Quite simply, a risk assessment is a careful examination of the hazards
in the workplace to determine what, in the workplace, could cause
harm to people, so that the risk can be weighed up as to whether enough
precautions have been taken or whether more should be done to prevent
harm. Workers and others have a right to be protected from harm caused
by a failure to take reasonably practicable control measures.
Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and affect business too if
output is lost, machinery is damaged, insurance costs increase or
a company is taken to court. The employer is legally required to assess
the risks in the workplace so that control measures can be put in
place a plan to reduce the likelihood of injury or damage to property
occurring.
