Responsibilities for Risk Assessment

Within the Council the responsibility for ensuring that risk assessments and safe working practices are in place rests with Service Directors and within Schools it is the duty of the Headteacher. The adequacy of these arrangements will be checked through monitoring and auditing.

Within services, establishments and teams the task of carrying out risk assessments will be delegated by the Service Director to relevant Managers and members of staff. The arrangements for carrying out these tasks must be clarified in the service area arrangements 5.1 model-health-and-safety-responsibilities. Schools should use the 16-model-health-and-safety-policy-for-schools-reviewed to clarify risk assessment responsibilities. Risk assessment arrangements should be reviewed as part of the annual health and safety service performance and action plan process.

Anyone required to carry out a risk assessment must be competent (sufficient skills, knowledge and training). Details of training is available on Health and Safety training.

Managers are responsible for:

• Ensuring that any task or activity which could affect the health, safety and welfare of their employees or anyone else (clients, member of the public, etc.) has been subject to risk assessment.
• Ensuring their employees are aware of any risk assessment related to their work and are provided with any specific training or equipment required.
• Reviewing the job risk assessment at appraisal or as appropriate e.g. if the nature of the job changes or the person experiences any health problems which could affect their ability to carry out the job safely.
• Ensuring, where necessary, in addition to the job-based risk assessment any other written safe systems of work are prepared and brought to the attention of all relevant employees.
• Ensuring that employees who may be required to carry out risk assessments are adequately trained or have access to a nominated risk assessor within their service area to carry out risk assessments.
• Ensuring that any new activities/jobs/events are risk assessed before they take place for the first time.

Employees are responsible for:

• Ensuring there is a written risk assessment and if necessary safe working practices for any activity they undertake where there is a risk of injury to themselves, other staff, or non-employees.
• Inform their line manager of any changes in their health that could affect their safety at work.
• Read and follow the control measures set out in the risk assessment for any activity they undertake.
• Report to their Manager any instances where they think a risk assessment is required, or where an existing assessment requires updating.