10. Advice for whoever carries out the risk assessment

Persons carrying out risk assessments at work should have knowledge of and/or information on:

• hazards and risks which are already known to exist, and the way that they arise

• the materials, equipment and technology used at work

• working procedures and organisation and interaction of workers with the materials used

• the type, likelihood, frequency, and duration of exposure to the hazards. In some cases this may mean the application of modern, validated techniques of measurement

• the relation between exposure to a hazard and its effect

• the legal standards and requirements relevant to the risks present in the workplace

• what is regarded as good practice in areas where there are no specific legal standards.

Employers should make sure that whoever is making the risk assessment, whether an employee or an external consultant, speaks to the employees, or other people such as contractors who actually carry out the work.

Where employees of different employers work in the same workplace, assessors may need to share information about risks and the health and safety measures in place to address those risks. Facilitating this is a matter for the employer to arrange.