Risk Assessment

Table of Contents

1. Aims and Objectives of the Course
2. Introduction to Risk Assessment
3. Distinction Between Hazards and Risks
4. Hazards and Risks Example One
5. Hazards and Risks Example Two
6. Case Study
7. People at Risk
8. Five Steps to Risk Assessment

Case Study

Read the following case study which shows the risk that can result from the simplest of tasks: Jodie worked part-time in a café. The owner asked her to tidy up the deep freeze as it was quiet at that moment. While she was tidying up the deep freeze Jodie fainted. The freezer was a small walk-in type, around 3 metres (10 feet) square. It was almost three hours later that the café owner found Jodie. He wrapped her in blankets and took her to hospital, where she was found to be suffering from hypothermia. Please type your answers in the boxes provided and select the "Check Answers" button when you are finished:

1	What was the hazard in tidying up the freezer? Extreme cold

2	How did the risk arise? Person working alone No protective clothing issued No alarm system provided No system for checking whether staff inside the freezer No checks on suitability of staff (e.g. general health; tendency to claustrophobia) to perform the task.

3

What would you do to ensure that the incident could never happen again? Set up a procedure for the selection, training and supervision of all staff members who may go into the deep freeze for any reason. Issue suitable protective clothing and install an effective alarm system which is checked at the start of each working day.