The Government’s review of the operation of health and safety legislation in the UK, Common Sense – Common Safety, recommended that the risk assessment procedures for low hazard workplaces, such as many offices and shops, should be simplified to free such businesses from unnecessary bureaucratic burdens.
To this end, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has developed a demonstration online risk assessment tool for small shops designed to enable those with responsibility for health and safety in this type of workplace to produce a tailored risk assessment by selecting relevant hazards and thinking about how they are controlled.
At this stage, the tool is intended for demonstration purposes only. The HSE is seeking views on the usability of the tool and how it compares with its other risk assessment guidance. The consultation ends on 8 March 2011.
For further information, see the HSE website.