Every workplace has its own risks and hazards, no matter what you do, where you work or how large your team is. Assessing and mitigating these particular risks is essential to maintaining a safe, productive environment. To stay safe, we recommend a thorough risk assessment.
At Coordinate, we specialise in helping businesses like yours create thorough, practical risk assessments that properly identify risks and discover the best ways to handle them. So, what is a risk assessment, and how is an assessment carried out?
What Is A Risk Assessment?
A risk assessment is the process of identifying potential hazards in a given workplace. Then, these hazards will be analysed, and risk mitigation strategies will be developed and used. It’s often impossible to completely eliminate all risks, even after a meticulous risk assessment is conducted. So, we do what we can to reduce and manage risks as best as possible.
The ultimate goal of a proper risk assessment is to minimise accidents and injuries through risk mitigation strategies. Risk assessments can also help comply with NZ requirements and create a culture of safety and health in the workplace. Risks are always present, but when you understand a risk after assessing it, it’s easier to avoid it.
- Prevention Of Accidents. We can identify hazards before they become serious issues. When you know what could go wrong, you’ll have an easier time avoiding problems. Every member of your team should understand the particular hazards of their jobs, and the risk management strategies they should take.
- Legal Compliance. Your business may be required by law to carry out regular risk assessments. We at Coordinate will be glad to help you stay on your assessment schedule.
- Improved Productivity. Safe workers are happy workers, and a better work environment can lead to fewer disruptions and better productivity. Overall, an assessment can improve your business in several ways.
- Cost Reduction. Accidents can have associated medical expenses, repair costs and legal fees. Avoiding hazards and disasters is the best way to avoid these fees.
How We Can Conduct Your Risk Assessments
A few basic risk assessment steps we at Coordinate can take to analyse your New Zealand workplace are:
- Identify Hazards. We start by identifying all potential hazards in the workplace. These can be:
- Physical. Machinery and electrical equipment can be dangerous if mishandled.
- Chemical. Exposure to hazardous substances can cause negative side effects.
- Environmental. Uneven floors, wet surfaces and other environmental hazards can lead to accidents.
- Assess The Risks. Once hazards are identified, we evaluate them. We’ll consider each hazard and the risks that come with them. This can include determining the likelihood of an accident and assessing the severity of the consequences.
- Control Measures. When we understand risks better, we can then begin determining the best ways to control them:
- Engineering Controls. Safety guards can keep people protected.
- Administrative Controls. Safety protocols may be recommended.
- Personal Protective Equipment. PPE should be worn if necessary.
- Documentation. We’ll make sure every risk and assessment is properly documented so that you have records of your risk assessment results.
- Monitor. Please know that risk assessments are not a one-time process. You should regularly review your workplace to ensure everything is in order. We at Coordinate will be happy to keep in touch so that we can help when needed.
Prevent Accidents Before They Happen With NZ Risk Assessment Services
One of the best ways to handle accidents is to prevent them in the first place. Speak with us at Coordinate to discover how we can help you and your people.
