This document discusses risk assessments for painting and decorating work. It explains that risk assessments are legally required to identify hazards, potential harms, and control measures to improve safety. Examples of hazards from painting include fumes, dusts, and chemicals from paints and solvents that could harm workers. The document provides guidance on completing risk assessment templates and emphasizes the importance of risk assessments for protecting worker health and safety.

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PowerPoint
presentation
Unit 218: Producing specialist finishes for
decorative work
Risk assessments

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The principles behind a risk assessment
The basic principles behind carrying out a risk assessment are simple.
• The hazards and the likelihood of harm taking place, measured against the
seriousness of the harm when carrying out a particular task, are noted.
•Actions are then taken to eliminate – or at least control – the chances of the
hazard causing harm.

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Think of a situation where you have carried out a risk assessment (eg
crossing the road).
• The hazards are vehicles.
• The harm is being run over.
• The seriousness will depend on the speed and type of vehicles.
• The likelihood of harm will depend on vehicle speed, the experience of
the person crossing, the type of road and how easy it is to cross.
• The control measures are to look left, right, left again and listen for
traffic.
Have you ever carried out a risk assessment?

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Risk assessments and the law
Question: Why must risk assessments be carried out?
Answer: It is the law
Employers have a legal obligation to protect their health and safety and
that of their workforce. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires, among other things, that all
employers assess the risks to the health and safety of their employees
while at work.

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Who should carry out risk assessments?
• Someone with the skills, knowledge and experience to do so.
• Ultimate responsibility for the health and safety rests with the employer.
• He or she can conduct the risk assessments or ask/delegate someone to do
them on his or her behalf.

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How often should they be done?
• As often as they need to be or;
• if there has been a change of circumstances in work (eg new equipment,
working methods or materials).

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Are risk assessments all the same?
• Essentially they all do the same thing and have the same purpose but some
assessments are geared for specific tasks eg:
o Fire assessments
o COSHH assessments
Note: One of the most relevant assessments to painters and decorators is
COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health).

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What is a substance?
Substances can take many forms. Think of two examples of the common
substances that you may come across from each of the categories below.
Chemicals: Ingredients of paints and solvents, cleaning fluids etc
Dusts: From rubbing-down paint, filler, dust from other substances
Fumes: From paint, glaze, solvents, pack fillers
Types of gases: Butane, propane
Mists: Aqueous mist, overspray from spraying equipment, aerosols
Vapour: Steam that can be contaminated with a product

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Task 1
Think about applying water and oil-based paints by brush and roller.
What are the hazards?
•Fumes, the paint material itself (ingredients, chemicals).
What is the likelihood of someone being harmed?
•This will depend on the control measures you have in place. If you have no
control measures in place the likelihood and the severity of the harm will
increase.

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Task 1 (cont.)
What type of harm could you come to?
•Headaches, nausea or becoming lightheaded – even unconscious – from
the fumes.
•Breathing difficulties due to the lack of fresh air.
•Skin problems due to contact with certain paints and their ingredients
•Eye injury due to splashes.
How severe will the harm be?
•This will depend on the likelihood of harm taking place, the controls in
place, the type of paints used and the amount of exposure to them.

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Task 2
Discuss the appropriate control measures to lesson the likelihood and the
severity of the harm.
•PPE
•Ventilation
•COSHH
•Training
•Substitution

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Task 3
Complete the risk assessment templates on Worksheet 6 and Worksheet 10.

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The importance of risk assessments cannot be overstated:
• they are vital to a healthy and safe working environment
• protect the user and others in the working environment from harm.
There is no point asking to see the risk assessment when it is too late;
when someone has been killed, injured or become too ill to work again.
Summary: risk assessments

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• Further information can be obtained from the Health and Safety Executive
website at www.hse.gov.uk
• You can download many pieces of useful information and guidance, such
as 5 Steps To Risk Assessment.
• There is also a wealth of information available on the internet, in bookshops
etc.
Remember:
• You may be the employer one day.
• The health and safety of others will ultimately be your responsibility.
Summary