Do You Know How to Perform a Security Risk Assessment?

Performing a risk assessment of your business is the first step to ensuring that you, your premises and your employees remain safe from the real world dangers that plague businesses on a daily basis.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises that employers follow five simple steps when carrying out a risk assessment:

1. Identify the hazards
2. Decide who or what is at risk and how
3. Assess the risks and take action
4. Record the findings
5. Review the assessment

Let’s take a closer look at each step and you can keep your organization secure.

Identify the hazards

Identifying the risks is the obvious first step when performing a risk assessment as it will help you determine what measures you need to take to keep employees safe. To identify the risks to your business, you’ll need to analyze the followings:

• Crime rates in your areas of operation and common crimes
• Number of people with building access
• Number of entrance and exit points
• Whether your space is shared with other businesses
• Your workplace equipment
• Your hazard drills and processes

Decide who or what is at risk

Based on your findings from the initial identification of hazards, need to decide who is at risk or whether the risk is only to the building itself. This process will help you prioritize which issues to address first and ensures that priority is assigned correctly.

Assess the risks and take action

This step involves using your priority list to take action and solve any issues. This may involve introducing new office rules or working processes, new fire drills or perhaps adding additional security to the perimeter of your building such as CCTV or access control equipment.

It is important to remember that solving these issues revolves around your priority list and working through it appropriately to ensure the issues that pose the greatest risk are dealt with first.

Record the findings

Employers need to record and document their findings. The record should detail any hazards found and the action taken to prevent or reduce risk.

Review the risk assessment

Periodically reviewing your risk assessment and completing one annually ensures that your business remains safe and any safe working practices continue to be followed. Reviewing the assessment also allows any new employees, machinery or business practices to be taken into account and assessed properly.