What is a risk assessment?
What do I have to do if there are no concrete specifications for the hazards identified?
If you have researched for all risk factors the relevant legal references and evaluation aids and there is still a lack of concrete specifications for the hazards identified (as described in step 2), you must estimate and evaluate the remaining risks. Establish how serious the accident hazard or a health impairment may be and the probability with which it may occur.
Risk estimation
In the risk estimation the following are estimated:
- the extent of possible damage which may be caused by the hazard under examination and
- the probability of this damage occurring
Risk evaluation
In the risk evaluation it is established whether the risk is lower than the highest acceptable risk. If the risk evaluation yields the result that the risk present cannot be accepted, it must be reduced.
In the literature you will find various procedures you can use to assess hazards. Possible examples here are the Nohl procedure ("Risk Matrix") 1) or the decision tree according to DIN EN ISO 13 849-1.
1) Nohl, J.; Thiemecke, H.: Systematik zur Durchführung von Gefährdungsanalysen, Teil I und II, Bremerhaven: Wirtschaftsverlag NW 1988 (publication series of the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health research reports Fb 536 and Fb 542)
