Risk Assessment for Keele Geography Dissertations: Guidance Notes.

Risk Assessment for Dissertations

You are required to submit a completed Risk Assessment Form with your Formal
Research Proposal. This form must be filled in and signed by you and counter-signed
by your advisor before being put into the Research Proposal. You should keep a copy
with you as you carry out your research. Copies of the risk assessment form for
inclusion in the Formal Research Proposal are available from the secretaries office.

The idea of risk assessment is nothing new, you do it all the time, for example when
crossing the road you use the Green Cross Code, when hill-walking at weekends you
take warm clothing and waterproofs etc. Once you have chosen your dissertation
topic you must assess the risks involved in the project. An assessment of risk is
nothing more than a careful examination of what, during the work, could cause harm
to people (including yourself), so that you can weigh up whether enough precautions
have been taken or whether more should be taken to prevent harm. The aim is to
make sure that no one gets hurt or becomes ill.

Reasons why we assess risk...

1. To identify all the foreseeable hazards associated with a piece of work and to try to
minimise the risks from them so that no one gets hurt or becomes ill.

2. To be assured that if an incident or accident does occur, all reasonable

precautions had been taken to prevent it. We must be able to demonstrate that
this is the case.

3. It is a legal requirement to assess the risks involved in projects (the risk

assessment form is a legal document).

You must attach a completed and signed risk assessment form to both copies
of the Formal Research Proposal. This must include evidence that you have
discussed the risks associated with carrying out your dissertation project with
your dissertation advisor. Proposals not including a risk assessment will not
be accepted.

Read the following notes very carefully, then follow the instructions below.

The following notes were adapted from:

1. Five Steps to risk assessment. Health and Safety Executive, 1994 and
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf
2. Code of Practice for Safety in Fieldwork. CVCP, 1995

Definitions
Hazard: This is anything that can cause harm e.g. chemicals, electricity, working at
height, working in potentially dangerous areas.

Risk: This is the chance, great or small, that someone will be harmed by the hazard.
Risk Assessment for Keele Geography Dissertations: Guidance Notes.

GENERAL GUIDANCE

Decide whether a hazard is significant and whether it is covered by satisfactory

precautions so that the risk is small. This needs to be checked when the risks are
assessed. For example, electricity can kill, but the risk of it doing so in an office
environment is remote, providing that live components are insulated and metal
casings properly earthed.

Do not over complicate the assessment. The hazards may be few and simple.
Checking them is common sense. Some may have already been assessed - e.g.
chemicals should already have been assessed and the risks to health and the
precautions needed recorded under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
Regulations 1988 (COSHH). If so they can be considered checked and this can be
noted. If laboratory work is included as part of the dissertation it should be discussed
with the person in charge of the laboratory before completion of the risk assessment
form.

If you intend to use the laboratory facilities for your dissertation you must see Ian
Wilshaw our laboratory technician to discuss health and safety procedures. You will
be asked to abide by the general safety rules of the laboratory as well as following
strict health and safety guidelines for carrying out specific laboratory procedures.

FIVE STEPS TO RISK ASSESSMENT

STEP ONE
Look for the hazards

The first stage in any risk assessment is to identify the potential hazards. Field and
laboratory work should be carefully looked at with regard to location and working
practices used on the trips and the hazards that could cause significant harm. The
risks should be assessed from the hazards that can reasonably be foreseen.
Risk assessment is also a continuous procedure - when arriving on site any
additional hazards spotted should be assessed and if necessary included in
your risk assessment.

Use the checklists on the following page to assist in the identification of any hazards
associated with the project. Note however that this checklist is not exhaustive.

STEP TWO
Decide who might be harmed and how

Determine those who could be affected by the hazards identified in step one. Besides
the people actually taking part in the activity (yourself), think of others who may be
affected even thought they are not directly involved e.g. members of the public, field
assistants etc.
Risk Assessment for Keele Geography Dissertations: Guidance Notes.

STEP THREE
Evaluate the LEVEL OF risk ASSOCIATED WITH EACH hazard and determine
what control measures can be implemented to minimise the level of risk

For each of the hazards you have identified in step one, evaluate the level of risk it
poses to yourself and others. The level of risk posed by a potential hazard is
dependent both upon its probability and the severity of its outcome. Both
elements should be considered when evaluating the level of risk. For example, if your
fieldwork entailed a high probability of you falling from a cliff resulting in serious
injury, then the level of risk would be very high.

At this stage it is crucial that you identify the steps you can take to minimise the level
of risk posed by the various hazards you have identified (known as control
measures). For example, if you have identified inclement weather as a particular
hazard, then the risk can be minimised by ensuring you are appropriately equipped
with warm and waterproof clothing. In addition, check whether your precautions and
control measures conform to the University guidelines or any other professional
standard (see CWIS, Health & Safety Noticeboard, Safety Advisor), to all the legal
requirements (e.g. COSHH) etc.

Even after all precautions have been taken, usually some risk remains. It is important
that you evaluate and document the residual level of risk as part of your risk
assessment. What has to be decided for each significant hazard is whether this
remaining risk is high, medium or low.

As mentioned before, the risks on field work should be assessed from the hazards
that can reasonably be foreseen. When arriving on site, any additional hazards
spotted should be assessed at that time and appropriate action taken and recorded.

Above all, if you consider the level of risk posed by your intended fieldwork to be
unacceptably high, you should not undertake your project in its current form. Instead,
through consultation with your advisor, you should consider ways in which you can
modify the project such that the risk is reduced to an acceptable level.

STEP FOUR
Record your assessment

The significant findings of your assessment must be recorded. A form has been
provided for this. There is no need to show how the assessment was performed,
provided it can be shown that:

a proper check was made

consideration was made of who might be affected
all the obvious significant hazards were dealt with, taking into account the number
of people who could be involved
the precautions are reasonable and the remaining risk is low.
Risk Assessment for Keele Geography Dissertations: Guidance Notes.

STEP FIVE
Review the assessment from time to time and Revise it if necessary

If the dissertation project changes then additions should be made to the risk
assessment to take the new hazard(s) into account. If your project changes
altogether then you will need to complete a new risk assessment form.

CHECKLISTS OF POSSIBLE HAZARDS

This list is not comprehensive and you may need to think of other risks and hazards.

Risks inherent in the site?

Physical Hazards
extreme weather mountains & cliffs glaciers, crevasses, ice etc.
caves, mines, quarries forests (inc. fire hazards) freshwater
sea and seashore (tides etc.) marshes & quicksand Roadside/traffic
Biological Hazards
venomous, lively or aggressive animals plants
pathogenic micro-organisms (tetanus etc.)
Chemical Hazards
Agro-chemicals & pesticides dusts (COSHH assessment) chemicals on site (COSHH)
Anthropogenic Hazards
machinery & vehicles power lines & pipelines electrical equipment
insecure buildings slurry & silage pits military activity
attack on the person or property travel & transport
Hazards to Environment
disturbance of ecosystems pollution waste minimisation

Risks inherent in work?

Training
navigation e.g. map & compass work survival/rescue
specialist training e.g. diving, using machinery first-aid
Chemical Hazards
COSHH assessments for the work on site
Biological Hazards
COSHH assessments for the work on site animals plants
Personal Safety
risk of attack routine communication communication in emergency
Risk Assessment for Keele Geography Dissertations: Guidance Notes.

LONE WORKING, COMMUNICATION & CONTINGENCY PLANNING

Communication is a very important part of controlling risk. You should try to avoid
working alone. This may mean striking a deal with a friend so that they help you with
your surveying and you help them to deliver questionnaires. This does not mean that
you are working together, simply that you are being sensible and not working alone.
It may be that it is not possible to avoid working alone, if so you should take extra
care with the next stage. Whether you are working alone or with an assistant, before
setting off for your study site, you must give somebody a record of where you are
going, what time you left and what time you expect to return. This will probably
involve leaving a written record with your family, friends, at a youth hostel or camp
site or with local organisations (e.g. mountain rescue). Think about who you are
going to inform of your whereabouts (they should be located near to where you are
working) and what steps they will take if you fail to return by your stated time. Take a
mobile telephone with you (and check you have reception in your field area).

Before undertaking any fieldwork, it is worthwhile considering what steps you would
take in the case of either an emergency or a change in conditions. If you have given
some thought to this previously, then you will be able to deal with any incidents
(minor or major) more effectively. For example, if your project involves working at a
field site near a hill top and you encounter poor weather conditions (and an
associated risk of hypothermia for example), consider whether there are alternative
sites at lower elevations that would be suitable and that would minimise the level of
risk. These contingency plans can then be incorporated into your risk assessment.

CHECKLIST FOR COMPLETING THE RISK ASSESSMENT FORM

1. READ these guidance notes very carefully.

2. THINK about where you are going to do your dissertation work and make a list of
the possible associated hazards. Use the checklist in the handbook as a prompt
but remember that not all the possible hazards are listed. There may be others.
Think about how the risks can be minimised. If you need advice on laboratory
work see The Geography laboratory supervisor, Ian Wilshaw.

3. COMMUNICATION is a very important part of controlling risk. Make sure you

have read the section in this handbook on Lone Working and Communication.
Decide who you are going to inform of your whereabouts and what steps they will
take if you fail to return by your stated time.

4. ARRANGE to see your dissertation advisor before the submission date for the
formal research proposal. Bring the notes you made when thinking through points
2 and 3. Complete the form together and both sign it.

5. HAND IN two copies of the risk assessment form, one attached to each copy of
your formal research proposal. They should both be signed by both parties.
Proposals without an assessment of risk attached will not be marked.

6. When your Formal Research Proposal is returned, make sure that you keep the
risk assessment form and take it with you to your study area to remind you of the
hazards and precautions you should be taking.