What is a risk assessment and why is it important?
A risk assessment identifies potential hazards in the work environment, evaluates the risk and proposes measures to reduce it.
The goal is to make the work environment safer and prevent hazards. Risk assessment is therefore a proactive approach, or in other words "being wise before the fact". This is also a requirement under the Working Environment Act.
Before you start
Before you begin, review the entire process so you understand the different steps involved and how much time to set aside.
Planning
Define the scope
Define the scope of the assesment, and be as specific as possible. Look for a template that suits your purpose. For example, a risk assessment of the work environment or a restructuring process will be more comprehensive than an assessment of the risks associated with a simple work operation.
Different processes require different tools. It must also be defined which manager is responsible for the risks that are identified.
Establish a working group
You should never conduct a risk assessment alone, it must be carried out by a working group. Since risk assessment is based on qualified guesses, it is important to include people with relevant experience.
The group should consist of a manager, resource persons from the relevant work environment and the safety representative. It is also recommended to include a specialist from the Occupational Health Services (OHSU).
You can contact your local HSE coordinator or OHSU for guidance.
It is important to use the resources efficiently. Start with a small working group that defines the project's scope and tools. Consider whether the group's meetings should focus on defining relevant risk areas, or whether they should also involve assessing probability and consequence.
If the working group is expected to complete the entire assessment, be aware that the process can quickly become time-consuming. There should be a facilitator/leader for the risk assessment.
Create a schedule
Once you have decided who will participate in the working group, create a schedule for meetings and set a deadline for when the working group's report is to be delivered.
Implementation
Meeting invitations
Make sure to invite participants in the risk assessment group to meetings up until the report is due.
Methodology and terminology
An HSE risk assessment is a method for gaining an overview of the work environment and identifying possible unwanted incidents. The goal is to identify preventive measures to prevent injuries or illness caused by workplace conditions. The risk assessment also better prepares us to handle unforeseen events.
This video provides an introduction to HSE risk assessment. The film can be useful to the working group if they have no prior experience with risk assessments.
Here you find templates and guidelines (in Norwegian)
Report writing
One person should be responsible for writing the report, but all participants must stand behind its conclusions. By completing the templates that have been provided, you will be able to use these as the report.
Handing over the report
The report must be handed over to the responsible manager, who decides what measures are to be implemented. The manager will also be responsible for ensuring that the decided measures are put into effect, even if there will be others who carry them out.
Reports from HSE risk assessments must as a general rule be presented to the the local working environment committee (LAMU).
Follow-up
Report presented to LAMU
The local working environment committee (LAMU) must be informed about risk assessments concerning the work environment. LAMU's task is to check whether the assessment is sufficiently well-defined, that that relevant stakeholders have been involved and that the report is anchored in management.
LAMU can also assess whether any of the issues highlighted may be relevant at a higher organisational level. The risk assessments presented to LAMU provide good insight into workplace conditions and can help give direction to what should be prioritised in future HSE work.
Implementing measures
The manager is responsible for ensuring that measures are implemented. The action plan must define who is to carry out the different measures and by what deadline.
Evaluation
The manager must verify that measures are implemented on schedule, and that the measures have had the expected effect. The manager must then ensure that the risk assessment is reviewed annually and updated whenever changes occur that may affect the risk.