Health and Safety Policy Arrangements

H & S: Risk Assessments

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require Marisco to prepare and regularly review documented risk assessments that are suitable and sufficient to identify all the hazards that might exist in the work place, and then decide what should be done to reduce the risk someone may be harmed by them.

Contained in the first sentence above are some key words, which form the basis of some very important legal obligations Marisco must comply with:

  • "Prepare and regularly review” – A competent person must consider the different work places it operates in and prepare a risk assessment to identify the hazards and evaluate the risks involved for each different place. A competent person will have adequate skill, knowledge, ability, training and experience (SKATE) to prepare a risk assessment.
  • “Documented risk assessments” – The size of our organisation requires that all risk assessments are documented and retained to allow us to review and improve the way we approach promoting health and safety in the work place.
  • To be “suitable and sufficient”, a risk assessment should:
    Identify the significant risks and ignore the trivial detail that will not result in harm;
    Identify and prioritise the highest risks and introduce control measures to resolve those first;
    Identify all those who may be affected by the hazards present;
    Ensure the risk assessment remains valid over time and is revised as necessary when conditions change.
  • A “hazard” is something with the potential to cause harm. It can be:
    Physical – noise, vibration, electricity;
    Chemical – asbestos, toxins, carcinogens;
    Biological – hepatitis, HIV, leptospirosis; or
    Psychological – stress, verbal abuse, prejudice.
  • “Risk” is the likelihood of harm resulting from a hazard. Marisco will use the accepted model that risk is a function of the probability a hazard may cause an incident, and the resulting severity of the harm that may result.

Marisco will observe the HSE’s five step approach to controlling risk in the work place (IDERR):
1. Identify the hazards;
2. Decide who might be harmed and how;
3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions;
4. Record the significant findings; and
5. Review the assessment and update if necessary.

Marisco Group

Head Office:
Unit J5, The Fulcrum
Vantage Way, Poole, BH12 4NU

Tel: 01202 474001

Email: accounts@mariscosouth.com

Marisco South Ltd is registered with: