Seven Steps for Risk Assessment
Step 7: Update
When do I have to update?
The Safety and Health at Work Act does not specify any periods within which the risk assessment must be repeated. However, you as the employer are required to adapt your occupational safety and health measures in case of changing circumstances.
Therefore, it is necessary to update the risk assessment if
- hazards in your company have not been identified up to date,
- new hazards have occurred or might occur, or
- the circumstances within the company have changed regarding safety and health.
Update the risk assessment on the following occasions specifically:
- occurrence of industrial accidents, near misses, occupational diseases
- high sickness absence times due to work-related impairments of health
- procurement of new work equipment
- introduction of new substances
- conversion of working and traffic areas
- changes to the organisation of work and/or activities
- changes regarding the state of the art
- new information in the field of occupational health and safety and health protection
- new occupational safety and health provisions
Address newly occurring hazards by re-executing the process of risk assessment.
Regular, complete repetitions of the risk assessment are not specified by the Safety and Health at Work Act. Within the framework of a systemic behaviour in the field of occupational safety and health, the risk assessment process should be checked from time to time and, if necessary, improved, however.
Please note: Since 1 January 2011 the DGUV Regulation 2 controls the company doctor and safety-related support and thereby specifies the general provisions of the Occupational Safety Act (ASiG). Depending on the support model applicable to you, the processes of creating and updating the risk assessment must be repeated at regular intervals. Orient on the specifications made in your support model.
Do I have to repeat everything when updating?
No, the risk assessment process does not have to be repeated in its entirety. Concentrate on the changes of the circumstances within the company and the hazards that have not been eliminated yet.