Risk Assessment

A risk assessment is a detailed examination of all aspects of work to determine what may cause injury, illness or harm, and an assessment of whether the hazard can be eliminated and, if not, what precautions should be taken to eliminate it. risk reduction and control.
The legal framework for risk assessment in Bulgarian legislation is contained in the Law on Health and Safety at Work and in Ordinance No. 5 of 11.05.1999 on the order, manner and frequency of risk assessment.

According to the legislation, the employer is obliged to:

• to carry out a risk assessment that covers work equipment, premises, workplaces, work organization, the use of raw materials and other aspects of the work environment and work processes that pose a danger or are relevant to safety and health at work;
• to take into account the specific dangers for workers who need special protection, including those with limited working capacity;
• to plan appropriate risk prevention measures in accordance with the assessment made, and when this is not possible, to ensure the protection of both workers and all other persons who could be affected by the hazards identified in the risk assessment;
• to create the necessary organization for the implementation of the planned measures, as well as to carry out effective monitoring and control for the performance of the work by the workers without risk to health and safety;
• to take the necessary measures to coordinate actions to ensure health and safety when works or activities are carried out by workers or employees of other employers at a given site or workplace.

The risk assessment is carried out by the employer. Occupational medicine services, safety and health authorities and other specialists from the enterprises participate in the risk assessment, and if necessary, the employer also attracts other external organizations and specialists.

The level of detail of the assessment depends on the type and nature of the hazards, as well as on the possible consequences and the number of persons exposed to danger. As the aim of the risk assessment is to ensure that no one will be injured or suffer health damage as a result of their work, it is necessary to individualize it to the specific jobs and be carried out with the mandatory participation of the workers . The participation of the workers in the planning of the measures guarantees their participation in their subsequent implementation and in compliance with the OSH rules.

Documenting the risk assessment is another important legal requirement. On the one hand, the documentation ensures that the important information about the working conditions is available to all interested parties in the enterprise and guarantees the commitment of the management and the workers to the implementation of the measures, and on the other hand, it demonstrates to the interested and competent authorities and persons, that the provision of OSH in the enterprise is in accordance with the requirements of the legislation.

Regardless of the approach or methodology used, in principle, risk assessment is a five-stage process consisting of the following steps:

1. Dividing the work into clearly defined categories that will be subject to evaluation;
2. Hazard detection;
3. Risk assessment;
4. Preparation of a risk control plan;
5. Review and update the risk assessment.

Workplace hazards can have a source related to the work environment, work equipment, raw materials and materials used, the organization and nature of the work performed, the requirements for the worker when performing work procedures, etc. In this regard, risks can be grouped into different categories, with the most commonly identified risks that should not be missed in the assessment being:

• in the work environment: lighting, microclimate, ventilation, air quality in the work room and the presence of dust or harmful substances in it; noise; sources of infrared or ionizing radiation; biological agents: bacteria, viruses, etc. microorganisms or their toxins, etc.;
• in workplaces: location of workplaces and equipment, passages, flooring, route markings, ergonomic organization of workplaces, etc.;
• in work equipment and processes: mechanical hazards, danger of excessively heated or cooled surfaces, electric shock, fire, explosion, exposure to harmful chemical substances used as raw materials or materials, presence and work with equipment that is a source of local or general vibrations and etc.;
• in the requirements for the performance of the work: physical load - work posture, monotonous work, heavy physical work, work with heavy loads, etc., or neuro-psychological load - complexity or responsibility of the tasks performed, deadlines, visual strain, need to concentrate and take of decisions, e.g. when working with complex control equipment, etc. An important element of the assessment in this regard is also to assess the adequacy of the employee's preparation for the performance of his work duties and the need to provide appropriate training for the safe performance of the work;
• in the organization of work: content and duration of work cycles, work shifts, organization of working time, provision of adequate support or supervision, hierarchical organization and clearly defined functions and relationships between individual levels, management style, work with external customers, etc. organizational factors that could create risks related to stress or violence.

Risk assessment is a cyclical process. According to the legislation, the risk assessment is reviewed when::

1. Changes occur that can have an impact on the risk - introduction of new production processes, equipment, products and materials, changes in the organization of work, new buildings and premises, reconstruction of existing ones, etc.;
2. After changes in the regulatory framework;
3. The assessment was made on the basis of data and information that became invalid or inappropriate;
4. There are conditions for the assessment to be improved;
5. Applied protective and preventive measures are ineffective or inadequate;
6. The results of investigations into accidents, incidents, occupational diseases and non-accident incidents warrant review.

In the general case, the frequency of risk assessment is determined by the employer depending on the established risk and in accordance with the requirements of the normative acts (when specific requirements are defined in the normative acts regarding certain risks or types of activities). In addition to the discretion of the employer, review of the assessment is also carried out by prescription of the control authorities.

Risk Assessment:

1. Regulatory provisions;
2. Bulgarian and European standards, ISO and IEC standards;
3. Analyzes of production processes and occupational activities regarding health and safety at work;
4. Opinions and complaints from employees and/or their representatives and results of surveys with them;
5. Data provided by manufacturers and suppliers of raw materials, materials and equipment;
6. Data from observations and measurements of the factors of the working environment and of specific safety indicators of work processes, work equipment and workplaces;
7. Data on accidents and on the general and occupational morbidity of workers and employees;
8. Accident data;
9. Data from medical observations and research;
10. Manuals and other materials for the relevant activity;
11. Occupational health and safety periodicals and database;
12. Information provided by national services and institutions competent in the field of health and safety at work;
13. Scientific and technical literature;
14. Any other information useful for risk assessment.

Risk Assessment

The assessment of occupational risks is the basis for the implementation of planned work in the field of OSH and is essential for the creation of healthy workplaces. It is the employer's duty to provide the basic principles of prevention, including all necessary resources to ensure safe working conditions. Our role as a consultant is, together with the Employer, to find out what in the work can cause harm to the workers and to decide whether enough has been done, or if more action needs to be taken to avoid possible harm.

Assessment is a process of analysis and decision-making related to the presence of specific hazards. Risk assessment is an important first step in preventing occupational accidents and occupational diseases.

The results of the risk assessment are the starting point for planning the future work and providing all the necessary resources for its implementation - financial, human, time and others.
If risk assessment is done correctly, it can improve workplace safety and health, and therefore the overall productivity of the enterprise.

Periodically, it is necessary to carry out analyzes of the risk assessment to ensure its relevance. Analyzes are mandatory when significant changes are made in the organization, or are the result of the conclusions made in the investigation of a certain accident or "potentially dangerous situation".

To focus attention on risk factors and safety in general, training is needed.

Being informed about safety and health at work helps to:

• the awareness and conviction of managers and workers of building more productive, safer and healthier workplaces;
• realizing that good occupational safety and health means good business;
• reducing risks at work, protecting health and saving time and money;
• reducing the human and economic cost paid for non-compliance with safe work requirements.

The Act on Health and Safety at Work and Ordinance No. 5 of 11.05.1999 of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Health on the order, method and frequency of risk assessment are the main legal documents according to which the assessment of the health and safety of workers is carried out and the employees.

What is a risk assessment?

Risk assessment is the process of assessing the risks to the safety and health of workers arising from the work environment. It is a systematic study of all aspects of work, including:

• what could cause injury or damage
• opportunities to eliminate hazards
• what preventive or precautionary measures have been implemented (or should be implemented) to control the risk

The risk assessment includes:

• Assessment of work processes, work equipment, work premises, work organization, raw materials and materials used.
• Preparation of maps containing classification of activities, identification of hazards and possible harm, quantification of risk and recommendations for elimination or reduction of risk.
• Development of measures to prevent, eliminate or reduce the risk.
• Preparation of a draft of a priority program for risk control with recommended measures, deadlines for implementation and responsible persons.

All the documentation is formed in a Report with the results of the assessment, containing maps for assessing the risk of the workplaces and specific proposals for limiting the manifestation of the risk.

The risk assessment is revised when:

1. Changes occur that can have an impact on the risk - introduction of new production processes, equipment, products and materials, change of work organization, new buildings and premises, reconstruction of existing ones, etc.
2. After changes in the regulatory framework
3. The assessment is based on data and information that has become invalid or inappropriate
4. There are conditions for the assessment to be improved
5. The applied protective and preventive measures are ineffective or inadequate
6. The results of investigations into accidents, incidents, occupational diseases and non-accident incidents warrant review.

The periodicity of risk assessment is determined by the employer depending on the established risk and in accordance with the requirements of the normative acts.

Medical engineering team of LOT-CONSULT has experience in performing risk assessment in enterprises of all industries. Including. industry, construction, as well as in all spheres of trade and services, including administrative services.

Our competent specialists will assess the risk for the specific workplace, depending on location, used work equipment, raw materials and work space.

risk pricing is not a one-time process. It is important for the Employer to promptly reflect all the changes that have occurred in an enterprise. E.g. introduction of new work processes, new work practices, performed repairs and reconstructions, etc.

LOT-CONSULT risk assessment

LOT-CONSULT EOOD carries out a risk assessment for the health and safety of workers. The essence of the risk assessment is to identify the hazards associated with the work, the work process and the work environment with a subsequent decision to limit or eliminate this risk. This aims to reduce occupational injuries and occupational diseases in the enterprise. Our task is to discover together what in the work can cause harm to people. And to decide if you have done enough or if something more needs to be done to avoid this harm.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Is the employer required to assess the risks to his workers?

The employer is obliged to assess the risks to the safety and health of workers, covering the choice of work equipment, the organization of workplaces, the raw materials and materials used, the use of chemical substances, etc. in accordance with the Law on Health and Safety at Work, Art. 16 (1) and Ordinance No. 5 of 11.05.1999 on the order, method and periodicity of risk assessment.