Posted By Lee Mac Generic format is often fine as a starter, but they need to made specific for the task and location. In other words to make it suitable and sufficient, factors differ depending on location, be that utilities, the soil conditions, depths, excavator types (hitch types), close proximity to general public, water tables etc. etc. therefore all of the factors need to be taken into account to make the assessments applicable for the job and location. I have in my experience seen many generic risk assessments still alive and well on sites but IMO these are only a paperwork exercise and not implemented. Any half decent Inspector would have a field day with generic RAs. Lee

Posted By Tony abc jprhdnMurphy As long as they are updated as work or environment changes, or following an accident then they are fine. We had the same RA for garden digging and it never altered until one day a guy was digging and got sucked into a buried well,we had to get a dumper truck to pull him out sharpish and he verily soiled himself, as did the rest of us on site. It was scary, and even though it was rare we had to consider that it could happen and we had to have an emergency plan for any other such occasion which was added onto the RA. Such is the manner of RA's they only really mean anything if they have been updated.

Posted By Safe System by the way - this post has come about as the company i joined has been using generic assessments for a long time successfully but i am updating everyone to incorporate new risks etc..

Posted By Ron Hunter Safe System: Following your example, the generic risk assessment and procedures could include a requirement for a Permit to Work/Permit to Dig/Confined Spaces System to be applied locally. R/A = Global; PTWs = Local?

Posted By Safe System Crim - do you provide a blank risk assessment along with the generic, or do you attach a simple blank page for on site variables such as weather, that the SM can fill in? I am trying to keep these as effective yet simple for the SM as possible. Ron - not a bad idea to have the permit system..

Posted By Crim Safe system, I provide a risk assessment based on the HSE guide to risk assessment, 5 steps etc. and complete as much as I can, it's then up to the site ops to add or remove anything relevant or not. I also provide blank risk assessment forms, same as HSE sample risk assessment forms. See the HSE website for examples of risk assessment.

Posted By Chris Pope Nothing wrong with a generic provided in the case of digging you also have a permit to work that ensures you deal with specific on site problems such as local traffic routes, overheads and buried services