1 Risk Assessment

All employers are expected to carry out a risk assessment in order to determine significant priorities and check for legal standards. Employers with than 5 employees must record their risk assessment pdf p5. There are Regulations telling them what you must do, and there Codes (slight legal status eg "Green Code" for Pesticides) and Guides (Voluntary eg Farmwise) spell out necessary control measures for a range of hazards and risks.

2. Hierachy of Control

Appropriate measures to control risks are based on the 'hierachy' of control, which consists of a mixture of technical specifications, safety standards & practices, personal communication and procedures, formal or informal that seek to first eliminate hazards and then reduce risks as far as is practicable.

3 Controlling Risks

Measures should seek to reduce hazards at source, rather than try to cover them up later. This "Hierachy of Control" says that it is best to remove, replace or reduce (in that order) exposure to risks. This is the best way to implement controls. If the hazard is removed, there is no need for a safe system. All safe systems of work need to be maintained and this has cost considerations. You will be asked to apply the hierachy of control to deal with those risks assessed to be most significant.