Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

5.9.6 Monitoring and review
As mentioned earlier, the risk controls should be reviewed 
periodically. This is equally true for the risk assessment 
as a whole. Review and revision may be necessary when 
conditions change as a result of the introduction of new 
machinery, processes or hazards. There may be new 
information on hazardous substances or new legisla-
tion. There could also be changes in the workforce, for 
example, the introduction of trainees. The risk assess-
ment only needs to be revised if signifi cant changes 
have taken place since the last assessment was done. 
An accident or incident or a series of minor ones provides 
a good reason for a review of the risk assessment. This 
is known as the post-accident risk assessment.
5.10 
Special cases
There are several groups of persons who require an 
additional risk assessment due to their being more ‘at 
risk’ than other groups. Three such groups will be con-
sidered – young persons, expectant and nursing mothers 
and disabled workers.
5.10.1 Young 
persons
There were 21 fatalities of young people at work in 
2002/03 and more recent fi gures have not shown much 
of an improvement.
A risk assessment involving young people needs to 
consider the particular vulnerability of young persons in 
the workplace. Young workers clearly have a lack of 
experience and awareness of risks in the workplace, a ten-
dency to be subject to peer pressure and a willingness 

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Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
74
to work hard. Many young workers will be trainees or 
on unpaid work experience. Young people are not fully 
developed and are more vulnerable to physical, bio-
logical and chemical hazards than adults.
An amendment to the Health and Safety at Work 
Act enables trainees on Government sponsored training 
schemes to be treated as employees as far as health 
and safety is concerned. The Management of Health and 
Safety at Work Regulations defi nes a young person as 
anybody under the age of 18 years and stipulates that 
a special risk assessment must be completed, which 
takes into account their immaturity and inexperience. 
The assessment must be completed before the young 
person starts work. If the young person is of school age 
(16 years or less), the parents or guardian of the child 
should be notifi ed of the outcome of the risk assess-
ment and details of any safeguards which will be used 
to protect the health and safety of the child.
The following key elements should be covered by 
the risk assessment:
➤
details of the work activity, including any equipment 
or hazardous substances
➤
details of any prohibited equipment or processes
➤
details of health and safety training to be provided
➤
details of supervision arrangements.
The extent of the risks identifi ed in the risk assessment 
will determine whether employers should restrict the 
work of the people they employ. Except in special cir-
cumstances, young people should not be employed to 
do work which:
➤
is beyond their physical or psychological capacity
➤
exposes them to substances chronically harmful to 
human health, e.g. toxic or carcinogenic substances, 
or effects likely to be passed on genetically or likely 
to harm the unborn child
➤
exposes them to radiation
➤
involves a risk of accidents which they are unlikely 
to recognize because of e.g. their lack of experi-
ence, training or attention to safety
➤
involves a risk to their health from extreme heat, 
noise or vibration.
These restrictions will not apply in ’