First of all – What ISN’T a Risk Assessment?
A Risk Assessment is not a piece of paper – or a file of any sort.
It is a process.
Everything you do has to be risk-assessed, but that doesn’t mean that every activity will generate paperwork.
A risk assessment IS . . .
A careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people.
This allows you to consider whether you have taken enough precautions to prevent that harm from occurring.
So Whose Risk Assessment is it?
The Responsibility for assessing risks lies with the employer but …
The task of assessing risk is usually delegated to employees – this is helpful as they are ‘closer to the action’ and more likely to know what is going on.
The Employer should define the procedure to be followed for risk assessment. – If they have not given any specific guidance then, as with other cases, just follow SSERC guidance.
Employees must co-operate with this procedure.
Ultimately, even if you wrote it, it’s not your risk assessment, it’s your employer’s. If it turns out not to be suitable or sufficient, the principle of Vicarious Responsibility will come into play and it is your employer who will have the questions to answer.
Who should carry out risk assessments?
As a rule of thumb:
Teachers are responsible for risk assessing the activities that take place in the classroom/laboratory
Technicians are responsible for risk assessing the activities taking place in the prep room, store rooms etc. They are not responsible for providing risk assessment for classroom activities.
Although – in SSERC’s view, the best arrangement is that risk assessments are carried out by a group comprising teachers and technicians. Working together is the best way to ensure no significant risks are overlooked.
