Risk assessment and the law

The HSWA requires employers to understand the risks inherent with their work to ensure that they keep their employees and others who may be affected by their work activities safe, so far as is reasonably practicable. 

The RRFSO and the MHSW Regulations enhance and indeed make more specific the requirements and duties placed upon responsible persons and/or employers for risk assessment. 

In relation to fire, the responsible person, in addition to other duties, must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed in order to identify the general fire precautions that are required to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed by the Order. 

The Order also identifies requirements relating to assessing the risks arising from the presence of dangerous substances (see Chapter 14) and risks in relation to young persons. 

Under the MHSW Regulations every employer has an absolute legal duty to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of  

---

Definitions reiating to risk assessment > Risk assessment and the law >- Competencies required for risk assessment >- The process of risk assessment >- Risk assessment recording and reviewing procedures. 

---