APV risk assessment: How to identify workplace risks

When working with APV, the risk assessment is one of the most important steps. This is where you identify the conditions in the working environment that may affect employees’ health, safety and wellbeing.

This is the second article in Azets’ series on mandatory APV in Denmark. In the first article, we explain what an APV is and what requirements and responsibilities companies need to be aware of. In this article, we take the next step and look at how to identify and assess risks at the workplace.A workplace assessment, also known as an APV, is a key tool in a company’s work to ensure a healthy and safe working environment. The APV helps you identify risks, prevent workplace accidents and reduce conditions that may lead to sickness absence, poor wellbeing or poor working postures. Do you need help with your APV?

Identify and assess the working environment

An APV helps you identify whether there are working environment issues in your company and which risks need to be addressed.

You must carry out an APV when changes are made to the work, working methods or work processes that may affect occupational health and safety. In addition, the company’s working environment conditions must be assessed at least every three years.

It may be relevant to update the APV in connection with:

• new work tasks
• new systems or machinery
• changes in organisation
• new premises
• changes in workload or time pressure
• new chemical products or work processes
• increasing sickness absence or poor wellbeing

There is no single method that suits every company. You can use questionnaires, dialogue meetings, interviews, workplace inspections, observations or a combination of several methods.

The most important thing is that you systematically identify the conditions that may affect employees’ health and safety.

Physical and psychological working environment

The APV must cover both the physical and psychological working environment.

The physical working environment may include:

• heavy lifting
• poor working postures
• sedentary work
• noise
• indoor climate
• lighting
• machinery and technical equipment
• risk of falls, slips or workplace accidents

The psychological working environment may include:

• heavy workload and time pressure
• unclear requirements or expectations
• conflicts
• bullying or offensive behaviour
• lack of support from managers or colleagues
• high emotional demands
• risk of violence or threats

If you experience stress, poor wellbeing, high employee turnover or increasing sickness absence, this should also be included in your assessment of the working environment.

Special requirements in the APV

In some areas, special requirements apply to the APV. This includes situations where employees may be exposed to hazardous chemicals, biological hazards or work under conditions involving particular safety risks.

If your employees work with hazardous chemicals, you must carry out a chemical risk assessment. This may be relevant when working with cleaning products, construction dust, welding fumes, solvents or other chemical products and processes.

The purpose is to assess how and to what extent employees may be exposed to hazardous substances, so you can remove or reduce the risk.

You should also pay particular attention to employees who may be more vulnerable in certain work situations. This may include:

• young workers under 18
• pregnant employees
• new employees
• temporary workers
• employees working alone
• employees working at changing worksites

If you employ young workers under 18, you must always assess the specific risks and conditions related to their work. If young workers are to work with machinery or chemicals, their tasks must be risk assessed.

APV and sickness absence

A healthy and safe working environment can help prevent sickness absence. That is why you should also assess whether conditions in the working environment may contribute to employee absence.

This may include:

• poor working postures
• physically demanding work
• heavy workload
• time pressure
• unclear expectations
• conflicts or poor wellbeing
• workplace accidents

If you identify working environment issues that may contribute to sickness absence, they must be included in your risk assessment and action plan.

From risks to action plan

Once you have assessed the working environment, you need to decide whether any of the identified conditions constitute a working environment problem. Not all problems are equally serious, and not all can be solved immediately.

You should consider:

• how serious the risk is
• how many employees are affected
• how often employees are exposed to the risk
• whether the risk can be removed completely
• which measures should be initiated
• who is responsible for follow-up

Problems that cannot be solved immediately must be included in a written action plan. The action plan should clearly state what needs to be done, who is responsible, when the solution must be implemented and how you will follow up.

Also read the next article in the series: APV action plan: Solutions and follow-up.

Get help with your APV risk assessment

It can be difficult to assess whether your APV sufficiently covers both the physical and psychological working environment, and whether specific risks have been identified thoroughly enough.

At Azets, we can help you structure the APV process, ask the right questions and turn the results into a concrete action plan. We can also advise on how the APV can be linked to employee wellbeing surveys, sickness absence and other HR processes.

Do you need help carrying out or updating your APV? Contact Azets and get guidance on the next step.