GENERAL HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK
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A general health and safety risk assessment is required under the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and assesses risks arising from general hazards within your working environment.
A general h&s risk assessment will include checks for:
- Inadequate first aid provision
- Inadequate H&S information and training
- Inadequate environmental features (e.g. lighting and heating)
- Bodily-harm hazards (e.g. trip, fall, body strike)
- Inadequate provision for young persons in the workplace
- Asbestos survey / awareness
- Inadequate H&S signage
- Inadequate welfare facilities
- Insufficient cleanliness / hygiene
- Inadequate provision for waste / refuge
It is a requirement that the general health and safety risk assessment be carried out by a competent person. Failure to comply with this requirement may render a general risk assessment as non-conforming and void.
On a practical level, the main benefit of a general health and safety risk assessment is to reduce the likelihood of general hazards resulting in harm.
On a legal level, the main benefit of having a general health and safety risk assessment in place is that if a worst-case scenario does happen and a general hazard does result in harm, your organisation will have a legal defense.
These benefits rely on the health and safety risk assessment being kept up-to-date, and recommendations made in the risk assessment being acted on within a reasonable timeframe.