“CAPA”  “BEEP” is this in Welsh(see the other thread) ? Translation( I assume  CAPA= Corrective and Preventive Action) BLEEP draws a blank.

Mersey - I doubt that you will find an off the shelf package that would cover all that you are looking for.

You WILL find providers who say that their course is exactly what BLEEP needs, but it is unlikely to be true.

P

There is a truth about risk assessment that most people in health and safety will not acknowledge is that risk assessment not simple and straightforward, except for the most simple and straight forward processes and operations. Despite what the HSE has said to do a risk assessment properly takes a lot of thought and follow-up  actions. So you really need to get someone to guide you through the methodology for what you are actually doing.    As said it’s not universal and there are different approaches. In some places the hazards arise out operation systems and equipment. As such you might be able to come up with numbers for failure rates etc and use those to drive your risk assessment. In others it is entirely  down to human factors,  which is where it gets interesting.  

I would also suggest you consider different approaches for risk assessment for accidents (physical damage) and chemicals (health damage). The former tend to be instant and usually obvious and thus perhaps more easily envisaged. Health damage can be gradual, i.e. repeated exposures over time with the effect only becoming apparent after a considerable period, delayed, i.e. a single exposure but the consequences only become apparent after a long time, possibly years, acute, i.e. quickly apparent and reversible or irreversible, and with considerable difference as to the severity, managability, implications for the employer and employee. My area of work is the health aspects. I see many risk assessments (particularly those based on the safety data sheet) where the validity of the consequences is highly questionable, if not totally wrong simply because the assessor, perfectly capable of physical hazard assessment, has received little real training on the complexities of health issues within a working environment.

Steve – I agree with you. For me COSHH risk assessment has to be a team effort. Those involved must include someone who understands the process and how chemicals are used. Then one will need someone who can assess the effect on the chemicals when used and the hazard that results. I would also include those who actually operate the process as, in my experience, they are often the only people who know what really happens when the task is carried out. One will also need someone (or possibly more than one) who can assess the effect on health due to the potential combination of exposures (inhalation, ingestion and dermal) and the interaction between these. (So many still seem to believe that they are totally discrete routes of exposure whereas the scientific evidence shows this not to be the case.) Of course, there will be situations where this can be simple, but I could easily describe situations where even those with expertise in the latter find this often extremely difficult and where specialised knowledge is needed. What is often the key here is to know who to contact. All this means, as you so correctly put it, that a ‘one size fits all’ package is never going to be adequate. Perhaps this is why occupational ill health issues far outweigh the frequency of physical injuries.