Risk:

The probability that exposure to a hazard will lead to a negative consequence, or the probability
of the hazard to harm is simply called Risk. It is the measure of human injury, environmental
damage, or economic loss in terms of both the incident likelihood and the magnitude of the loss
or injury.
Consequences:
A result or effect, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant or the measure of the expected
effects of the results of an incident
Likelihood:
The state or fact of something's being likely probability.A measure of the expected probability or
frequency of occurrence of an event. This may be expressed as a frequency, a probability of
occurrence during some time interval, or a conditional probability.
Risk assessment:
Is a careful examination of anything in your workplace that could cause injury or ill health.
Risk assessment is a term used to describe the overall process or method where you:
 Identify hazards and risk factors that have the potential to cause harm (hazard
identification).
 Analyze and evaluate the risk associated with that hazard (risk analysis, and risk
evaluation).
 Determine appropriate ways to eliminate the hazard, or control the risk when the hazard
cannot be eliminated (risk control).
Risk assessments important:
Create awareness of hazards and risk.
 Identify who may be at risk (e.g., employees, cleaners, visitors, contractors, the public,
etc.)
 Prevent injuries or illnesses, especially when done at the design or planning stage.
 Prioritize hazards and control measures
Goals of Risk assessments:
 You
 Your workforce and others
 Your business
Risk assessments parts:
1. Identify the hazards?
2. Estimate the Risk?
3. Evaluate the Risk?
4. Record your findings
5. Review your findings
Risk assessments process:
Identify the hazards:
 Physical hazards – the most common workplace hazards, including vibration, noise and
slips, trips and falls;
  ergonomic hazards – physical factors that harm the musculoskeletal system, such as
repetitive movement, manual handling and poor body positioning;
 chemical hazards – any hazardous substance that can cause harm to your employees;
 biological hazards – bacteria and viruses that can cause health effects, such as hepatitis,
HIV/AIDS and Legionnaire’s disease
Estimate the Risk:
You need to consider three things
 Who is at risk?
 How likely is it that something go wrong?
 How serious would the outcome be?
Risk = Consequences x Likelihood
Evaluate the Risk:
After ‘identifying the hazards’ and ‘deciding who might be harmed and how’ you are then
required to protect the people from harm. The hazards can either be removed completely or the
risks controlled so that the injury is unlikely.
Record your findings:
That you have identified the hazards, decided who could be harmed and how, and also shows
how you plan to eliminate the risks and hazards
 The location, activity and equipment being assessed
 Hazards and risk levels
 Risk controls
 Assessor details
 Date & Time
Review your findings:
 When changes occur (Personal, Equipment, Activities) you should review your Risk
Assessments
 It’s a legal requirement to review assessments
You should never forget that few workplaces stay the same and as a result this risk assessment
should be reviewed and updated when required.