When conducting a Risk Assessment you need to be able to identify the hazards involved in performing an activity or task and then try understand their associated risks. In this post we take a look at 5 Activities, Hazards & their Risks to shed light on the approach and thinking that one should take when learning how to do a risk assessment.

1. Driving a Vehicle

We're starting off with a very common activity but when we start looking at the potential hazards and risks associated with vehicles, we could write a whole post on them alone, they are endless...

According to the World Health Organization, road traffic injuries caused an estimated 1.35 million deaths worldwide in the year 2016.

That is, one person is killed every 25 seconds.

Some Hazards & Risks with driving a vehicle:

Hazards:

- Drunk Driving

- Driving While texting / Calling

- Driving While Fatigued

- Driving an unroadworthy vehicle

- Driving when incompetent/ untrained

Risks:

- Accident with another motorist

- Knocking over a pedestrian

- Accident with Road Furniture

- Vehicle Overheating/ Catching alight

2. Painting a Wall

Painting is common at some point or other for most businesses. It might seem like a simple, fairly risk-free activity but when we analyse carefully, there are many potential dangers involved.

Some Hazards & Risks with Painting a Wall:

Hazards:

- Mixing paint

- Painting

- Painting on a ladder

- Cleaning excess paint

Risks:

- Inhaling Paint fumes

- Getting paint/ cleaning agents on the skin

- Getting paint/ cleaning agents in the eyes

- Falling off a ladder

- Slipping on spilled paint

3. Pouring a cup of tea/ coffee

We had to include a task as simple and as common sense as pouring a cup of tea because there aren't any real associated hazards or risks right?

Some Hazards & Risks with Pouring a cup of tea:

Hazards:

- Faulty wired kettle

- Hot Water

- Tea / Coffee types

- Spilled water

Risks:

- Electrocution

- Skin Burns

- Allergic reaction

- Slipping

4. Packing Shelving

Whether you are in retail, warehousing or corporate, packing and unpacking shelves occurs on a fairly regular basis and there are many ways in which things can go wrong.

Some Hazards & Risks with Packing Shelves:

Hazards:

- Incorrect use of a ladder/ step-ladder

- Incorrectly packed items

- Overloaded racks

Risks:

- Falling from step ladder

- Items falling on packer

- Racks collapsing

- Damaged goods

5. Working on a Computer/ Laptop

Arguably one of the most common activities in this day and age is working on a computer or laptop... there are very few businesses these days that don't.

Some Hazards & Risks with Working on a computer:

Hazards:

- Working with poor posture

- Sitting on a uncomfortable chair

- Loose wires/ cables

Risks:

- Eye Strain

- Back & Neck Strain

- Carpal Tunnel syndrome

- Tripping