{"id":78283,"date":"2025-03-19T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/?p=78283"},"modified":"2025-03-14T18:03:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T18:03:03","slug":"residual-risk-in-health-and-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.highspeedtraining.co.uk\/hub\/residual-risk-in-health-and-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Residual Risk in Health and Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everyone working in the health and safety sector comes across risks on a daily basis, some more significant and more likely to cause harm than others. Employers are required to manage these risks with a risk assessment, but what happens when risks cannot be eliminated completely? What constitutes an acceptable level of residual risk? In this article, we\u2019ll outline what residual risk in health and safety means, provide you with some examples of residual risks and explain how to calculate residual risk in your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is Residual Risk in Health and Safety?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In health and safety, a risk<\/a> is defined as the likelihood and severity of something causing harm to a person. All employers are required to manage the level of risk in their workplace under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Employers must carry out a risk assessment<\/a> that identifies hazards and prompts the implementation of control measures that reduce the risks to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Assessing<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Residual risk in health and safety is the level of risk that remains, even after a thorough risk assessment has been carried out and control measures have been applied. Residual risk will always exist<\/strong> as no one is expected or able to eliminate all risks in the workplace completely. The aim is always to reduce the risks to ALARP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residual risk may exist inherently because of the task at hand, it may be that there are no suitable control measures that can reduce the risk, it could be that by reducing the risk you are inadvertently introducing other hazards or it could be that it\u2019s \u2018disproportionate\u2019 to put control measures in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideally, all residual risks will be low and insignificant<\/strong> but, if the residual risk is identified as being severe and cannot be reduced to ALARP, then this must be recorded and communicated to anyone involved in the work activity. Employers have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of those in their workplace, so implementing a safe system of work<\/a> may be the best approach in these situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residual Risk vs Inherent Risk<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A residual risk<\/strong> is the level of risk that still exists after controls have been put in place to reduce it. It\u2019s a risk that has been reduced and controlled to some degree by a thoughtful and thorough risk assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Manual<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

An inherent risk<\/strong> is the level of risk that exists before any controls have been put in place to reduce it. It\u2019s a risk that\u2019s uncontrolled and no attempt has been made to reduce its likelihood or severity. All tasks carry an inherent risk, whether it\u2019s significant or insignificant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Examples of Residual Risk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some examples of common residual risks in health and safety include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n