Risk Assessments

What?

Your risk assessment is a careful examination of anything in your society that could cause people to suffer injury or ill health while they are participating in activities. It:

  • Tells you whether you are doing enough to protect you and others from harm
  • Ensures you are meeting legal requirements
  • Demonstrates good practice and improves performance

When?

Societies need to update their risk assessments once a year, when the new exec take over. Your society Risk Assessment is stored in the Resources Room - ask Pam to see yours, update it and sign it for the new exec.

You will also need to complete a risk assessment (usually shorter) for your events, and anything risky outside of your society's general aims.


Why?

It is there to show that you have considered the risks involved in your activities. If an incident occurs, you need to be able to say that you considered the risks involved and that controls were in place for that risk. The Risk Assessment helps you do that.


What to Look For

You should look for the following aspects:

  • Possible slips, trips or falls
  • Any electrical equipment usage
  • Noise
  • Manual handling
  • Are you in a dangerous environment?
  • Fire risk
  • Violence

And slightly less likely, but still potentially relevant:
  • Construction work
  • Working at height
  • Harmful substances


Help with Risk Assessments

If you are at all unsure, then please email Andy Bastable, the Union's Facilities and Safety Manager at abastable@sunion.warwick.ac.uk.

You can find the HSE (Government Health & Safety Executive) guide to risk assessmentshere.


When the Risk Assessment Has Been Completed...

...you should make sure that people who are at risk are made aware of the risks and the controls that have been put in place.

It is very important that you keep to anything that you put in the 'How do you control the risks' section. Your society might be audited (by the Government rather than Union) on its risk assessment and this is the main area that will be checked.

The implementation of the controls would be the first thing that the Health & Safety Executive would check if they were to get involved in an accident investigation.


Risk Assessment Forms

Society Risk Assessment Form
Event Risk Assessment Form
Tour Risk Assessment Form