General Risk Assessment Form

Date: (1) Assessed by: (2) Checked / Validated* Location: (4) Assessment ref no (5) Review date: (6)
by: (3)

Task / premises: (7) Polishing and grinding machine with silicon carbide paper

Activity (8) Hazard (9) Who might Existing measures to control risk (11) Risk Result
be harmed rating (13)
and how (10) (12)
Use of Can cause fire, User and  User is trained and supervised until fully competent. Medium A
electrical burns or electric others in the  Check PAT up to date
equipment shock area  Fixed electrical equipment annually checked by qualified engineers
 Visual checks before use to make sure equipment, cables and free from
defects.
 If fault occurs stop use and report it as soon as possible
 Make sure equipment is switched off and made safe after use.
Using Grinding Hand or fingers User  User is trained and supervised until fully competent. Medium A
and Polishing can come into  User must not access the mechanical parts of the machine while it is
machine contact with the running. Must wait till it has fully stopped.
blade of the  Use sample holder and platen on the machine. Avoid using fingers. Wear
cutting cut-resistant gloves (BS EN 388) Regularly check thickness of samples to
machine. monitor progress.
 A conveniently positioned mushroom shaped emergency stop button or
is present to quickly stop the machine in an emergency.
 Make sure equipment is switched off and made safe after use.
 The SiC paper must be appropriate to the material. The paper must be
appropriate to the speed used. Speed must be monitored continuously to
make sure it is stable and correct
Using Grinding Loose clothing User and  Users must wear lab coat, safety glasses BS EN 166 and cut resistant Medium A
and Polishing or jewellery those in close gloves BS EN 388.
machine may become proximity  A conveniently positioned mushroom shaped emergency stop button or
entangled in the is present to quickly stop the machine in an emergency.
machine
(polished and
cutting).

University Safety Services risk assessment form and guidance notes.

Revised March 2015
Activity (8) Hazard (9) Who might Existing measures to control risk (11) Risk Result
be harmed rating (13)
and how (10) (12)
Using Grinding Work pieces User  User is trained and supervised until fully competent. Must wear impact Medium A
and Polishing may be ejected resistant safety glasses (BS EN 166)
machine from the  Machine must be used at the correct speed with the appropriate
machine materials, with all the components secured
(polished and  Do not use too much downward force. When using twin grinder/polisher
cutting) at high only use the left-hand wheel and no one should use the adjacent wheel
speed. of the same machine. The speed of the wheel should not exceed 300rpm
 Machine must not be left running while unattended
 Eye protection BS EN 166 must be worn when using the machine.
Using Grinding Vibration from User  Use sample holders, forceps or double sided tape attached to forceps to Medium A
and Polishing the grinder/ keep the samples in place. Avoid using fingers.
machine polisher can  Continuously monitor the size of the sample to avoid over-grinding
cause hand/arm  Take regular breaks, do not polish for long period of time
vibration
syndrome
Using Grinding Water flow used User and  Make sure the water flow pipe is firmly placed into the drains. Monitor Medium A
and Polishing to cool samples those in close water flow to ensure there is no spillage or blockage in the system.
machine can cause proximity  After use, clear all debris out of the grinder/ polisher.
flooding in the  Water should not be left in the machine. Check all areas are dry before
area leaving.
Using Grinding Insufficient User and  There must be sufficient space around the machine. The floor must be Medium A
and Polishing space around those in close kept free of loose material such as dust which could make it slippery.
machine the machine proximity The floor must be kept clean and in order.
(polished and
cutting) may
result in the
operator being
pushed by
passers.

University Safety Services risk assessment form and guidance notes.

Revised March 2015
 Action plan (14)

Ref Further action required Action by Action by Done

No whom when

University Safety Services risk assessment form and guidance notes.

Revised March 2015
Notes to accompany General Risk Assessment Form

This form is the one recommended by Safety Services, and used on the University’s risk
assessment training courses. It is strongly suggested that you use it for all new
assessments, and when existing assessments are being substantially revised. However,
its use is not compulsory. Providing the assessor addresses the same issues, alternative
layouts may be used.

(1) Date : Insert date that assessment form is completed. The assessment must be
valid on that day, and subsequent days, unless circumstances change and
amendments are necessary.

(2) Assessed by : Insert the name and signature of the assessor. For assessments
other than very simple ones, the assessor should have attended the University
course on risk assessments (THS 15 Principles of Risk Assessment)

(3) Checked / Validated* by : delete one.

Checked by : Insert the name and signature of someone in a position to check

that the assessment has been carried out by a competent person who can identify
hazards and assess risk, and that the control measures are reasonable and in place.
The checker will normally be a line manager, supervisor, principal investigator, etc.
Checking will be appropriate for most risk assessments.

Validated by : Use this for higher risk scenarios, eg where complex calculations
have to be validated by another “independent” person who is competent to do so,
or where the control measure is a strict permit-to-work procedure requiring
thorough preparation of a workplace. The validator should also have attended the
University’s risk assessment course or equivalent, and will probably be a chartered
engineer or professional with expertise in the task being considered. Examples of
where validation is required include designs for pressure vessels, load-bearing
equipment, lifting equipment carrying personnel or items over populated areas, and
similar situations.

(4) Location : insert details of the exact location, ie building, floor, room or laboratory
etc. If off-campus, provide information about expected location(s) or attach
itinerary.

(5) Assessment ref no : use this to insert any local tracking references used by the
school or administrative directorate.

(6) Review date : insert details of when the assessment will be reviewed as a matter
of routine. This might be in 1 year’s time, at the end of a short programme of work,
or longer period if risks are known to be stable. Note that any assessment must be
reviewed if there are any significant changes – to the work activity, the vicinity, the
people exposed to the risk, etc

(7) Task / premises : insert a brief summary of the task, eg typical office activities
such as filing, DSE work, lifting and moving small objects, use of misc electrical

University Safety Services risk assessment form and guidance notes.

Revised March 2015
 equipment. Or, research project [title] involving the use of typical laboratory
hardware, including fume cupboards, hot plates, ovens, analysis equipment,
flammable solvents, etc.

(8) Activity : use the column to describe each separate activity covered by the
assessment. The number of rows is unlimited, although how many are used for one
assessment will depend on how the task / premises is sub-divided. For laboratory
work, activities in one particular lab or for one particular project might include: use
of gas cylinders, use of fume cupboard, use of computer or other electrical
equipment, use of lab ovens, hot plates or heaters, use of substances hazardous to
health, etc

(9) Hazard : for each activity, list the hazards. Remember to look at hazards that are
not immediately obvious. For example, use of a lathe will require identification of
the machine hazards, but also identification of hazards associated with the use of
cutting oils (dermatitis), poor lighting, slipping on oil leaks, repetitive actions, etc.
The same activity might well have several hazards associated with it. Assessment
of simple chemical risks (eg use of cleaning chemicals in accordance with the
instructions on the bottle) may be recorded here. More complex COSHH
assessments eg for laboratory processes, should be recorded on the specific COSHH
forms.

(10) Who might be harmed and how : insert everyone who might be affected by the
activity and specify groups particularly at risk. Remember those who are not
immediately involved in the work, including cleaners, young persons on work
experience, maintenance contractors, Estates personnel carrying out routine
maintenance and other work. Remember also that the risks for different groups will
vary. Eg someone who needs to repair a laser may need to expose the beam path
more than users of the laser would do. Vulnerable groups could include children on
organised visits, someone who is pregnant, or employees and students with known
disabilities or health conditions (this is not a definitive list).

For each group, describe how harm might come about, eg an obstruction or wet
patch on an exit route is a hazard that might cause a trip and fall; use of electrical
equipment might give rise to a risk of electric shock; use of a ultraviolet light source
could burn eyes or skin.

(11) Existing measures to control the risk : list all measures that already mitigate
the risk. Many of these will have been implemented for other reasons, but should
nevertheless be recognised as means of controlling risk. For example, restricting
access to laboratories or machine rooms for security reasons also controls the risk
of unauthorised and unskilled access to dangerous equipment. A standard
operating procedure or local rules (eg for work with ionising radiation, lasers or
biological hazards) will often address risks. Some specific hazards may require
detailed assessments in accordance with specific legislation (eg COSHH, DSEAR,
manual handling, DSE work). Where this is the case, and a detailed assessment
has already been done in another format, the master risk assessment can simply
cross-reference to other documentation. For example, the activity might be use of
a carcinogen, the hazard might be exposure to hazardous substances, the existing

University Safety Services risk assessment form and guidance notes.

Revised March 2015
 control measures might all be listed in a COSHH assessment. Controls might also
include use of qualified and/or experienced staff who are competent to carry out
certain tasks; an action plan might include training requirements for other people
who will be carrying out those tasks.

(12) Risk Rating : the simplest form of risk assessment is to rate the remaining risk as
high, medium or low, depending on how likely the activity is to cause harm and how
serious that harm might be.

The risk is LOW - if it is most unlikely that harm would arise under the controlled
conditions listed, and even if exposure occurred, the injury would be relatively
slight.

The risk is MEDIUM - if it is more likely that harm might actually occur and the
outcome could be more serious (eg some time off work, or a minor physical injury.

The risk is HIGH - if injury is likely to arise (eg there have been previous incidents,
the situation “looks like an accident waiting to happen”) and that injury might be
serious (broken bones, trip to the hospital, loss of consciousness), or even a fatality.

Schools or administrative directorates may choose to use other rating systems.

Typical amongst these are matrices (of 3x3, 4x4, 5x5 or even more complex) which
require the assessor to select a numerical rating for both “likelihood that harm will
arise” and “severity of that harm”. These may give a spurious sense of accuracy
and reliability – none are based on quantitative methods. There are methods of
estimating risk quantitatively, and these may be appropriate for complex design of
load bearing structures and the like. Advice on methods of risk assessment is
available from Safety Services. Whatever system of assessment is adopted, it is
essential that the assessor has received suitable training and is familiar with the
meaning of the terms (or numbers) used.

(13) Result : this stage of assessment is often overlooked, but is probably the most
important. Assigning a number or rating to a risk does not mean that the risk is
necessarily adequately controlled. The options for this column are:

T = trivial risk. Use for very low risk activities to show that you have correctly
identified a hazard, but that in the particular circumstances, the risk is insignificant.

A = adequately controlled, no further action necessary. If your control

measures lead you to conclude that the risk is low, and that all legislative
requirements have been met (and University policies complied with), then insert A
in this column.

N = not adequately controlled, actions required. Sometimes, particularly

when setting up new procedures or adapting existing processes, the risk
assessment might identify that the risk is high or medium when it is capable of
being reduced by methods that are reasonably practicable. In these cases, an
action plan is required. The plan should list the actions necessary, who they are to

University Safety Services risk assessment form and guidance notes.

Revised March 2015
 be carried out by, a date for completing the actions, and a signature box for the
assessor to sign off that the action(s) has been satisfactorily completed. Some
action plans will be complex documents; others may be one or two actions that can
be completed with a short timescale.

U = unable to decide. Further information required. Use this designation if

the assessor is unable to complete any of the boxes, for any reason. Sometimes,
additional information can be obtained readily (eg from equipment or chemicals
suppliers, specialist University advisors) but sometimes detailed and prolonged
enquiries might be required. Eg is someone is moving a research programme from
a research establishment overseas where health and safety legislation is very
different from that in the UK.

For T and A results, the assessment is complete.

For N or U results, more work is required before the assessment can be signed
off.

(14) Action Plan. Include details of any actions necessary in order to meet the
requirements of the information in Section 11 ‘Existing measures to control the
risk’. Identify someone who will be responsible for ensuring the action is taken and
the date by which this should be completed. Put the date when the action has been
completed in the final column.

University Safety Services risk assessment form and guidance notes.

Revised March 2015