Competent Person.

Risk assessments need to be carried out by a competent person, however not every business has someone with the  knowledge, training, ability or even time to address this important subject methodically and thoroughly.  The next question would probably be "do I need a consultant"? If the process being risk assessed represents a low-risk and is not complex, then in the majority of cases the answer would be no, however, help may be required where the process is more hazardous or complex and the competency of staff within the company to undertake a suitable and sufficient assessment simple does not exist. Competence to carry out a risk assessment is a subjective issue; the example quoted on the UK's Health and Safety Executive website is "Just use your common sense: you don't need an electrician to re-wire a plug, but most people would need one to re-wire their house. It's the same with risk assessments." It should be remembered that the aim of conducting risk assessments is not to produce well designed, skilfully written, clear and legible assessments if all they do is sit in a filing cabinet only to be produced at such times as accident investigations and audits. Risk assessments need to be understood by all those involved in the activity and process. Risk assessments are not just a paperwork exercise; they are a proactive means of managing safety. It should be noted that where it is considered that the risk of harm is insignificant, there is not a requirement to carry out a documented risk assessment.  It is, however, still good practice to have a task inventory that lists all activities, even those where the risk is considered too low to warrant further and more detailed assessing. Apart from the Management of Health and Safety Regulations, the following are samples of UK legislation, which specifically refers to or implies there is a requirement for undertaking risk assessments; • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regs 2002 • Manual Handling Regs 1992 • Control of Asbestos Regs 2006 • Health & Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 • Control of Lead at Work 2002 • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations 2002 • Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 • The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 • Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 • Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) • Work at Height Regulations 2005 • Workplace Health Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992 • Lifting Operations Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 • Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) TIRA - Task Inventory and Risk Assessments Windows based Risk Assessment Software TIRA takes the hard work out of risk assessing and simplifies the risk assessors workload.  TIRA helps the risk assessor complete the following occupational health and safety risk assessments: 1. Task Inventory (break the task down) 2. Task Based  (general risk assessments) 3. Display Screen Equipment (DSE) 4. Manual Handling 5. Work Equipment 6. Workplace 7. Hazardous Substances 8. Fire Premises 9. First Aid 10. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)