What is a risk assesment?

Question

Why do we need to carry one out?

Answer 1

Good question!!!!

Answer 2

A formal assessment of the hazards in a workplace or work activity, and the likelihood injury will arise as a result of a potential hazard.

You need to carry out a risk assessment to ensure you have covered all aspects, a detailed risk assessment will be a useful document if anyone tries to claim compensation.

I've detailed some notes relating to playing games with a parachute in a children's after school club:

The hazard’s will be the parachute, balls, toys, and will include things like tables and chairs or other furniture in the room, coats and bags, unsuitable footwear and the floor.

The likelihood of someone getting injured while paying parachute games will vary from game to game, however if participants listen to the instructions and useful caution then these risks will be managed effectively.

I hope this is useful.

Answer 3

There are publications on this, but essentially, it is a statement declaring the risks inherant in an activity. It lists the things that can froeseeably go wrong, how likely they are, and the extent of any likely injuries should they occur.

Then, it is possible to plan how to avoid them, like simply locking a door, for eg.


OK, a bit of a drag, but better than losing a hand when you could have avoided it, or applied measures that would have resulted in a lesser injury.

Answer 4

It depends. It could apply for everything. I guess it is just looking at potential risks that may arise with a spefic job/action. In social services, we carry out risk assessments when taking older people out for instance, so that we can look at all problems/risk factors we may encounter on the way, for the service users, the carers etc

Answer 5

It depends on what you are assessing.

If you are assessing the risk of a borrower's ability to repay then you need the person's income to debt ratio to make an assessment in conjunction with their credit history and repayment record.

If you are doing an investment assessment then you need to do a review on the stock, mutual fund, bond or whatever investment you are getting into. Many of those usually have a risk assessment report.

Answer 6

It's away of assessing/weigh a risk against the cost of negating the risk.

You get a system of structured review that looks at the pro and cons - and the cost of fixing it to make a recommendation to "the board"

So - with the Space Shuttle for example - they would look at the risk of the panels coming off as happened that time, the probablity of it happening again, the impact and cost of it actually happening again and the cost of fixing it to prevent it.

Answer 7

Risk is inherent in all endeavors. Risk affects the value of everything. Knowing your risks allows you to make accurate choices People value risk differently. Some risks can be avoided and the value of the activity can be enhanced..

Answer 8

its another name for common sense, when you organise an event its a checklist of things to be aware of, and make contingency plans for.

every public event will have had a risk assesment done, it can be one page, or one hundred pages. every public building has one to satisfy the insurers, that everything is safe. no one wants to get sued for personal injury...

Answer 9

I do this for a living.
And they are ridiculous!!

They are for stupid people who have no common sense.
Unfortunately now, every site we work on has to be risk assesed.

It means I have to go in, look at everything that could be a risk, write it down, figure a way to reasonably reduce the risk, print it out and circulate to everyone involved.

Great fun!!
Pays well though. x

Answer 10

an evaluation of potential danger under certain circumstances, or an assesment of risk... "it does exactly what is says on the tin"

Answer 11

In short, it's an assessment of any risks that could happen when you do something.

It's useful as it helps identify how things could be made safer (i.e. less risky).