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LeejPalmer  
#1 Posted : 17 August 2020 13:46:22(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
LeejPalmer

HI all, I am not overly new to risk assessments and various other H&S activities, however for the first time I have been asked to provide a breakdown of all my activities related to health and safety to include time on project work and I have never been asked to do this, but now I am being asked to account for my hours on various H&S activities at work such as risk assessments, COSHH risk assessments, Policies, Procedures, Work instructions, various H&S and Fire objective projects and my time spent on the shop floor/office dealing with contractors and taking temperatures etc, to mention a couple of things. I have no idea how to do this as I have never done it before and its now making me question if I should be doing them quicker, i'm dyslexic so documentation and admin is my nemisis as I always try to get it as spot on as possible (maybe spoending more time on it than I should making sure its right) this is now shaking my confidence. How do I determin how long all of the aforementioned should take let alone how best to document and present it, when I google i just get swathes of information on how to do the task not how long it should take or how to quantify it, Can anyone help please?

George_Young  
#2 Posted : 17 August 2020 13:50:53(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
George_Young

Originally Posted by: LeejPalmer Go to Quoted Post

HI all, I am not overly new to risk assessments and various other H&S activities, however for the first time I have been asked to provide a breakdown of all my activities related to health and safety to include time on project work and I have never been asked to do this, but now I am being asked to account for my hours on various H&S activities at work such as risk assessments, COSHH risk assessments, Policies, Procedures, Work instructions, various H&S and Fire objective projects and my time spent on the shop floor/office dealing with contractors and taking temperatures etc, to mention a couple of things. I have no idea how to do this as I have never done it before and its now making me question if I should be doing them quicker, i'm dyslexic so documentation and admin is my nemisis as I always try to get it as spot on as possible (maybe spoending more time on it than I should making sure its right) this is now shaking my confidence. How do I determin how long all of the aforementioned should take let alone how best to document and present it, when I google i just get swathes of information on how to do the task not how long it should take or how to quantify it, Can anyone help please?

I feel it will be impossible to put a timescale on a risk assessment. It would depend on the task being assessed and access to the relevant information (where required).

Kate  
#3 Posted : 17 August 2020 14:23:28(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Kate

It takes as long as it takes.

If those who analyse the timesheets have a concern about the amount of time it is taking, they will raise it.  Until then, you don't need to justify it.

I do timesheets as a matter of course for both project and non-project work.  I've never been challenged about the amount of time I book to anything.  Once I was challenged about which code I'd booked to (project or non-project) and occasionally I challenge the booking code (never the times) on timesheets that I approve.

The project bookings have always been used as far as I know to track the costs of the current project and to budget for the next one.

There isn't necessarily anything sinister in this.

Kate  
#4 Posted : 17 August 2020 14:31:08(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Kate

Do I understand correctly that you haven't been provided with a template on which to record hours?  Is that part of what you need help with - how to go about recording the hours you have actually spent on tasks?

Hsquared14  
#5 Posted : 17 August 2020 14:37:43(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Hsquared14

I've just done a major exercise revamping our risk assessments with help from our Training Team Leader.  Some of them took a whole afternoon to thrash out and others took a mere 30mins.  It depends on the complexity of the task and the type of hazards present so no one can put a standard time on them there are too many variables. 

I once had a boss who always found me on a break.  If ever he came looking for me I was at the vending machine - he was just one of those people.  I got a very bad performance review from him basically saying that I didn't ever seen to be doing any work.  So I kept a log.  I drew a hard back note book from stationery and ruled it off into Date, Time Activity Start, Time Activity End and Nature of Activity.  Then I just filled it each day, if I took or made a phone call it went in my book, if I went over to the production office for something it went in the book, everything I did including breaks went in the book.  I presented him with two completely full hard backed books at my next review and funnily enough he told me I wasn't taking enough breaks!!

thanks 1 user thanked Hsquared14 for this useful post.
Kate on 17/08/2020(UTC)
Acorns  
#6 Posted : 17 August 2020 18:05:03(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Acorns

Originally Posted by: LeejPalmer Go to Quoted Post
 hours on various H&S activities at work such as risk assessments, COSHH risk assessments, Policies, Procedures, Work instructions, various H&S and Fire objective projects and my time spent on the shop floor/office dealing with contractors and taking temperatures etc, to mention a couple of things.

Whoever has asked this, surley has little idea that you will be multi-tasking for much of your time.  As you look at a COSHH cabinet, you may also be looking/ thinking / coniseering  fire routes, other risk assessments, the associated policy and procedures etc etc.  And yet it may take 'only' 20 minutes.  So is that 20 minutes in each category of is it 20 mins divided by the No of categories?  Thats quite a sensible question to ask your inquisitor. You are in a uneviable position Having been in some time and motion studirs in the past, they found it hard to convert their criteria to real world, alsmot as hard as it was to convert real world to the T&M criteira.

andybz  
#7 Posted : 17 August 2020 19:08:07(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
andybz

Are you sure that they really want to know exactly how long you spend on each risk assessment? It is fairly normal to have to account for your time against various budgets allocated to specific projects and departments; which is just a way of dividing internal costs.

I would not give a break down of time spent on each assessment. Just take each day and allocate how much time was spent on risk assessments, COSHH, policies etc.

Roundtuit  
#8 Posted : 17 August 2020 20:43:03(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

You need to understand why you are being asked the question.

To me it sounds like someone wants to "measure" performance through a spreadsheet which is not practicable or derive justification to outsource activity.

By example if you are involved in a Packaging Waste Return there is little time expended through most of the year and then a flurry of activity in Q1 at submission time.

Similarly OHSAS 18001 / ISO 45001 minimal maintenance throughout the year then two or three days concentrated activity at each audit.

Roundtuit  
#9 Posted : 17 August 2020 20:43:03(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Roundtuit

You need to understand why you are being asked the question.

To me it sounds like someone wants to "measure" performance through a spreadsheet which is not practicable or derive justification to outsource activity.

By example if you are involved in a Packaging Waste Return there is little time expended through most of the year and then a flurry of activity in Q1 at submission time.

Similarly OHSAS 18001 / ISO 45001 minimal maintenance throughout the year then two or three days concentrated activity at each audit.

chris.packham  
#10 Posted : 18 August 2020 08:42:33(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
chris.packham

COSHH risk assessments need to be individual to the task not based solely on the chemical as the hazard (particularly for skin exposure) will depend to a large extent on what happened when the chemical or chemicals is/are used during the task. The time taken for the risk assessment can change from a few minutes to several hours. This is particularly the case where the actual/potential changes in the chemical during the task result in the resultant hazard is being difficult to determine. I quite frequently have to spend considerable time researching on-line to establish the real hazard. Unless this is done will the risk assessment be valid? There are other considerations. For example, if the chemical can damage internal organs but on its own will not be inhaled or absorbed through the skin the risk of a toxic effect would be limited. Dissolved in a solvent that will enable it to penetrate the skin is a different situation and if there is potential inhalation uptake combined with skin how will you evaluate the risk of damage to health? I have had to rely on biological monitoring to establish whether there is sufficient uptake for action being needed.   In one case despite airborne monitoring being below the WEL there was enough to cause concern.

So trying to determine a ‘standard’ time for a risk assessment is a pointless exercise.

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