When did you last look at your risk assessments? Not when did you last file them. Not when did you last move them into a new folder. When did you actually sit down and check whether they still reflect what's happening in your workplace?
If you can’t remember, it might be time to take another look.
Risk assessments aren't a one-and-done job
Completing a risk assessment can sometimes feel like something to tick off the list. Done. Saved. Move on. But your workplace probably hasn’t stayed exactly the same since it was written. And if the work changes, the risks can change too.
Here are a few signs that it might be time for a review.
1. You've introduced new equipment
New machinery, tools or equipment can introduce completely different hazards into a workplace. Even replacing something with a newer model can change how a task is carried out. Before assuming an existing assessment still covers it, check.
2. The way you work has changed
Maybe you’ve changed a process. Moved things around. Started offering a new service. Changed shifts or working hours. Or perhaps a temporary workaround has quietly become the normal way of doing something.
If the reality of the job no longer matches what's written in the risk assessment, the assessment needs another look.
3. Your team has changed
New starters may be unfamiliar with your workplace, equipment and processes. You might also have apprentices, young workers, temporary employees or someone taking on a completely new role. Different people can mean different considerations. Your risk assessment should reflect the people actually carrying out the work.
4. There's been an accident or near miss
An accident or near miss is telling you something. Maybe a control measure isn't working as well as expected. Maybe something was missed. Or perhaps the way the job is actually carried out is different from how everyone thought it was being carried out. Don't just deal with the immediate incident. Use it as an opportunity to look again at the risk.
5. Your employees are raising concerns
Your team sees things you don't. They’re carrying out the tasks. Using the equipment. Walking the same routes. Following the same processes every day. So if someone tells you something doesn’t feel right, listen.
It might be the first indication that a control measure isn't working as intended.
6. Your controls aren't actually being used
The risk assessment says one thing. What happens in practice is another. Sound familiar? Maybe PPE is available but rarely worn. Perhaps a procedure exists but nobody follows it. Or a safety measure that seemed sensible on paper simply doesn't work particularly well in the real world. A control is only useful if it actually controls the risk.
7. You can't remember the last review
Sometimes there hasn’t been one big change. No accident. No new machine. No obvious warning sign. But enough small things have changed over time that the original assessment no longer gives you an accurate picture. That alone is a good reason to take another look.
Don't review it just to change the date
There’s a temptation with risk assessments to open the document, change the review date and put it back. But the point of reviewing a risk assessment isn't to prove that you've reviewed it. It's to check that the controls you have in place are still protecting people. Walk the workplace. Talk to the people doing the job. Look at what actually happens. Then compare that with what your risk assessment says should happen. You might find everything is working exactly as it should. Or you might spot something that needs changing before it causes a problem. Either way, you've learned something useful.
If you're not confident your current risk assessments reflect what's really happening in your workplace, Serene Safety can help.
We work with businesses to identify risks, review existing arrangements and put practical controls in place without making health and safety more complicated than it needs to be.
Simple advice, simply delivered.
