Risk assessment refers to the process of evaluating risks to workers safety and health from hazards at the workplace.

What is the purpose of a risk assessment?

Many laws relating to safety and health at work require an assessment of risks, but even without a legal requirement to perform an assessment, it is good practice to do so as it allows effective measures to be taken to protect workers health. The accident prevention process starts with the reduction and, where feasible, total elimination of potential risks, followed by the implementation of collective prevention measures and, in the final instance, personal protection solutions. By identifying the hazards and evaluating the risks, the employer, or person in control of the work should be able to:

» Take a decision as to the protective measures required, taking into account relevant legal requirements;

» Check whether the measures in place are adequate;

» Prioritise any further measures found to be required;

» Show that an informed judgement has been made on workers safety and health (e. g. to workers or to the regulatory authorities);

» See whether an improvement in the level of protection to workers has been achieved.

A risk assessment

A risk assessment should match the hazards, risks and potential harm. For example, a large chemicals plant is likely to have a very technical system of assessment, whereas a small enterprise carrying out low-risk activities needs a simple straightforward system.

The risk assessment should:

» Identify the hazards;

» Identify the workers potentially at risk from those hazards;

» Estimate the risks involved;

» Consider whether these risks can be eliminated, and if not;

» Make a judgement on additional measures needed (if any) to prevent or reduce the risks.

“Nutrition by Natalie” is a series of great videos by Natalie Bulter, RD, on YouTube that can really help you understand how food impacts your life. It’s presented in bite-sized bits and in an easy to understand format. We will be featuring these videos, and others like it, here at HomeSafe in the Food & Nutrition category.

If you want to watch more of Nutrition by Natalie, you can visit her website or check out the other videos available on her channel.

Now Playing: Why USA is Fat! America Diet Facts - Nutrition by Natalie

While we are planning the re-launch of HomeSafe.com and the HomeSafe Blog - we are discussing the connection of nutrition and standard of living, which is directly related to your own quality of life and the quality of life for members of your family living in your home.

We are adding a category of information to the site called “Food & Nutrition”. We will rely heavily on resources already available on the internet, reviewing and collecting the best, most direct, and easiest to understand nutrion information and advice we can find.

You can view everything in the Food & Nutrition category here.

Some timely safety advice from Consumer Reports:

Last week’s hospitalization of more than a dozen children in Dallas and the recent deaths of seven Kentucky residents illustrate the real dangers of carbon monoxide.

Keep your family safe with the safety measures below as well as this advice.

Read the rest and see the safety video.

YONKERS, N.Y., Feb. 2 — PRNewswire-USNewswire – Some 48 percent of Americans don’t have a carbon-monoxide detector at home, 24 percent sometimes fail to fasten a seatbelt, and 39 percent often eat raw dough when making cookies, according to a nationally representative poll of 1,000 Americans conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

This is the second part of a two-part series that looks at risky behavior. The first half was published in the February 2009 issue of Consumer Reports.

The poll reveals what behaviors Americans do which they probably shouldn’t including: occasionally using the top step of a ladder (31 percent), sometimes having a beer while using a power tool or mower (13 percent), and letting their kids play on a trampoline (43 percent).

Also, the survey shows what behaviors Americans don’t do that they probably should including: having a rubber mat in the tub or shower (61 percent don’t), changing batteries in smoke alarms yearly (21 percent don’t), and eating burgers only well done (32 percent don’t).

The full report on how often Americans take risks is available in the March 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, on saleFebruary 3 and online at www.ConsumerReports.org.

The results are revealing because these behaviors can cause real harm, according to safety experts at Consumer Reports and elsewhere.

• According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, safety belts saved 15,147 lives in 2007.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that carbon-monoxide poisoning claims almost 500 lives in the U.S. each year.
• The CDC notes that a common cause of food-borne salmonella infections is under-cooked or raw eggs, often found in cookie dough. Salmonellosis causes an estimated 1.4 million cases of foodborne illness and more than 500 deaths annually in the United States.
• Based on Consumer Reports’ analysis of Consumer Product Safety Commission data, more than 105,000 hospital-treated injuries in the U.S. in 2007 were linked to trampolines.

The poll revealed men were slightly more likely than women to let children play on a trampoline, and women were more apt to eat burgers well done, fasten their safety belt religiously, and clean lint from the dryer after each use. Respondents ages 18 to 35 were more likely than older folks to eat raw cookie dough; those 55 and older were more likely to have a rubber mat in the tub or shower.

The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a random-digit-dialing telephone survey of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. In all, 1,000 interviews were completed among adults aged 18+. Interviews took place in October 2008. The margin of error is +/- 3% points at a confidence level of 95 percent.

MARCH 2009

The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes. Consumer Reports(R) is published by Consumers Union, an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, we test, inform, and protect. To maintain our independence and impartiality, Consumers Union accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. Consumers Union supports itself through the sale of our information products and services, individual contributions, and a few noncommercial grants.