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Risk Assessment is central to Health and Safety. By identifying the various hazards that could cause harm, a great deal of useful information can be gathered about what could happen. However, the Risk Assessment process is not complete until the preventative and protective measures are evaluated, and any new measures are brought into place of they are deemed to be required.
Risk Reduction Hierarchy
A general hierarchy of control measures is outlined below.
The items closer to the top of the list generally provide for a safer environment ("safe place strategy") which is overall a much better way to control risk. Those lower down the list (items 6, 7 & 8) are dependent on the people that work with or near the hazard to implement them ("safe person strategy") and are, therefore, less effective.
- Eliminate the hazard.
Complete removal of the hazard. For example, a dangerous piece of equipment can be removed. However, this does not mean that minor risks need to be eliminated outright - risk is an inherent part of day-to-day life. There is no reason why things like fund raising events, children's trips and other activities need to be banned.
- Reduce
Evaluate if it is possible to reduce the time that people are exposed to a hazard. For example, the organist might wish to practice at full volume for some pieces, where all others are played at a reduced volume to lower the risk of hearing damage.
- Substitution.
Replace the hazard with something that is less hazardous. For example, replace a caustic cleaning substance with a non-caustic one, or a powdered cleaning material with a liquid one. This might mean that the existing ways of doing things need to be adapted to the latest advances in technology or best practice.
- Isolation and segregation
Remove the hazard from the person. For example, prevent people from accessing high places and confined spaces by locking access doors to towers and basement areas.
- Controls
Use 'Engineering Controls', including guards, local exhaust ventilation and other technology. For example, use a machine guard to prevent someone touching a piece of moving or hot machinery.
- Procedures.
Design safe working practices to do a task and reduce exposure to hazards. For example, instructing someone to use equipment safely. This can have limited use in Churches and Places of Worship owing to the large numbers of Volunteers who might not be willing to follow such rules, and members of the public who could not be expected to follow procedures without close supervision.
- Warning signs.
Display instructions or posters. For example, signs warning of uneven floor surfaces. Signs should always meet the requirements for a warning sign (yellow triangle with black border and symbols) and should be used when the other possibilities have been exhausted but there is still a risk present that needs to be controlled adequately.
- Protective equipment.
This includes: gloves, goggles / safety glasses, hard hats, bump caps, respiratory protective equipment, safety footwear and fall arrest equipment. Use as a last resort only. For example, using gloves for low-hazard cleaning solutions.
Priority should be given collective control measures, those being measures that protect more that one person, over measures that only protect one person. As an example, a guard rail on a roof accessed by maintenance personnel provides protection for more than one person, while a fall arrest harness can only protect the one person.
It can also be beneficial to use a number of the above methods to create the desired level of risk reduction. If this is done, it needs a clear approach to make sure that all the chosen methods work together in harmony and none conflict with any of the other control measures that have been put into place.
Reasonably Practicable: Risk v. Controls
In Health and Safety terminology, the phrase that is often used is "Reasonably Practicable". This means that the preventative and protective measures that are put into place balance with the risk, by taking into account the time, effort, trouble and money needed to put them into place.
Lower risks would require a lower degree of preventative and protective measures, while higher risks might need a package of measures to be put into place. This is why Risk Assessment is key - without this you cannot determine what you need to do.
The simplest things (which are often simple and free) often are found to work the best for many of the common hazards found in Places of Worship. There is certainly no need to remove all hazards, just manage them so that you can provide a good level of Health and Safety for all who use the building.
It can also be counterproductive to put too much control into place. If a hazard is seen to be disproportionately controlled, people might ignore the risk and bypass the safety measures in place. Health and Safety is often wrongly dismissed for requiring overzealous measures to be put into place, however, this need not be the case so long as risk is reduced to a low enough level.
What works?
The first and most important point to note is that all risk assessments are uniquely different. This has the implication that all protective and preventative measures will, to some degree or other vary too.
While it is a good idea to look to see what works for other people, the measures that are required in one premises might vary depending on variables such as the number of people, the mix of chidden to adults, if there are people with special needs, features of the building or variations in equipment being used.
A one-glove-fits-all solution is not possible. It is therefore important to research and consider what could be done, before deciding on what should be put into place.
As a basic test to see if what you have planned will be adequate ask yourself three questions:
- Will it work? - Will it reduce the risks enough and be effective? Will people put it into place? Is it too complex?
- Can it be done? - Is what you plan possible when considering cost, time or other constraints? Is there any reason why your plans cannot be put into place? Will it have too great an impact? Is it disproportional to the risk?
- Will it cause other problems? - Could putting this into place affect other people or change other Risk Assessments? Does it take into consideration other regulations in force? Does is move a problem from one place to another?
Sensible Health and Safety
It is all about getting the right balance!
The key concept of Health and Safety is about being sensible about the controls that are put into place. The key to good Health and Safety is to keep the safety precautions in proportion to the risks that have been identified. Too much can be counterproductive, too little can put people at risk of being harmed.
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