Risk assessment

Question:
Risk assessment
Answer:

You will need to conduct a risk assessment for your work setting (i.e., the place where you base your team and/or where you run activities for the public) in line with government guidance.

The Health and Safety Executive has advice on how to do this including a template risk assessment to fill in.

  1. Make sure the right people are involved in the risk assessment process, e.g. board/trustees, senior team, staff, volunteers, services and building users.

  2. The risk assessment should help you to compare the risks of staying closed vs. opening. If you decide to re-open your building and/or start running activities in person again, you should consider which activities are essential and which need to stay suspended.

  3. Check the restrictions and exceptions carefully and take them into account in your risk assessment and decision making.

  4. Your assessment should consider the risk of people mixing or being unable to maintain social distancing. Under the High alert level groups can gather outside in groups no greater than 6 in adherence to social distancing rules. However, activities where there is a significant likelihood of groups of six interacting, and therefore breaking the law, should not take place.

  5. Check if any changes you make will impact on your insurance cover.  You may need to contact your insurers to discuss this.

  6.  A fire risk assessment should be undertaken if your building or space is repurposed, for example when there is any change in the way you use the space or to exit arrangements.

  7. Where possible, share your risk assessments with any other tenants in your building.  Make sure the risk assessment is communicated to all of your own team and to other building users.