Good Morning All - 

We are currently undertaking a review to better quantify, lay out and improve accessibility to employees for risk assessments and SOPs, as part of ISO45001.

We have a number of SOPs and a number of risk assessments, however due to legacy issues, they are quite disjointed. 

Our SOPs are incredibly clinical and involve very meticulous steps for set-up and tooling within machinery. They are long-winded and, for example, these are typical for one machine (maybe 5/6/7 SOPs per machine) :

• General Operation
• Assembly of Machine
• Set-up of machine
• Setting up tooling on a machine
• Setting up camera on a machine for QC

Typically/historically, I would include both set-up and operation in the same risk assessment. Is it better - for those who have experienced similar - to simply have a RA per each SOP (so 5 x RA for the above) or combine them to have 1 x RA per machine?. I have loads to do and would like to get off on a good footing. There is a trade-off/compromise in that each RA would be smaller, more concise and therefore more 'digestible' if done per-SOP, but obviously more leg-work/admin/ongoing management. 

Thanks!

Stuart 

Eduard

For me there is no right or wrong answer – its whatever works for you. I have always viewed Risk assessments as a management tool, the SOP or method statement is how you bring the “significant findings” of the RA to the attention of colleagues in compliance with the management regs.

I find task based RA’s work best – and sometimes I may have more than one SOP/MS to go with that RA depending on what’s involved, for very simple tasks, with low hazards then the RA may be OK on its own.