Risk Assessment Recap
Risk Assessment Recap
Lesduur is: 85 minOnderdelen in deze les
Risk Assessment Recap
This is a short recap lesson focused on the key ideas learners need for Learning Outcome 2: how risk assessments support health and safety in the workplace.
Today’s learning goal
I can explain how risk assessments are used to support health and safety in the workplace.
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What words do you link with risk assessment?
Use this to surface prior knowledge. Expect words such as hazard, safety, harm, danger, control, law, accident and prevention.
Hazard and risk
A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm
A risk is the chance that harm could happen
A hazard is the source of danger
A risk is about likelihood and possible harm
Knowing the difference helps staff act safely
Common confusion: learners often use hazard and risk as if they mean the same thing. Emphasise that a wet floor is a hazard, while someone slipping on it is the risk.
Common hazards
Slips, trips and falls
Unsafe equipment
Chemicals or cleaning products
Fire risks
Infection hazards
Poor moving and handling practice
Keep examples rooted in childcare and health and social care settings, such as toys left on the floor, damaged sockets, hot drinks, cleaning fluids, or poor lifting technique.
Why hazards must be identified
Identifying hazards is the first step in preventing harm. If staff can spot what could cause injury, illness or danger, they can decide what action is needed before an accident happens.
Link this to daily practice: staff should notice hazards during routines, not only during formal paperwork.
Different settings, different hazards
A nursery may have toy, hygiene and outdoor play hazards
A care setting may have medication, lifting and infection hazards
The setting changes the type of hazard
Risk assessment must match the real workplace
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Legislation and workplace safety
Health and safety law requires employers to protect people
Risk assessment helps organisations meet legal duties
Policies and procedures guide safe practice
Staff must follow safety rules and report concerns
Do not overload this recap with too many law titles unless they have already been taught. Keep the focus on the link between legal duty and practical risk assessment.
Which statement best defines a hazard?
A safety rule
A chance of harm
Something causing harm
A written report
Checks the hazard/risk distinction from slides 2 to 6. 'A chance of harm' is the definition of risk, not hazard.
Complete the recap
A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm. A risk is the chance that harm could happen. In different settings, staff may need to look for different hazards. Risk assessment also helps workplaces meet legal duties.
Echoes key language from slides 2 to 6 without adding new content.
Why must staff identify hazards early?
Expected points: identifying hazards helps prevent harm before accidents happen; examples should fit the setting, such as toys on the floor, unsafe equipment, cleaning products or poor lifting practice.
Judging the level of risk
Think about who could be harmed
Think about how serious the harm could be
Think about how likely it is to happen
Higher likelihood or greater harm means higher risk
This helps staff decide what needs urgent action
If helpful, give a simple comparison: a trailing wire in a busy walkway is a higher risk than a box stored safely on a high shelf that nobody can reach.
Who might be harmed
Children
Staff
Visitors
People with health needs or reduced mobility
Contractors or other professionals on site
Stress that risk assessment is not only about employees. It protects everyone affected by the setting.
Control measures
Control measures are actions used to reduce risk
Remove the hazard if possible
If not, make the activity safer
Give clear instructions, training and supervision
Check that controls are working
Useful examples: mopping spills quickly, storing chemicals in locked cupboards, checking equipment, using gloves, or supervising outdoor play.
Reducing risk in practice
Hazard identified → risk considered → control measures put in place → risk reduced
Risk cannot always be removed fully, but it can often be lowered to a safer level.
Highlight that risk reduction is an ongoing process. Controls may need updating if the setting, equipment or people change.
What a risk assessment does
Records hazards clearly
Shows who may be harmed
Notes existing control measures
Identifies further action needed
This recap slide prepares learners for carrying out their own risk assessment by reminding them of the standard sections they are likely to see on a form.
Which factor would make a risk higher?
Lower likelihood
Less supervision
Greater harm
Fewer visitors
Based on slides 7 to 11. Higher risk comes from greater likelihood and/or more serious harm.
Fill the missing terms
When judging risk, staff think about who could be harmed, how serious the harm could be, and how likely it is to happen. They then use control measures to reduce the risk.
Reinforces the sequence from judging risk to applying control measures.
Using risk assessment in care settings
It supports safe daily routines
It helps prevent accidents and injuries
It protects service users, children, staff and visitors
It supports legal compliance
It promotes a safer workplace culture
Tie the whole lesson back to the main outcome: risk assessments are not just paperwork; they are practical tools for protecting people.
What does a risk assessment record?
Holiday dates
Hazards and actions
Job interviews
Staff uniforms
Checks understanding of slide 11 before the final application to care settings.
How do risk assessments support care settings?
Expected points: risk assessments support safe routines, prevent accidents, protect children/service users/staff/visitors, support legal compliance, and build a safer workplace culture.
What is one thing you will remember?
Reflection only. Invite short personal responses such as hazard and risk, control measures, or who might be harmed.
What helped you understand this best?
Reflection only. Students might mention examples, the step-by-step process, or comparing settings.
What part still feels hardest?
Reflection only. This helps the teacher identify misconceptions for follow-up before the glossary.
Glossary
hazard - something with the potential to cause harm
risk - the chance that harm may happen
likelihood - how probable it is that something will happen
harm - injury, damage or ill health
control measures - actions used to reduce or manage risk
risk assessment - a process for identifying hazards, judging risk and planning safety actions
legislation - laws and legal rules that organisations must follow
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