The Importance Of Risk Assessments

Many people approach risk assessments as long-winded and something to not really bother with. As a result, many people who should be concerned about getting a risk assessment skip over it. However, assuming that something bad won’t happen to you is incredibly dangerous. That’s why the guys at ARC Fire Safety are going to tell you about the importance of risk assessments for your workplace.

Risk assessments are vital to the safety and security of any business because a fire can start in a huge variety of ways. Knowing the ways they can start better prepares you for either preventing or fixing them. Is your building new? Old? Neither matters when it comes to potential fire hazards that need a risk assessment to go over.
An example of this would be old, faulty wiring. It doesn’t matter how small it is. It can still spark a fire in your building. This is one of the biggest “surprise” risks people encounter. If you are the one who is in charge of health and safety, then it is imperative that you be responsible and check for these hazards.

Staff Training

Risk assessments also give you the opportunity to make sure that everyone on your staff is trained in what to do in case of an emergency and how to spot risks and hazards themselves. Having a team of trained staff is imperative to the overall safety of your building. Some basic things they are trained is not to smoke indoors, properly extinguishing cigarettes, correctly handling and maintaining electrical equipment, and other methods that help you avoid legal repercussions from the start.

It’s not enough, however, to just do the risk assessment to comply with laws. You also must enact your training and make sure your staff do as well. Got fault wiring? Hire someone to fix it. Papers and towels covering electrical equipment? Change your policy. People smoking inside? Move them outdoors.

Penalties

Of course the biggest penalty is having a burning building and seriously harming individuals, but there are also penalties if you cannot provide proof of your recent risk assessment. The biggest one, perhaps, is the unlimited fine that your company can incur. If you’re in charge, then you’re the one responsible for the fine. Furthermore, you may be penalized with arrest and imprisonment. Your company may then not only fire you but also prosecute you as well. Ultimately, there is no good that can come from skipping out on your risk assessments – that one fee you manage to avoid will only come back to haunt you in the form of things much worse.

Please get in touch with us if you would like more information on how much a risk assessment costs, what we do, and when you should have one done. We would love to speak with you and get you started on keeping your company, and thereby your staff members, safe and risk free.

We don’t want to scare you. We want you to just be safe.