Risk assessments (RA) are the absolute cornerstone of a functional Health & Safety Management System, and a requirement spelled out in 2 (1) of the General Safety Regulations, 5 of the General Administrative Regulations . It is one of the more prominent requirement placed on the Employer or CEO in the OHS Act, from a proper RA all reasonable steps to be taken can be determined and identified.

But a single tier RA is not sufficient. It is extremely important to do the required RA on all levels of your business, and for this to be reviewed periodically or as and when any aspect of the assessed areas change. An example of just how involved the process is can be seen here in a CSIR Risk Assessment study on Veldfires in 2010

A proper RA culture is a dynamic environment, where the constant changes to safety and the associated risks are being reviewed, and improved upon on an ongoing basis. For this very reason it is highly recommended to include a Basic Risk Assessment course with your Health + Safety training portfolio. a Quality Risk Assessment can be the deciding influence between safety and disaster.

 

RA's are an excellent tool in identifying possible loss centers within any business. As it focus on the entire process, from beginning to end, and identify possible shortfalls.