24d • General discussion
Fundamental flaws I always see in risk assessments:
And how you can avoid them.
These are not hazards:
- Lone working
- Using a ladder
- Manual handling
- Working at height
- Operating a forklift
They are activities.
Incorrectly defined hazards often result in control measures that address the wrong thing.
For example:
"Working at height" as a hazard can produce vague waffle about being careful on ladders.
Correctly defined hazards:
- 20kg boxes lifted from floor level repeatedly over a shift, causing lower back strain.
- Unguarded edge on a scaffold working platform 4 metres above ground level.
An activity tells you what someone is doing, but the hazard needs to tell you what specific condition could cause harm, and to whom.
A useful test:
If your hazard description could appear unchanged in a risk assessment for a completely different job or site, it probably isn't specific enough.
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Fundamental flaws I always see in risk assessments:
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