What Dynamic Risk Assessment Is
The purpose of assessing risk at the place of work, and how the course is organised.
8 min
Activities: 0 of 2
Thinking again, at the job
A dynamic risk assessment is a short check of the risks made by the people doing the work, at the place of work, just before and during the task. It is "dynamic" because it responds to what is actually there today, which may be different from what was planned.
Many companies give it a name and a simple card or app: Take 5, Step Back, Last Minute Risk Assessment and others. The name matters less than the habit: stop for a moment, look, think about what could go wrong, and decide whether it is safe to continue.
This course is for anyone who does practical work — technicians, operators, labourers, drivers, supervisors — and for those who lead them. No earlier safety training is needed.
How the course is organised
- 1
Module 1
Risk basics
Hazard, risk, controls, and how dynamic assessment fits the planning.
- 2
Module 2
Assessing at the point of work
The gap between plan and place, the Take 5 steps, energy types, quick risk rating and good cards.
- 3
Module 3
Seeing what has changed
Situational awareness, line of fire, triggers, human factors, other crews and the environment.
- 4
Module 4
Making it real
Stop work authority, avoiding card culture, escalation and supervision.
- 5
Module 5
Take 5 for common tasks
Height, lifting, isolation and vehicles.
- 6
Module 6
Practice
Case studies, learning from catches and building the habit.
What dynamic assessment is not
Dynamic or planned?
- Written in the office a week before the job
- A check by the crew at the job just before starting
- A pause when the weather changes during the task
What makes a risk assessment "dynamic"?