5 Steps

to a risk assessment

As an employer, you are legally obliged to ensure the safety and welfare of employees, sub-contractors and volunteers who carry out work for you.

Pick Protection has developed 5 Step to a risk assessment – a continual process for protecting employees, ensuring the safety of your lone working staff and compliance with health and safety legislation.

We’ve gathered advice from reliable sources including the Health and Safety Executive, Health and Safety legislation experts, and experienced Health and Safety managers, to produce tailored guidance for protecting lone working individuals.

Through these 5 steps, we’ll provide you with all the advice and tools you need, to be confident that you’ve met your duty of care, within a robust safety system.

1. Assessing Risks

Carry out risk assessments to identify all possible risks to employee

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2. Mitigating Risk

Implement policies and procedures to mitigate these risks

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3. Implementing Controls

If your policies and procedures do not mitigate the risks to an acceptable level – Implement a protection solution

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4. Training 

Provide employee training in following procedures, using the solutions and staying safe

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5. Ongoing Management

Make sure you regularly revisit the risk assessments. Ensure employees are following policy and using their protection solutions.

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Laws

Acts & regulations protecting lone workers

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) is the primary piece of UK health and safety legislation. It requires employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all of their employees as well as others on their premises.

The main requirements of this Act are:

  • The safe operation and maintenance of the working environment, plant and systems
  • Maintenance of safe access and egress to the workplace
  • Safe use, handling and storage of dangerous substances
  • Adequate training of staff
  • Adequate welfare provisions for staff at work

Management of Health & Safety At Work 1999

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires employers to assess and manage risks to their employees and others as a result of any work activities. Employees also have duties under this act to take reasonable care, use equipment as trained and report any shortcomings in health and safety protocol.

The employers’ duties to ensure a safe working environment are:

  • Establish procedures that should be followed in an emergency situation
  • Provide adequate training and information for employees
  • Provide health and safety surveillance where appropriate
  • Appoint appropriate people to assist in the above measures
  • Ensure employees aren’t given tasks beyond their competence and physical capabilities

Health & Safety (Offences) 2008

The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, lays out the maximum penalties that can be made against defendants under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The Act gives lower courts the power to impose fines and/or imprisonment for the following health and safety offences:

  • Breaches of general duties under HASAWA Sections 2 – 8
  • Non-compliance with an improvement notice, a prohibition notice or a court order
  • Making a false statement or entry in a register
  • Breaches of general duties under HASAWA Section 9
  • Obstructing or pretending to be an Inspector

Corporate Manslaughter & Homicide Act 2007

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 clarifies the criminal liabilities of organisations where failures in health and safety management have resulted in a fatality. This means that organisations can be found guilty of corporate manslaughter as a result of how activities are managed and organised by senior management.

The organisations to which this legislation applies are:

  • A corporation
  • A department or other body
  • A police force
  • A partnership
  • A trade union or employer’s association that is an employer
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