What are the steps involved in assessing a biological risk?

Whether you are looking to create a risk assessment for the first time, or just simply want to brush up on the steps involved, either way you're in the right place!

Our easy to follow guide will help you to understand what a risk assessment is and highlight the five steps that you should follow when creating one, as outlined by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive).

Before we dive in to the five steps, let's first briefly recap what a risk assessment is and its purpose.

What is a risk assessment?

In short, a risk assessment is an examination of a given task that you undertake at work, that could potentially cause harm to people.

The goal is to understand any potential hazards, before then outlining and undertaking reasonable steps to prevent harm. Therefore, a risk assessment can help you to understand and take precautions for such eventualities.

Finally, remember that some regulations will likely require certain control measures to be put in place, see step 3 for more information on this.

If you need help creating a risk assessment, then be sure to use our free risk assessment template online or download our free app to streamline the process, and undertake risk assessments wherever you may be

The five steps to risk assessment

Below are the five steps to risk assessment, as outlined by the HSE. These steps should be adhered to when creating a risk assessment.

Step 1: identify the hazards

Workplace hazards can come in many forms, such as physical, mental, chemical, and biological, to name just a few.

Hazards can be identified by using a number of techniques, although, one of the most common remains walking around the workplace to see first-hand any processes, activities, or substances that may injure or cause harm to employees.

Of course, if you work in the same environment every day, then you may miss some hazards, therefore, the HSE also recommend looking at and considering;

• Your accident and ill-health records
• Non-routine operations
• Long-term hazards to health.

Step 2: decide who may be harmed and how

Identifying who may be at risk extends to full and part-time employees, contract staff, visitors, clients, and other members of the public at the workplace.

You should also consider people that may not be in the office all the time or at different times, such as employees working night shifts for example, and lone workers.

For each hazard you will need to understand who may be harmed, this of course, will help you to identify preventive measures for controlling a given risk.

Step 3: evaluate the risks and decide on control measures

Once you've identified hazards, the next logical step it to completely remove the associated risks, however, where this is not possible, then certain control measures should be put in place.

For example, if an employee is a cleaner, then they'll inevitably come into contact with chemicals. The likelihood is that such a hazard can not be removed, however, certain control measures, such as providing protective gloves, mops, and even training for safely storing and handling cleaning chemicals can and should be in place.

Below is an example of just some hazards, which can easily be applied to risk assessments using our risk assessment template and award winning safety app.

• Contact with Cleaning Chemicals eg Bleach with risk of skin irritation or eye damage from direct contact with Cleaning chemicals Vapour from Cleaning Chemicals can cause breathing problems
• Dust and off-cuts will be produced with possible slip / spillage
• Electrical Tools Required to Carry out work with risk of potentially Fatal Shocks or Burns
• Falling objects from work area above which could be Fatal
• Lone Working with risk of injury or ill health while working alone
• Manual Handling - Materials will need to be carried to Work Area which if not done correctly can cause immediate or longer term injury
• Noise from nearby equipment or other Tradesmen which can cause discomfort and potential damage
• Possible Asbestos on site with risk of fibres in air inhaled when disturbed
• Possible disturbance of Water / Gas or Electrical Works
• Slips, Trips and Falls which can cause sprains, fractures etc if people fall over debris / offcuts / tools or slip on spillages
• Working at Height - with risk of potentially Fatal falls, or bruising / fractures

Step 4: record your findings

The HSE recommend that you should record your significant findings. Such findings will include, the hazards, how people may be harmed by them, and essentially the control measures that you have implemented.

It's worth highlighting that currently only organisations with five or more staff are required to record in writing the findings of a given risk assessment, regardless, it's still good practice to have a reference.

Recording your findings does not need to be a lengthy exercise, in fact, the HSE currently states "For most people this does not need to be a big exercise - just note the main points down about the significant risks and what you concluded ".

Step 5: review the risk assessment

Last, but not least, reviewing the risk assessment. Overtime workplaces will change there may be new equipment, substances, and or tasks, that have been introduced since the last assessment took place. With this in mind, it's recommended that you look back on past risk assessments and consider if there have since been significant changes, and if so, are there new hazards, and or control measures that should be introduced?

Note: the information provided in this article derives from the HSE, and is correct at the time of publishing. The information here is provided as a guide and as general background information, this article should not be taken as legal advice.

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Posted by: Lucid Content Team

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, once said, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”

While this advice isn't new, we think you’ll agree that there are some risks your company doesn’t want to take: Risks that put the health and well-being of your employees in danger.

These are risks that aren’t worth taking. But it’s not always clear what actions, policies, or procedures are high-risk. 

That’s where a risk assessment comes in.

With a risk assessment, companies can identify and prepare for potential risks in order to avoid catastrophic consequences down the road and keep their personnel safe.

During the risk assessment process, employers review and evaluate their organizations to:

• Identify processes and situations that may cause harm, particularly to people (hazard identification).
• Determine how likely it is that each hazard will occur and how severe the consequences would be (risk analysis and evaluation).
• Decide what steps the organization can take to stop these hazards from occurring or to control the risk when the hazard can't be eliminated (risk control).

It’s important to note the difference between hazards and risks. A hazard is anything that can cause harm, including work accidents, emergency situations, toxic chemicals, employee conflicts, stress, and more. A risk, on the other hand, is the chance that a hazard will cause harm. As part of your risk assessment plan, you will first identify potential hazards and then calculate the risk or likelihood of those hazards occurring.

The goal of a risk assessment will vary across industries, but overall, the goal is to help organizations prepare for and combat risk. Other goals include:

• Providing an analysis of possible threats
• Preventing injuries or illnesses
• Meeting legal requirements
• Creating awareness about hazards and risk
• Creating an accurate inventory of available assets
• Justifying the costs of managing risks
• Determining the budget to remediate risks
• Understanding the return on investment

Businesses should perform a risk assessment before introducing new processes or activities, before introducing changes to existing processes or activities (such as changing machinery), or when the company identifies a new hazard.

The steps used in risk assessment form an integral part of your organization’s health and safety management plan and ensure that your organization is prepared to handle any risk.  

Preparing for your risk assessment 

Before you start the risk management process, you should determine the scope of the assessment, necessary resources, stakeholders involved, and laws and regulations that you’ll need to follow. 

Scope: Define the processes, activities, functions, and physical locations included within your risk assessment. The scope of your assessment impacts the time and resources you will need to complete it, so it’s important to clearly outline what is included (and what isn’t) to accurately plan and budget. 

Resources: What resources will you need to conduct the risk assessment? This includes the time, personnel, and financial resources required to develop, implement, and manage the risk assessment. 

Stakeholders: Who is involved in the risk assessment? In addition to senior leaders that need to be kept in the loop, you’ll also need to organize an assessment team. Designate who will fill key roles such as risk manager, assessment team leader, risk assessors, and any subject matter experts. 

Laws and regulations: Different industries will have specific regulations and legal requirements governing risk and work hazards. For instance, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets and enforces working condition standards for most private and public sectors. Plan your assessment with these regulations in mind so you can ensure your organization is compliant. 

5 steps in the risk assessment process

Once you've planned and allocated the necessary resources, you can begin the risk assessment process.

Proceed with these five steps.

1. Identify the hazards

The first step to creating your risk assessment is determining what hazards your employees and your business face, including:

• Natural disasters (flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, fire, etc.)
• Biological hazards (pandemic diseases, foodborne illnesses, etc.)
• Workplace accidents (slips and trips, transportation accidents, structural failure, mechanical breakdowns, etc.)
• Intentional acts (labor strikes, demonstrations, bomb threats, robbery, arson, etc.)
• Technological hazards (lost Internet connection, power outage, etc.)
• Chemical hazards (asbestos, cleaning fluids, etc.)
• Mental hazards (excess workload, bullying, etc.)
• Interruptions in the supply chain

Take a look around your workplace and see what processes or activities could potentially harm your organization. Include all aspects of work, including remote workers and non-routine activities such as repair and maintenance. You should also look at accident/incident reports to determine what hazards have impacted your company in the past.

Use Lucidchart to break down tasks into potential hazards and assets at risk—try our free template below.

As you look around your organization, think about how your employees could be harmed by business activities or external factors. For every hazard that you identify in step one, think about who will be harmed should the hazard take place.

3. Evaluate the risks and take precautions

Now that you have gathered a list of potential hazards, you need to consider how likely it is that the hazard will occur and how severe the consequences will be if that hazard occurs. This evaluation will help you determine where you should reduce the level of risk and which hazards you should prioritize first.

Later in this article, you'll learn how you can create a risk assessment chart to help you through this process.

4. Record your findings

If you have more than five employees in your office, you are required by law to write down your risk assessment process. Your plan should include the hazards you’ve found, the people they affect, and how you plan to mitigate them. The record—or the risk assessment plan—should show that you:

• Conducted a proper check of your workspace
• Determined who would be affected
• Controlled and dealt with obvious hazards
• Initiated precautions to keep risks low
• Kept your staff involved in the process

To help you craft your risk assessment plan, you can visualize and document processes using Lucidchart. Sign up for your free account today!

5. Review your assessment and update if necessary

Your workplace is always changing, so the risks to your organization change as well. As new equipment, processes, and people are introduced, each brings the risk of a new hazard. Continually review and update your risk assessment process to stay on top of these new hazards.

How to create a risk assessment chart

Even though you need to be aware of the risks facing your organization, you shouldn’t try to fix all of them at once—risk mitigation can get expensive and can stretch your resources. Instead, prioritize risks to focus your time and effort on preventing the most important hazards. To help you prioritize your risks, create a risk assessment chart.

The risk assessment chart is based on the principle that a risk has two primary dimensions: probability and impact, each represented on one axis of the chart. You can use these two measures to plot risks on the chart, which allows you to determine priority and resource allocation.

By applying the risk assessment steps mentioned above, you can manage any potential risk to your business. Get prepared with your risk assessment plan—take the time to look for the hazards facing your business and figure out how to manage them.

Now it's time to create your own risk management process, here are five steps to get you started.