A site risk assessment is a legally required step that employers and owners of public establishments must take to assess the premises in order to identify health and safety hazards. Such an assessment will aid in the identification of potential risks as well as the development of effective measures to control or prevent them. It will also shield the company or establishment from any lawsuits stemming from injuries sustained in such places. x000D_
The legal aspect of site risk assessment stems from the legal concept of liability, which requires business and other public establishment owners to take reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of those who visit them. Reasonable care is the deciding factor here. A department store’s management, for example, must conduct a site risk assessment to determine what potential risks are present on the premises. While they cannot be expected to anticipate or foresee every potential risk, they will be held liable for any injury caused by a risk that could have been avoided with reasonable care.
Employers can start a site risk assessment by identifying potential hazards in the workplace. This can be accomplished by conducting an in-depth examination of the workplace and its equipment. Workers in the industrial and manufacturing industries can measure the amount of noise produced by heavy machinery. Employers in settings such as hospitals and laboratories can monitor for pathogens and sharps such as needles and scalpels. x000D_
The next step in a site risk assessment is to figure out who is most likely to be harmed by the risks that have been identified. People with disabilities, for example, may be at greater risk than the general public. Certain types of employees may be more vulnerable than others in the workplace. Lab technicians, for example, who actually work with pathogens in a laboratory, may be more susceptible to infection than front-desk staff. x000D_
Following the identification of risks, the next step is to determine how to control or prevent the risk from becoming a hazard. This is where the employer or property manager is expected to take “reasonable care” to prevent or minimize an incident. Although it is impossible to eliminate all risks on a job site, the employer or business owner must take all reasonable precautions.
Following the implementation of the safety measures, the employer or management must take steps to ensure that site risk assessments are conducted on a regular basis to ensure that the measures are working. These periodic site risk assessments also serve to keep employers informed of any new workplace risks. The introduction of new equipment into the workplace, as well as other changes in the daily work conditions and environment, are examples of factors that could contribute to new risks.