General risk assessment

The law requires that all activities which take place in the Department must be assessed to identify any hazards that pose a safety risk. This means that everyone in the Department is responsible for assessing their work and the areas they work in to identify any risks involved, and to develop procedures for their elimination.
The general principles of risk assessment can be summarised as follows:

• Look afresh for hazards in your area of work, particularly those which could cause serious harm (e.g. anything involving electricity, chemicals, heavy lifting, etc).
  
  
• Decide who might be harmed, remembering that cleaners, visitors and contractors may enter your area as well as the people who normally work there.
  
  
• Evaluate the risks arising from any significant hazards identified, decide whether existing precautions are adequate or whether more are needed. Check that any specific legal requirements are adhered to. Aim for a situation where the remaining risk is low and the appropriate precautions are reasonable.
  
  
• Record findings where significant hazards have been identified. Indicate what checks were made, identify who is at risk and indicate what steps have been taken to reduce or eliminate risk. Hazards already identified and addressed under other legislation (e.g. COSHH, ionising radiation, etc) need not be recorded again. Copies of records should be kept by the originator in the Health and Safety ring binder in the appropriate location.
  
  
• If there is any change in the procedure, or in the materials used, or in the amounts used, a new assessment must be made before the change is implemented.
  
  
• Reassessment must be carried out annually.

To help you perform General Risk Assessment there is a simple record form in the Health and Safety ring binder in each laboratory which is also available electronically from the Departmental web site.

If you are undertaking a procedure or using a piece of apparatus for the first time you should familiarise yourself with it thoroughly. Check if there is already a risk assessment, and if so read it carefully making sure that you understand any hazards and necessary precautions. If there is no risk assessment then one must be completed as outlined above.

Practical jokes

Work is not the place for acting the fool or playing practical jokes. Death and serious injuries have been caused this way. Think before you act.