manual handling; noise; poor lighting; low temperature. Decided who might be at risk from harm and how. Risk is defined as the chance or likelihood that harm will occur from the hazard. The likelihood is described as expectancy of harm ‘the occurring’. It can range from to and depends on a ‘never’ ‘certain’ number of factors. For example, the risk of someone tripping on a damaged surface will depend on: the extent of the damage the number of people walking over it the number of times they walk over it whether they are wearing sensible shoes the level of lighting. Everyone or only certain people may be at risk. Some groups of people may need special consideration, as they may be more vulnerable to certain hazards. Risk assessments need to be reviewed as a new child joins school with an additional need, or if an activity is changed. Evaluate the risk - is it High/ Medium or Low? What are the consequences of injury or harm? The consequences could range from to or even fatal ‘trivial’ ‘severe’ – for example, from a scratch to death. The most severe hazards need the most urgent attention. Decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done. It is important to record your findings and to review your assessment and revise it if necessary. You can think about the Risk of a hazard as being High, Medium or Low. It is the product of the Severity (Slightly harmful, Harmful or Extremely harmful) of the outcome of injury coupled with the Likelihood of that outcome: Risk (H,M,L) = Severity x Likelihood So a high risk activity (H) may be hanging upside down from the climbing without holding on, the consequence could be a severe accident that is quite likely to occur this – would be classified as a High risk Hazard. Falling from the slide could cause a bad injury but is not as likely to occur so would be a Medium risk (See Risk Matrix below) Slightly harmful Extremely harmful Severity Harmful (e.g. Superficial (e.g. major fractures, (e.g. Sprains, minor injury or temporary amputations, fatality, fractures, ill health discomfort or life shortening leading to disability) Likelihood distress) illnesses) Highly unlikely LOW (L) LOW (L) MEDIUM (M)
manual handling; noise; poor lighting; low temperature. Decided who might be at risk from harm and how. Risk is defined as the chance or likelihood that harm will occur from the hazard. The likelihood is described as ‘the expectancy of harm occurring’. It can range from ‘never’ to ‘certain’ and depends on a number of factors. For example, the risk of someone tripping on a damaged surface will depend on: the extent of the damage the number of people walking over it the number of times they walk over it whether they are wearing sensible shoes the level of lighting. Everyone or only certain people may be at risk. Some groups of people may need special consideration, as they may be more vulnerable to certain hazards. Risk assessments need to be reviewed as a new child joins school with an additional need, or if an activity is changed. Evaluate the risk - is it High/ Medium or Low? What are the consequences of injury or harm? The consequences could range from ‘trivial’ to ‘severe’ or even fatal – for example, from a scratch to death. The most severe hazards need the most urgent attention. Decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done. It is important to record your findings and to review your assessment and revise it if necessary. You can think about the Risk of a hazard as being High, Medium or Low. It is the product of the Severity (Slightly harmful, Harmful or Extremely harmful) of the outcome of injury coupled with the Likelihood of that outcome: Risk (H,M,L) = Severity x Likelihood So a high risk activity (H) may be hanging upside down from the climbing without holding on, the consequence could be a severe accident that is quite likely to occur – this would be classified as a High risk Hazard. Falling from the slide could cause a bad injury but is not as likely to occur so would be a Medium risk (See Risk Matrix below) Severity Slightly harmful (e.g. Superficial injury or temporary discomfort or distress) Harmful (e.g. Sprains, minor fractures, ill health leading to disability) Extremely harmful (e.g. major fractures, amputations, fatality, life shortening illnesses) Likelihood Highly unlikely LOW (L) LOW (L) MEDIUM (M)