Does your Risk Inventory and Evaluation remain ineffectual?

You have performed an RI&E within your organisation. The risks are included in the Plan of Action (PoA) so it is clear at a glance which risks your organisation faces. Everything seems to be in order. Unfortunately, the RI&E often disappears into a filing cabinet and after a while you have to perform a completely new RI&E. Recognisable? That’s a shame, because the RI&E is the foundation of a good health and safety policy and therefore a safe and healthy work environment. Time for a change, but how?

The importance of a dynamic RI&E
A dynamic RI&E is an RI&E that is constantly being updated. This means that measures in the Plan of Action are implemented by the persons responsible for them. The implementation of the RI&E and the preparation of the PoA is therefore not sufficient. After that, something has to be done with the document. By keeping the RI&E dynamic and evergreen, you not only comply with Health and Safety legislation and regulations, but you ensure a safe working environment in which work safety is widely supported in the organisation.

Tips for a dynamic RI&E
For a successful RI&E, support must first be created. Tasks and responsibilities from the PoA often lie with one person, usually the employer or prevention officer. The result of the RI&E is then often a list of issues on which no action is taken, because tasks are not properly distributed. Ensure that tasks from the PoA are properly allocated to several “action takers”. Every action taker is responsible for one factory or department. In addition to the people taking action, it is wise to appoint an occupational health and safety officer who oversees the action takers.

In addition to creating support, the following tips ensure a dynamic RI&E:

  • initiate a trajectory that is in line with the “culture” of the company (i.e., don’t set the bar too high);
  • determine who is taking which measures from the PvA;
  • ensure that the most important risks from the PvA are communicated to employees;
  • let colleagues think along about the measures to be taken, they finally do the work;
  • adjust the RI&E if there is reason to do so, think of a reorganisation, renovation, new construction, purchase of new machines or after a serious occupational accident;
  • periodically check whether the measures have the desired effect;
  • if the measures do not have the desired effect, adjust the RI&E.

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