What is a risk assessment?
A risk assessment is a process of identifying, understanding and evaluating potential hazards in the workplace concerning the day-to-day running of a company. If you employ five or more staff, you must record your findings in writing.
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, it's a legal requirement to identify sensible measures to control those hazards and risks, the minimum you can do is:
Identify what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazards)
Decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk)
Take action to eliminate the hazard, or if this isn't possible, control the risk
In regards to display screen equipment (DSE), risk assessments are a necessary part of any good safety management system to ensure compliance with legislation and to reduce any risk to the user.
How to conduct your assessment in 5 simple steps
The process of successfully carrying out a risk assessment involves:
Identify the key hazards
Identify who might be at risk
Evaluate levels of risk and prevent hazards
Put your risk assessment into practice
Review your risk assessment
1. Identify the key hazards
The first step is to identify potential hazards at the DSE workstation. An assessment should include the display screens, keyboards, work desk, chairs, as well as environmental factors such as lighting, heat noise, and humidity.
You can identify hazards by doing the following:
Workplace observations.
Obtaining feedback from employees.
Checking any manufacturer’s instructions for DSE equipment.
Reviewing past ill-health records.
2. Identify who might be at risk
The second step in the risk assessment involves looking at each specific risk and then identifying the people who are likely to be harmed by them.
Consider every person working in the area where the hazard is present. For example, a single user may use each workstation, or several individuals may use the DSE throughout the day.
3. Evaluate levels of risk and prevent hazards
Next, evaluate the probability of each hazard occurring. Consider whether the risk is high, like tripping over cables on the floor, or low, like falling off a table.
This isn't meant to eliminate all risks - it's important to remember that risks are a part of everyday life. The goal here is to identify the main risks and determine what can be done to manage them fairly and realistically.
What can you do to control/minimize the risks? Consider these options:
Investing in new or improved equipment.
Re-organising work.
Re-organising the workstation.
Ensure the staff are aware of the potential risks and precautions to be taken.
4. Put your risk assessment into practice
Writing down your findings from the risk assessment is recommended (where there are fewer than 5 employees, this isn't required by law, but still recommended). Recording your risks and controls on a risk assessment form will make it easier to keep track of the potential risks and preventive measures implemented to reduce them.
You need to make a record to be able to show that:
A proper check has been made.
You have considered who is affected.
You have dealt with all the significant hazards.
The precautions are reasonable, and the remaining risk is low.
Staff or their representatives have been involved.
Record your findings using the DSE assessment template in this article.
5. Review your risk assessment
Ensure that your risk assessments remain relevant by reviewing them regularly. As changes occur at your workplace, you will need to update it in order to remain compliant with safety regulations. Here are a few examples:
Is there still room for improvement?
Has there been employee feedback?
Have you learnt anything from the ill-health of employees?
Has any new DSE equipment been introduced?
Do you have any new employees that require training?
Download your free DSE Risk Assessment template
Conducting risk assessments is a crucial part of workplace health and safety. Take advantage of our free DSE assessment form. Our expert team of health and safety consultants can also assist you with all types of regulations, policies, and guidelines. Feel free to contact us for assistance.