Rank: Forum user 
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Hi,
I have the challenge of starting to implement a risk management programme at my site (manufacturing) pretty much from stratch. There is very little risk assessments (meaningful ra) and a vast amount of processes.
Has anyone had experience from starting from stratch and could give some advice on a strategy for doing this? I have some ideas but this is the first time i've had to start from 'zero' and its a bit daunting.
Cheers guys for any help
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Rank: Super forum user
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I am wondering if you have a safety management system in place at all. Do you have a safety policy or are you starting from absolute zero? If so I suggest you start with a safety policy stateement and then develop a safety management strategy. Risk asessment is simply a part of an overall system covering the H&S at Work Act through to the management Regs, the DSE Regs all the weay through the main legislation and any specific pieces of legislation applicable to your work place. I suggest you look at what you have and decide what is really applicable and rebuild from there. Then go on and undertake whatever risk assessments you need to undertake.
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Rank: Super forum user
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I’ve put together numerous safety management systems from scratch over the years. I tend to follow the path of OHAS 18001 when implementing one these days, quite often with the aid and integration of 14001 and 9000:2000 systems.
You will almost certainly need help, if you never done this before, dependent on the size/structure of the company in question.
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi,
Yes we have a H&S policy statement, which i revised this year when i joined. We have some generic mgt policys and some basic RA's, but they have little or no content nor reflect practice.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Follow the path of OHAS 18001, you should be able to locate a free copy off the internet.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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If you mean H&S risk management then by all means use OHSAS 18000, but in addition I suggest you look at BS/ISO 31000 or BS 31100, which you will probably have to pay for. Both of these publications look at ris management as a wider discipline, but throw some useful illumination on H&S risk management if that's as far as you are going. The IRM (of which I am a specialist member) publish a free risk management standard on their website (www.theirm.org) which incorporates the language and concepts used in BS/ISO 31000. If you are looking at risk managment as a wider thing then you will certainly need to look at these documents,
John
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Rank: Super forum user
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I would definitely describe risk management as a wider remit than just H&S.
One of the early things I suggest you tackle is the risk of prosecution or other legal action, and therefore in your position I would spend some time assessing the organisation's vulnerability and reducing this by training, coaching and an action plan.
While this could be seen as fire fighting, you could at the same time build the framework for the risk management system.
It would help to outline to the board what this entails and why you would prioritise it in this way. you will need their support anyway and, although they may have asked you to do this, their mental image of what it means and how to get there may be different from yours at this stage.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Jane Blunt is quite correct in suggesting you take a wider look at this as it is not about just meeting a set piece of system such as ISO 18001 etc. Go back to basics and see what legislatiyou need to cover and build from there. Using a system such as HSG65 or ISO9000 etc is all well and good but build your basics first. You can be done for not meeting the HASAW Act or one of the management regs but not for failing to implement any bits from HSG65 and the likes.
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Rank: Forum user
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Safetyman
I found myself in this position some years ago with the company that I am still with. I had little support from the Directors as this was just one of my roles production and HR being the others and a staff level of about 100. The first thing I did was to ensure they were working safely every day. I had to lead them down the path of working safely then and only then did I start to look at the paperwork side of things.
I admit if an inspector had walked in he would have had a field day but no one ended up in hospital and now we have a full system in place. My priority was the safety of the staff and not the paper side of legal requirements. My view was that while I was doing all the paerwork side of things people could be being injured and that was what I got into H&S to stop.
I wish you all the best it's a tough task but rewarding.
MG
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Safetyman, if you are looking at risk in its wider sense then the IRM advice is very sound. If however you mean the occupational health and workplace safety risks then HSG65 and 18001 etc set out management frameworks.
In either case, it's a bit like the old joke of how you eat an elephant: one bite at a time.
Establish where you are, decide where you want to be and take the first step by doing the immediately obvious e.g. identifying and controlling the highly likely bad incidents. The policy is in place so that is a job you can leave until later when it's time for review.
The end result should be a self-sustaining fully integrated process that will keep on working when you leave to get a better job, using the experience to impress future employers with your achievements!
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