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The need to risk assess is now a well known
factor as far as health and safety in the workplace is concerned.
However many firms fail to risk assess because they believe it to be too
time consuming and the paperwork required too lengthy.
The HSE have set about re-educating industry as
far as this issue is concerned.
They now say that a "risk assessment" does not
need to be of a certain length. In simple terms their spokesman commented
this week:
“On its own, paperwork never saved anyone. It is a means to an end, not
an end in itself – action is what protects people. So risk assessments
should be fit for purpose and acted upon.
"OK, if you’re running an oil refinery you’re going to need a fair
amount of paperwork. But for most, bullet points work very well indeed.”
The key elements of any assessment should be
that the public and employees are protected as best as possible. Risks
should be adequately and appropriately reduced. People must understand that
risk assessing is a means to an end
and should be considered a positive element not a negative one. avoiding
unnecessary
injuries in the workplace is the
key objective.
Being health & safety compliant does not mean
that you should revert to a "nanny state" where almost all activities or
roles are regarded as too dangerous.
Keep risk assessments reasonable and in
proportion.
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