Being a small business owner, it is important to keep any work hazards in mind and make risk assessments accordingly. This is now required by US law.
And that is to record findings.
If you have less than 5 employees then you do not need to write anything down. But that does not absolve you from the duties of making safety checks - it is not mandatory, but still advisable to write findings down.
If you have five or more employees, then you must put in writing the significant findings of your risk assessment. Draw conclusions on the different hazards and enumerate each hazard completely.
Consider the following examples in brief.
Electrical installations, check. Insulation and earthing checked and found OK.
or
Fumes as a result of welding. Check - exhaust ventilation now in place and regularly maintained.
Your risk assessment must be both appropriate and adequate. Have suitable proof that the following are in place:
Create a risk assessment that is feasible and fastidious. There must be proof that the following have been achieved:
A complete check. you asked who might be affected (at risk), Some sort of evidence that all the potential hazards have been taken care of, with the above in mind, meaning the number of people who might be in danger. the precautions are reasonable, and the remaining risk is low.
Evidence that you took the proper precautions and mitigated the risks at hand.
Keep your written record for reference in the future. Most Health and Safety Inspectors are like thieves in the night - no, not because they are unscrupulous and dastardly, but rather because they come when you least expect them to. You also want these papers handy in the unfortunate event you are facing any legal bugaboos for civil liability.
Everybody, including and especially new employees, must read the documentation for a heightened sense of awareness.
For a quick and easy way to go about this process, you can use other documents as reference, including safety manuals, the terms and conditions in your company regarding health and safety, basic company statutes on safety, instructional procedures on health and safety and general fire safety procedures.
You may already have had a way to list these procedures. These can be presented in some other way, as it is not necessary that all these procedures be repeated. You could keep them separately or combine them all into one document.
Double-check the assessment and if need be, make changes or amendments.
There will always be an opportunity in the near future for you to acquire new machinery or substances or implement new procedures, and these will invariably beget new risks.
New hazards are birthed from the inevitable addition of new processes, new equipment and new substances introduced into the workplace. Once you have made one of these significant changes, update your assessment with the new hazards. However, it is not necessary to update your assessment for the most trivial of changes or for every new hire.
But if any change, or new job, brings in significant new hazards, then you should consider them in their own right and do whatever is necessary to keep the risks down.
The last tip we have to proffer would be the best business practice of double-checking your assessment and the precautions contained within - after all, it is better safe than sorry.
And that is to record findings.
If you have less than 5 employees then you do not need to write anything down. But that does not absolve you from the duties of making safety checks - it is not mandatory, but still advisable to write findings down.
If you have five or more employees, then you must put in writing the significant findings of your risk assessment. Draw conclusions on the different hazards and enumerate each hazard completely.
Consider the following examples in brief.
Electrical installations, check. Insulation and earthing checked and found OK.
or
Fumes as a result of welding. Check - exhaust ventilation now in place and regularly maintained.
Your risk assessment must be both appropriate and adequate. Have suitable proof that the following are in place:
Create a risk assessment that is feasible and fastidious. There must be proof that the following have been achieved:
A complete check. you asked who might be affected (at risk), Some sort of evidence that all the potential hazards have been taken care of, with the above in mind, meaning the number of people who might be in danger. the precautions are reasonable, and the remaining risk is low.
Evidence that you took the proper precautions and mitigated the risks at hand.
Keep your written record for reference in the future. Most Health and Safety Inspectors are like thieves in the night - no, not because they are unscrupulous and dastardly, but rather because they come when you least expect them to. You also want these papers handy in the unfortunate event you are facing any legal bugaboos for civil liability.
Everybody, including and especially new employees, must read the documentation for a heightened sense of awareness.
For a quick and easy way to go about this process, you can use other documents as reference, including safety manuals, the terms and conditions in your company regarding health and safety, basic company statutes on safety, instructional procedures on health and safety and general fire safety procedures.
You may already have had a way to list these procedures. These can be presented in some other way, as it is not necessary that all these procedures be repeated. You could keep them separately or combine them all into one document.
Double-check the assessment and if need be, make changes or amendments.
There will always be an opportunity in the near future for you to acquire new machinery or substances or implement new procedures, and these will invariably beget new risks.
New hazards are birthed from the inevitable addition of new processes, new equipment and new substances introduced into the workplace. Once you have made one of these significant changes, update your assessment with the new hazards. However, it is not necessary to update your assessment for the most trivial of changes or for every new hire.
But if any change, or new job, brings in significant new hazards, then you should consider them in their own right and do whatever is necessary to keep the risks down.
The last tip we have to proffer would be the best business practice of double-checking your assessment and the precautions contained within - after all, it is better safe than sorry.
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