Risk Assessment

The purpose of a risk assessment is to identify the hazards involved in a procedure, to set out how those hazards are to be controlled, and to communicate that information to those who need to know.

UCL policy requires that all hazardous activity must have a suitable and up-to-date risk assessment, and these assessments must be recorded in the RiskNet system.  Any person who is going to carry out any new activity involving a hazard must conduct a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk, and establish any required control measures, prior to starting the work.

To be valid, risk assessments must be authorised within RiskNet by a competent person. For research students, this person will usually be their supervisor, and likewise for researchers this will usually be their line manager. However, where someone is working in a lab outside of their supervisor or line manager’s direct control, it may instead be the laboratory or facility manager or a delegated deputy (such as an experienced researcher or technician). Any activity that involves a high hazard task also requires authorisation by the department safety officer.

Our most hazardous environments are our department laboratories and research facilities. Each laboratory or laboratory facility should have general risk assessment prepared, which details the hazards anyone with unsupervised access to the area must be aware of and any controls they must follow. 

All laboratory workers are expected to become competent in performing risk assessments; they are required to complete the University’s Principles of Risk Assessment eLearning course before they commence work, so they are able to carry out a proper assessment of the risks involved and the precautions necessary to ensure their safety and the safety of others.