Risk assessments are fundamental cornerstones of responsible business practices. They are crucial to ensuring the health and safety of employees, customers, and the surrounding environment, and while they’re usually legally required, they have significant financial and performance benefits as well.
Whether you're wondering how to complete a risk assessment or are unsure of what constitutes best practice, read on to discover everything you need to know. Looking for safety consultant services to help you with your risk assessment? Contact The SP Group for expert EHS support.
Risk assessment is a step-by-step process for controlling health and safety risks caused by hazards in the workplace. By systematically identifying what hazards currently exist or may appear in the workplace, proactive and reactionary measures can be put in place for the highest possible standards of safety for all stakeholders of a company.
There are a plethora of different types of risk assessments that can be undertaken, and they must be proportionate and relevant to the operational activities being undertaken by employees and individuals interacting with the company. Broadly speaking, most types of risk assessments can be categorized under occupational health and safety or environmental health and safety.
Occupational health and safety includes risk assessments that work towards compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as well as local building, fire, and mechanical regulations. This compliance may include hazard communication, respiratory protection, personal protective equipment, hearing conservation, and energy control.
Environmental health and safety includes risk assessment that primarily strives for compliance with the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). They may include risk assessment and stewardship in air safety, hazardous waste, wastewater, stormwater, and emergency community planning.
Risk assessments are mandated by law, though the type and extent are often dependent upon where a business is located. It is, however, more than just a legal hurdle - risk assessments ensure that any risks posed to the health, safety, and well-being of employees, customers, and the environment are suitably eliminated, reduced, controlled, and prepared for. The importance of risk assessments includes:
Risk assessments are only effective when implemented meticulously and precisely according to each unique organization’s situation. The following four practices will, however, help ensure best practices for risk assessment.
Risk assessment must be carried out regularly and frequently. For risk assessments to be effective in an ever-changing business environment, assessments must be completed prior to a particular activity or task being carried out in order to eliminate, reduce, or suitably control any associated risk to the health, safety and well-being of persons involved with (or affected by) the task/activity in question. This means that an assessment should be done before the implementation of a new operational procedure but also periodically recurring to ensure that standards are maintained even throughout a normal working period. Furthermore, a risk assessment should be reviewed following an accident in the workplace in order to verify what may have led to the problem occurring in the first place.
Best practices for risk assessment must also include clear and transparent delegation of responsibility. This means having clear guidelines as to who will be undertaking the risk assessment, when it will occur, who and where risk assessment results are reported to, who processes and implements the implications of an assessment, and who is in charge of evaluating failures of proper risk prevention. Responsibility and accountability go hand in hand, and they are both critical to an optimized risk assessment.
Risk assessments, regardless of the industry or size of a business, should have a core set of pillars, whereby it achieves a holistic review of a business’s operations. Best practices should include:
While it is common and generally recommended to hire an in-house safety manager to be in charge of everyday compliance and maintenance, highly successful risk assessments always include the evaluation from a third-party safety consultant service. Safety consultant services from a professional organization can provide a company with fresh insight from an outside, unbiased perspective. EHS consultants can offer institutions impartial recommendations and suggestions, based on extensive experience working with other companies and ensuring regulatory compliance. It is recommended that companies hire safety consultant services regularly, at least once or twice a year, to provide a holistic yet detailed analysis of their operational risks.
Businesses must do their best to perform the most effective risk assessments in order to ensure the health and safety of their employees, customers, and the surrounding environment. Using best practices, such as delegating responsibility and hiring safety consultant services, companies can optimize the risk assessment process and deliver the highest possible standards of safety culture. If you’re in the process of creating an effective risk assessment program, consider contacting The SP Group to get the industry standard in precise and effective safety consultancy.