The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
These regulations require employers to carry out formal assessments of the risks involved in certain activities. ‘Risk Assessment’ requires identification of the hazards, recognising the risk, and then making arrangements to minimise it. These Regulations extend the implied duties contained within the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
These regulations require all employers to make an assessment of the hazards within their workplace and make arrangements for minimising the risk to employees. If there are five or more employees, any findings will need to be recorded in writing.
As part of the assessment, employers are required to identify measures which are needed to comply with the law. They must then plan how they intend to rectify, organise, control, monitor and review those measures to ensure the health and safety at work of their employees.
Help may be required to carry out assessments from competent people inside or outside the organisation. Assessments already required in other legislation, such as COSHH, do not need to be duplicated.
For more information why not try:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm
Leaflet INDG163 – Five Steps to Risk Assessment (HSE)
HS(G)65 – Successful Health and Safety Management (HSE) 0-7176-0425X
HS(G) 1 37 – Health Risk Management – A Practical Guide for Managers in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (HSE) ISBN-0-7176-0905-7