Tech Cert Question - Risk Assessments?

[stevelucocq]

Hi another bit long winded query about my Tech Cert Exam regarding Risk Assessments in tree work….OK I understand the use and need for Generic RA and Site Specific RA and I understand that these are a legal requirement under The Management of Health and Safety at work Reg.

 

What I am unclear about is does COSHH (if only using petrol and oil), Working at Height Reg and PUWER also have separate risk assessments and are they essential? Or do these regulation just pay weight to the Generic and Site Specific RA?

 

I do remember reading somewhere about keeping risk assessment simple, as this should encourage people to carry them out. What do most people in the industry do?

 

Cheers Steve

[janey]

Make a mention of the various Reg's to show that you are aware of them, but I have never inspected a SSRA that has them as their own, seperate catagories.

 

As you say, keep it simple and they are more likely to be filled in.

 

Here are a couple of ideas you may find helpful:

 

For stump grinding / planting, insist the operative draws a quick sketch of the site, marking utilities and anything picked up by the CAT, so that you know for sure they have had a good look around.

 

One of my old Contractors used an acetate overlay to do their SSRA on and when they had finished at that site, they wiped it clean ready for the next one. It kept it legal, simple and there were no huge piles of paperwork in the truck.

[Giles Hill]

Steve, I'm answering this as a student trying to make head or tail of it, rather than a practitioner... Here's my understanding:

 

PUWER, COSHH ETC all fall within the Health and Safety framework, but they are more specific and include things which must be done, that are not mentioned in the general Health & Safety Regs.

 

For example,

COSHH refers to 8 steps that must be taken.

LOLER refers to checks you must do, markings you must put on the equipment etc.

 

You don't need to have separate risk asessments, you just need to make sure that your risk assesment is sufficient, which may include checking what you are currently doing against the relevant regulations and making sure you're doing enough.

 

i.e. apply the five steps of risk assessment:

 

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf

[Arbocop]

what o chaps

 

well hears my two pnny worth, most regulations these days feed in to a risk led saftey culture.

 

in a nut shell weather it is loler puwer what ever all the ones we mainly come in touch with require that a RA is carried out the hse have a basic 5 step model there are otheres and you will get advise on differant areas of risk assesmnt specific to a issue ie loler, consider the load, cosh the substance vibration the machine, ois the out put, but in essance they are all the same

 

spot the hazard, (work out what needs to happen (hazard event) see who will be harmed etc etc

 

then apply ERICPD, eliminate, reduce, isolate, Control, PPE, Disapline

 

in an exame you would normally seperate out the issues arrising for m each issue, and at work quite oftern you woulld find in appropriate to carry out the RA specific to the issue seperatly, however when it comes to controlls thats when the cleaver meshing it al together would kick in.

 

ie afag 401, covers PUWER, COSHH, Phisical agents, to name just a few can you work out were ?????

 

 

cheers

 

kev