What Is Risk Assessment?
A risk assessment is the process of systematically examining your workplace to identify hazards which are anything then can cause harm. The hazards can be physical objects such as machines, chemicals, or ergonomic risk factors to psychosocial hazards including workplace stress. With hazards identified, there is a risk assessment that will evaluate the risk based on likelihood of occurrence and the severity of the harm, and timely and effective steps are taken to control or eliminate the risk.

Why are Regular Risk Assessments important?

Workplaces are not static and situations are never the same for long.

Processes, equipment, employees, and materials always have the potential to change and introduce new hazards or cause previously known hazards to present new risks. Conducting risk assessments on a regular basis will help to ensure your safety controls are still effective and adjust with the change in circumstances.

By not performing regular and timely risk assessments can leave you unprotected against hazards that could create injury and illness and legal liability, or financial loss.

Factors that impact how often to carry out risk assessments

📌 Nature of work/industry
📌 High-risk industries

for example, construction, manufacturing, and chemical processing, require more frequent assessments than low risk office-based jobs, as there are higher job hazards involved with the use of heavy machinery, hazardous substances, or working from heights, which all have varying risks.

✅ Changes to work processes or equipment

When new equipment is being introduced or changes to work procedures are being taken, a fresh risk assessment should always be carried out. Changes to equipment or procedures may introduce new hazards or change the level or risk.

✅ Incidents or near-misses If there is an accident or an injury or near-miss occurs, you must carry out a risk assessment immediately after the incident to identify root causes and to prevent a reoccurrence.

✅ Regulatory obligations Depending on your jurisdiction, there may be specific legal requirements that dictate how often risk assessments should be carried out dealing with your industry (ex: in Singapore’s WSH regulations, employers should have an ongoing risk management practice, and regularly review).

✅ Best Practices for Planning Risk Assessment

1. Plan for the Risk Assessment. Plan ahead! Worksites have varying risk profiles which can dictate the frequency of risk assessments. For instance, high-risk activities or sites may require a risk assessment monthly or quarterly, while a low-risk worksite may only want to conduct a risk assessment annually.
2. Record and Revisit. It is good practice to record every risk assessment, and then revisit and record them down the road to see any changes or improvements.