Risk Assessments

A Risk Assessment is a record of the precautions which will be used to minimise exposure to any health or safety risks.

It is a Worksafe requirement that a risk assessment is done for every Hazardous chemical in use. This information should be included in experimental protocols. Every worker should be aware of the risks and subsequently the control measures to be taken to reduce them to a point which is as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). If the risks are too high then the chemical should be avoided by substitution of a different chemical or technique.

A risk assessment is also required for each individuals project. This covers the training and resources required to carry out a project as well as identifying hazards involved in lab work and field work.

The risk assessments (included in the protocol development) are the responsibility of the supervisor of the research or laboratory work. They can delegate the risk assessment to competent post-doctoral staff, post-graduate students or trained laboratory technicians. However, it remains the responsibility of the academic leader (or an appropriately experienced nominee), to ensure that risk assessments are carried out and that the resulting control measures are appropriate and implemented.

The process of Risk Assessment involves

1. Identification of the hazards associated with the materials and process-including hazards associated with waste disposal, spill and other emergency procedures

2. Assessment of the risks from those hazards in context of the process and potential exposure

3. Controlling/reducing those risks to an acceptable level (ALARA)

4. A feedback/checking stage to monitor effectiveness over time.
The information and outcomes from each risk assessment must be recorded. The information may be either recorded in:

• The experiment protocol eg "TEMED is very flammable and corrosive, so when adding TEMED, always wear eye protection and gloves, use the fume hood and ensure there are no ignition sources around", or
• By filling in a Risk Assessment form for each chemical (these forms are then stuck in the front of each users lab book). For more information see http://info.anu.edu.au/policies/Procedures/Human_Resources/ohs/Risk_Management_for_Chemicals.asp and http://info.anu.edu.au/policies/Procedures/Human_Resources/ohs/Chemical_Hazard_Procedures.asp
  http://info.anu.edu.au/hr/Training_and_Development/OHS_Training/Advanced_Courses/index.asp