountability – When workers are obligated to look out for one another’s safety through in-house operational risk assessments, the habit and culture of responsibility and accountability are reinforced.
- Promote transparency and collaboration against operational risks – To identify, evaluate, and control operational risks, teams need to be open and transparent with their activities and processes.
Risk Assessment Requirements
In the UK, risk assessment is a critical component of workplace safety and falls under the broader framework of risk management. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 mandate employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees by systematically addressing workplace hazards. Here’s a breakdown of the key requirements:
- Identify risks and hazards present at work that may pose a threat to employees, visitors, or other individuals;
- Conduct a risk assessment that determines likelihood of the risk occurring and the potential severity of its consequence;
- And implement corrective actions or control measures that will at least manage the risks, if not eliminate them.
How to Write a Risk Assessment with a Template
One of the main things to keep in mind on how to perform a risk assessment is the format of your report. Depending on the type of the risk assessment, this format will serve as the outline of the full risk assessment.
What is the Correct Format of the Template?
When creating a risk assessment report, the following information should always be present:
Who is at risk?
It is important to specify the demographic that is at risk of an identified hazard.
- Current control measures
Find out and include what the organization is currently doing to lower the risk of injury for identified demographics. - Necessary improvements /changes to control measures
Come up with ideas on how they can be improved or replaced to further lower the risk of injury for identified demographics. - Assignments and deadlines
Finally, include the names of personnel who will be responsible for the updates, along with clear deadlines.
Writing the Title Page
- Who prepared it?
Refers to the name of an individual risk assessor or the company/team working on the risk assessment report. - Who is it for?
Indicate what or who the risk assessment is for. - Done on
Specify the date on which the risk assessment and the report were completed. - Review date
This indicates a specific date set for reviewing risk assessment protocols. As a general rule, a risk assessment review must be done whenever significant changes are made to operations.
Writing the Main Body
The two types of risks are physical and substance risks. Slips, trips, falls, getting or injuries due to falling objects all fall under physical risk. Injuries due to toxic, flammable, and caustic materials are covered under substance risks. These findings should be recorded, preferably in easily accessible risk assessment templates for future reference.
Risk Assessment Example
Here’s a risk assessment example report to help you visualize a completed report. Download and customize risk assessment templates according to your business needs.
FAQs About Risk Assessment Templates
Employers are responsible for choosing those who have the right knowledge and credentials to perform risk assessments on a set schedule or when it is deemed necessary. Employers typicallhy assign individuals with necessary expertise such as safety officers, risk managers, and other decision-makers.
With a reliable risk assessment app, risk assessments using a template can be summarized into 5 steps:
- Identify hazards
- Evaluate the level of risks
- Determine the appropriate controls
- Record and document
- Review the assessment and update if necessary
A general risk assessment template should mainly include the following:
- What’s the description of procedure, task, or worksite being assessed
- What are the hazards observed and identified
- Who are the affected individuals
- Which tasks and activities the hazard is associated with
- What’s the risk rating
- What are the control measures in place
Jona Tarlengco