A risk assessment is an important step in protecting workers, users, visitors and your club, as well as complying with the law. It helps you focus on the risks that really matter in your workplace and club facilities – the ones with the potential to cause harm.
It is a requirement under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (as amended) that every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to health and safety of employee and others that maybe affect by the work undertaken, these must be written down in five or more people are employed, they must also be accessible. Whether you consider the club is an employer you should still carry out appropriate and relevant risk assessments to protect workers, users, visitors and the interests of your club. Any incident or accident is one too many.
- Identify Hazards (A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm e.g. a hole in the ground)
- Decide who might be harmed and how (employees, contractors, general public. Harm – injury, damage or loss e.g. falling in the hole and injury occurring)
- Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions (Risk the potential to cause harm and controls what you can do to the hole e.g. fill in the hole, isolate people from the hole – fences, warnings – signs, cover over with a suitable cover etc.)
- Record you findings and implement them (Write them down and they must be retrievable and seen by all who may be affected)
- Review your assessment and update if necessary (Annually or if anything changes).
Further information on risk assessments is available on the Club Matters website.
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