Do we need to carry out risk assessments for all sources of risk?

Short answer

No — you normally do not need to start by carrying out risk assessments for all sources of risk at once.
What matters is that you work in a structured way and prioritise the sources of risk that pose the greatest risk first.

Why not assess everything immediately?

Many organisations have a large number of sources of risk. If you try to assess everything at the same time, the result is often that:

• the work becomes overwhelming

• risk assessments become rushed or too generic

• nothing gets completed

• the biggest risks are not addressed in time

Instead, structured chemical management is based on:

• starting with the most important risks and working step by step

What should be assessed first?

It is wise to start with sources of risk that:

• are used frequently or in large quantities

• are handled by many people

• involve a risk of serious harm (e.g. corrosive, toxic, or flammable)

• are used in work tasks with high exposure

• have known incidents or recurring issues linked to them

• are subject to specific requirements or permits

But do we need to assess everything in the long run?

Yes — the goal is to have risk assessments for the sources of risk and work tasks where risks actually exist.

However, this does not mean that all sources of risk require:

• the same level of analysis

• equally extensive documentation

• their own Protective sheets

Some sources of risk may have a low risk level and therefore require fewer measures.

What happens if we do not assess a source of risk?

If a source of risk is used in the organisation and involves risks, but does not have a risk assessment, it may lead to:

• protective measures being missing or incorrect

• employees not receiving the right information

• the organisation finding it harder to demonstrate systematic work

• risks being discovered only after an incident occurs

That is why prioritisation is so important.

A good recommendation

A good approach is to:

• map all sources of risk

• select the most important risks (prioritisation)

• carry out risk assessments for these first

• expand gradually until you have a stable overall picture

• follow up annually and update as needed