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Risk Assessment - A Guide

What is a risk assessment?

A risk assessment is a careful examination of what could cause
harm to people, so that you can assess what precautions you
should do to prevent harm.

When doing a risk assessment you need to follow three steps:

Step 1 Identify the hazards
Step 2 Think about the work you are doing.
What chance is there you may be hurt? How might things go
wrong? This is a very important part of the risk assessment. If
you dont do this then you will not know what sensible
precautions to take.
Step 3 Decide on the precautions (control measures) you need
to take

An example from everyday life.

You want to cross a busy road. What would a risk assessment look like?

Activity Hazard
Risk
What might go
wrong?
Control measures
What precautions should I take?
Crossing busy
city road
Fast moving
cars and
lorries
High chance of getting
hit by a car or lorry
Cross using a footbridge. If there is
no footbridge use a pedestrian
crossing.
Wait for the signal to cross.
Look left, right and left again.
Only cross when road is clear/traffic
has stopped.


A risk assessment for crossing a country lane will look a bit different however.


Activity Hazard
Risk
What might go wrong?
Control measures
What precautions should I take?
Crossing
country lane
Fast moving
cars and
lorries
Low chance of getting
hit by a vehicle
Dont cross the road on a corner.
Listen for traffic.
Before crossing look left, right and
left again.
Only cross when the road is clear.

A good risk assessment
prevents anyone doing the
experiment from putting
themselves in danger
High chance of getting
hit so it is important to
reduce the risk of
accident
Low chance of getting hit but not no chance.

It is still important to reduce risk but controls
will be different. After all a country lane is
hardly likely to have a pedestrian crossing!

2

Look at the risk assessment for slicing carrots with a knife below



Activity Hazard
Risk
What might go
wrong?
Control measures
What precautions should I take?
Slicing carrots Sharp knife Cut to fingers/hand
The carrot must be placed on a
firm surface.
The carrot must be held to the side
and cut with the knife using the
other hand.



The precaution is simply training people to use a
knife correctly to cut carrots safely.
This may sound like common sense but most
accidents come because people fail to use
tools/materials in a safe way!

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What about carrying out experiments?
The most important thing you can do is think about how you use chemicals and
equipment. Even concentrated sulphuric acid is unlikely to cause you harm if it is left
untouched in a fume cupboard. It is when you pick it up and start using it that you
need to think carefully in order to avoid burns .or worse!

Doing a titration


At some point you will be doing carrying out a titration
with acids and alkalis.

Look at the two risk assessments on the next page
which were done by two different people.

Which one do you think is going to help you the most to
do the experiment more safely?










The best risk assessment is ..

Why?















Answer page 6
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Risk assessment A

Material/activity Hazard
Risk
What might go wrong?
Control measure
What precaution should I take?
Dilute hydrochloric acid Irritating to skin and eyes Might get into eyes or on skin
and cause burns
Wear gloves and safety glasses
Dilute sodium hydroxide Irritating to skin and eyes Might get into eyes or on skin
and cause burns
Wear gloves and safety glasses
Pipette and burette are
made of glass
Cause cuts May get a cut Hold carefully

Risk assessment B

Material/activity Hazard
Risk
What might go wrong?
Control Measures
What precaution should I take?
1. Putting pipette filler on
pipette
Broken/chipped glass
can cause cuts
The pipette may break and may
cut hand.
Do not force the pipette filler on
Check the instructions and fit carefully.
2.Pipetting dilute sodium
hydroxide
Dilute sodium hydroxide
is irritating to eyes and
skin
Spill some onto bench or onto
skin.
Splash into eyes (unlikely)
Make sure that the pipette filler is fitted properly
Wear safety glasses
Clean up any spills
3. Filling a burette with
dilute hydrochloric acid
The dilute hydrochloric
acid is irritating to skin or
eyes
Splashes onto the skin or in
eyes
Use a funnel to pour hydrochloric acid
Make sure the burette is lowered so the funnel is
not above eye level
Wear safety glasses.
4. Carrying out the titration
(Hydrochloric acid added
to sodium hydroxide).

Hazards are written
above.
Acid might leak from the burette
tap
Check the burette tap is fitted properly before
using.

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Summary

Three steps to a successful risk assessment


Identify the hazards





Think about the work you are doing.
How might things go wrong?
How may you be harmed?
How may someone else be harmed?
This is a very important part of the risk assessment. If you dont do
this then you will not know what sensible precautions to take.



Decide on the precautions (control measures) you
need.




Step 1

Step 2

Step 3
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Material/activity Hazard
Risk
What might go wrong?
Control Measures
What precaution should I take?






































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Answer

Risk assessment B is much better

Why?

Risk assessment A tells us what the hazards are but it does not think about how they are used. It
misses how harm may be caused and therefore does not give clear instructions to the person
doing the experiment.

It is only when we think about how we use a chemical or tool that we can really see the risks.

The person who did risk assessment B thought about how the experiment is done and so they
could come up with some helpful precautions.



Notes to teachers.
1. You may take and adapt this for your own use in class if you wish. There is no right template for a risk
assessment. However it is important that candidates have shown they have thought about how they do
their work.
2. The three steps to a successful risk assessment is based upon the five steps for a risk assessment
available from HSE website http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/fivesteps.htm
3. Many weaker candidates will write risk assessments similar to task A. Although they have identified
some hazards, their risk assessment is only going to score towards the bottom of band 1. Risk assessment
B is clearly towards the top of level 3.
4. The risk assessment also assesses communication skills. It is important that the risk assessment reads
well and makes an appropriate use of English and technical language.