Occupational risk assessment - Operational aspects

Since 1989, companies have been required to carry out an overall assessment of occupational risks, but it wasn't until 2001 that this principle became a legal, if not an operational, reality.

In many small and medium-sized businesses and public institutions, this requirement is still rarely applied, if at all, due to a lack of skills and a lack of understanding of its raison d'être. In those organizations that do have a single document formalizing the results of this approach, it remains primarily a means of meeting a regulatory obligation, and few associate it with an action plan aimed at improving employee health and safety.

Risk assessment, and hence the drafting of a single document, is not an end in itself. They are only one stage in the prevention process, and are only useful if they lead to action. What determines the quality of a single document and action plan depends very much on the way in which the approach is implemented, but also on the methods and tools used to measure risks. Any error in measurement inevitably has repercussions on the choice of preventive actions downstream.

In addition, the mobilization of management teams, the involvement of employees, the use of methods and tools appropriate to the context, and the taking into account of actual work are all essential elements in ensuring that the risk assessment process is accompanied by fruitful social dialogue. There is no doubt that an employer's commitment to such a virtuous, dynamic and iterative approach will enable it to achieve short-term performance and preserve its chances of success in the future.

The aim of this article is to provide an operational framework to help companies build and deploy a comprehensive occupational risk assessment approach (not to be confused with a specific risk assessment approach).

The first section recalls the regulatory framework and defines the main concepts involved in risk assessment. The second section explains how the global risk assessment approach can be effectively implemented within a company. The third section provides methodological guidelines for the risk assessment process. Finally, the last section proposes a logic to follow in order to build an effective action plan.