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Hi guys, just looking at what the norm is on here.
Currently i have 8 engineers and run generic risk assessments yearly with the option for the lads to do specific assessments if and when required. If im honest i never bothered till a few years back when we were sued by an ex employee for minor back injury. (pulled muscle)He won as we did carry out risk assessments. What im after is do you and if so how often do you do risk assessments, im wondering wether to increase the frequency of the assessments..Cheers
Rub
Re: Risk Assessments
never done them and would not know how lucky only have 1 employee.
its a sad state of affairs when people cannot take responsibility for their own actions and even worse when lawyers win cases on this sort of rubbish.
life is full of risk but you have to be sensible. These sort of cases should only suceed if the employee was forced to do a task that was unreasonable to expect them to do. you can pull your back tying you shoe laces and getting out of bed. how far will this over protective health and safety situation go?
i live test machines all the time. i hold live pcb’s in my hands and check components. health and safety would have a field day if i asked anyone else to do itDave
Re: Risk Assessments
rub wrote:What im after is do you and if so how often do you do risk assessments, im wondering wether to increase the frequency of the assessments..
A very interesting subject and one to be no doubt highlighted on here for some serious debate. The consequences for an employer overlooking or indeed not carrying out ‘risk assessment’ for his or her employees these days can be dire, as you have already experienced.
The HSE do give a fair amount of comprehensive guidance on the subject as in THIS EXAMPLE which you may find helpful. Also if you belong to an active ‘Trade Association’ they may have additional risk assessment guidelines geared more specifically toward the type of work your staff are employed in doing on a day to day basis.
These days ‘elf ‘n safety’ and ‘com-pen-sation’ are taken to the extreme by all and sundry. And ‘ambulance chasing’ lawyers are ready at the slightest ‘breach of procedure’ employers can be found guilty of in court. Sadly this trade is rife with risk and danger in an employee’s daily activities. Far too hard to try to perceive or quantify by any stretch of the imagination. But perceive and quantify and put in writing as an employees ‘terms of contract’ must be a priority for any right-minded employer.
I wish you luck in that ideal. 😀
Re: Risk Assessments
Thanks for the replies. I naively thought experience and common sense were enough! However when it comes to it and the “ambulance chasers” get involved it becomes a mess. Since the court case and the HSE inspection we have been dragged through the coals on things you wouldnt even think were an issue. I now make sure I am fully compliant in all issues it does take a lot of time and effort which no doubt could be spent EARNING money instead of spending it!.Little things like, We issued everybody with toe tectors goggles gloves etc but we didnt get a sheet signed to say they had recieved them, so legally no proof they had them all weighs in the employees favour. I wanted to highlight this issue as i know from personnal experience what a nightmare it can become. I thought all my staff were great and the rest still are(fingers crossed), but one D*!khead ruins it for everyone. He saw an easy couple of grand and sold us short.
I like the rest would like to think common sense and living in the real world counts for a lot unfortunately in this mine field its the employers who carry all the risk.
It may be worth thinking about as you never know whats round the corner.
Incidentally he ‘injured’ himself installing a w/machine and with 30 years expierence you would think he knew what to do. He had a trolley which he used but claimed he was never trained in the correct operation.
Re: Risk Assessments
A few years ago a sold some appliances to a HSE officer and he then came back a week later in his official capacitor and checked my business over, i had to implement lots of things that he said needed doing and i did others that he suggested were best practice. He was worth his weight in gold as he dosnt cost your business anything for an inspection and he will advise you for free on all you need to know, ring the HSE and get one of their officers round and ask his advise, when you act on his advise you wont come unstuck!
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