A dynamic risk assessment is a process of assessing risk in developing and changing situations. It is a continuous safety practice that allows workers to quickly identify and analyze risks and hazards on the spot. A dynamic risk assessment is conducted in the field, most likely by the worker carrying out a job, and accounts for risk in a live environment that has factors which may not have been possible to account for in a standard risk assessment. It involves assessing risk in real-time while working, and builds upon the work of existing risk assessments. Dynamic risk assessments are carried out by employees and complement formal risk assessments.
The purpose of a dynamic risk assessment is to address the unknown risk or changing circumstances. It allows individuals to identify a hazard on the spot and make quick decisions in regard to their own and others’ safety. Dynamic risk assessments provide workers with a framework they can use to accurately identify, assess, and control workplace hazards as they arise. Conducting these assessments accurately will give workers the capability to instantly react to unexpected risks and the knowledge they need to quickly assess and control hazardous situations.
Carrying out a dynamic risk assessment is a practice all staff should be encouraged to perform. To carry out a dynamic risk assessment, an individual should mentally observe, assess, and analyze an environment while working to identify and remove risk. Individuals must possess the knowledge and skills to undertake dynamic risk evaluations in real-time, preventing delays and avoiding potential harm. Using dynamic risk assessment to enhance the risk assessment process and giving workers the skills to do them can improve health and safety when dealing with new challenges.
