Hi Carl In my past job I also used the HSE method, it was easier for the staff to get their heads around. Where was the inspector from? In my current role we use high, medium and low. I thought the risk assessments were based on the company preferences. Emsie

Carl As far as I am aware there is no legal requirement to use numbers (quantitative) in a risk assessment or to use the low, medium and high to identify the overall risk. It is really an 'idiots guide' to RAs. Personally, I dislike the use of numbers as they can be misleading and serve little purpose. The RA should focus on the hazards and subsequent controls.

Carl If the HSE are saying that inspectors have different preferences you could be changing them again when another inspector comes out to visit you and has certain dislikes. I think as long as you have risk assessments in place covering the hazards anf the control methods and employees are aware of them and have signed for them then, jobs a good un, eh? Emsie

Hi Carl, Guidance regarding the degree of detail expected and the type of risk assessment that would be considered suitable and/or sufficient can be found at: www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr151.htm I have extracted a few excerpts from rr151 The level of detail in a risk assessment should be proportionate to the level of the intrinsic hazards. In general, the greater the magnitude of the hazards under consideration, and the greater the complexity of the systems being considered, the greater the degree of rigour and robustness (and hence the greater the level of detail) HSE requires in arguments to show that risks have been reduced ALARP. The level of risk arising from the undertaking should therefore determine the degree of sophistication needed in the risk assessment. Risk assessment can be a qualitative, semi-quantitative or quantitative process. Any assessment should begin with a simple qualitative assessment, including consideration of whether any relevant good practice is applicable. In some cases it will be appropriate to supplement the qualitative assessment by a more rigorous semi-quantitative or quantitative assessment. In many intermediate cases where the hazards are neither few and simple, nor numerous and complex, for example if there are some hazards that require specialist knowledge, such as a particular complex process or technique, it may be appropriate to supplement the simple qualitative approach with a semi-quantitative assessment. For more information go to the link. In a nutshell it appears as if the HSE expects that more than one type of risk assessment should be used but that initially "Five Steps" can be useful. Cheers. Tom Doyle Industrial Safety Integration

Hi, Unless the assessment is in a high risk industry e.g. chemical where a quantitative risk assessment is actually that and numerical probability figures are factored in then my own experience is that simple, qualitative ra is more than adequate, is more readily accepted by staff and produces a less subjective more meaningful result and it would be my personal preference - simple is best. regards Steve

To go right back to the top of the thread. I would have thought that it is up to you what method you use, so long as it is both suitable and sufficient and 'understandable' by the people to whom it relates. I have done risk assessments that take many forms, some in a table form and others that are more narrative or descriptive in nature, but at the end of the day I always have it in my mind that I need to give a clear indication of the level of risk. The use of words such as Low, medium, high etc seem a reasonable way of doing this or alternatively a number system as long as it is clear to the 'user' what the relationship of that number to the level of risk is. My prefernce is words such as low medium high and perhaps the use of colour to add emphasis.

I have just experienced a similar problem with one of our main clients, their H&S advisor picked fault in my Risk Assessments because i didnt use the numerical Risk Assessment system, i replied, i feel that Risk Assessments a Method Statements have to be as user friendly as possible, after all we dont all have the same education and or brain capacity, i use the 5 steps to Risk Assessment and ensure that i give an ABC description for Control Measures, his reply was, Rick ok carry on!