When should Risk Assessments be Reviewed? | Step 5

We've got to the fifth and final part of our five step risk assessment process and that is simply to record and review your risk assessment. A question we often get asked is 'When should risk assessments be reviewed?' When should Risk Assessments be reviewed? Once you have completed and recorded your risk assessment, it's time to decide and determine when your risk assessment will need a review.. There is no set frequency for when risk assessments should be reviewed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GvVX-ebqdU&t=5s Therefore, you should make a decision that's appropriate for the risk profile of your business. There are certain times when it's more obvious that the risk assessment should be looked at and reviewed. Examples of when risk assessments should be reviewed: Here are just a few common examples;

• Changed or new process that's been introduced into your workspace
• New plant, equipment or machinery that's been purchased for example there may be
• New employees or contractors that have joined your workforce that need to be considered
• You may have had a recent near miss, incident or accident, in which case risk assessment/s may need reviewed and/or updated

Depending on your business risk profile, industry & regulatory standards and internal management systems, it may also make sense to have a regular review of your risk assessments e.g every 12 months. Any frequency should be based on the nature of the operations and should be specific to each activity and/or organisation. The purpose of this would be to make sure that you have not missed anything new or significant that could present a risk to employees, or others. This type of regular oversight is often complimented by other safeguards such as a management of change (MoC) process. Now that we have tackled the 'when should risk assessments be reviewed?' question, let's learn more about recording and communicating them. Do you have to record Risk Assessments? In reality, the Health and Safety Executive in the UK clearly states that risk assessments should not be unnecessarily complicated and only focus on the significant hazards. It makes sense, because you have to be able to effectively communicate the outcomes of them. In the UK, your obligation as an employer is that you must risk assess the work activities for which your employees are involved. If you have 5 or more employees, you have to keep a record of any risk assessment that you have done. But don't panic, it's not as bad as it sounds! How to communicate Risk Assessments Sharing the key risk information effectively with the people that matter is critical. As you've put the work into the risk assessment process, we must remember the importance of communicating your findings to the people that are affected. You should take some time to consider the best way to do this for your particular business. If your team, for example, are located locally to you then it...