Assessing site-specific risks
Sometimes, when you arrive on a new site you’ll be faced with hazards that you weren’t expecting. To record how you will deal with them, why not use our brand new document: risk assessment - site-specific risks?
On site
Although the tasks your staff complete are likely to be very similar, regardless of where the work is carried out, the sites on which they’re working may differ immensely. To illustrate this point, we’ll use the process of fence erecting. It involves digging a hole, putting a wooden or concrete post in the ground, back filling and then attaching the fence panel. This process is largely the same regardless of the fence type, or where the fence is being erected. However, if the fence is to be put up at the side of a road, or near a sheer drop, the risks involved are far greater than if it were in the middle of a field, for example. So to enable your staff to record the site-specific risks and, more importantly, what control measures should be applied, we’ve developed a brand new document: risk assessment - site-specific risks (see The next step).
Where are you working?
The first section, on site details, asks you to identify the location of the site, and to provide contact information for the client/customer and brief details of the work. The rest of the boxes at the top of the document are largely self-explanatory.
Tip. Keep any information here as brief as possible. To save space, refer to other documents, i.e. quotes, method statements etc. for further details.
Emergency arrangements
The second part of the document covers emergency and first aid arrangements. Here, you should list the names of any staff trained in first aid, the location of the nearest hospital and where the first aid kit will be kept.
Site-specific risks
The next section is the most important. Here, you should record what site-specific hazards have been identified. You can also identify what level of risk you feel each hazard warrants. In the next column, “control measure/action required” you should detail what you think are appropriate ways of reducing the risks. These could include wearing items of personal protective equipment, putting up temporary fencing etc. In the final columns, you should identify any residual risks (the document identifies how to do this).
Generic documents
In the next section of the document, you should identify any other risk assessments that cover the tasks being completed.
Tip. Any documents listed here should be made available to staff/contractors working for you, as well as to the client.
Training record
The final section of the document is a training record. Before starting work, everyone involved should be briefed on the site-specific risks identified and what your control measures are. By signing this section, they agree that they’ve been briefed and understand what’s expected of them.
For a free copy of our new sample risk assessment - site-specific risks, visit http://healthandsafety.indicator.co.uk (HS 08.11.05).
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