Statutory workplace risk assessment: Requirements and responsibilities

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.

All workplaces with employees must prepare an APV. It must cover both the physical and psychological working environment and be an active part of the company’s ongoing working environment efforts.

What is a workplace assessment?

A workplace assessment (APV) is a legally required assessment of the company’s working environment. Its purpose is to identify whether there are any work-related conditions that may affect employees’ safety or health, and how any problems can be resolved.

The company can choose how the APV is carried out. For example, it can be done through questionnaires, dialogue meetings, interviews or workplace inspections.

The APV must be carried out when changes occur in the work, working methods or work processes that may affect the working environment. In addition, the company must, as a minimum, assess working environment conditions every three years.

APV and the working environment organisation (AMO)

It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the APV is carried out. However, the work must be done in collaboration with the employees and any working environment organisation.

Companies with 10-34 employees must establish a working environment organisation, AMO, with a supervisor and at least one elected working environment representative.

Companies with 35 or more employees must have an AMO at two levels. This means that there must be both working environment groups and one or more working environment committees.

In companies with up to 9 employees, cooperation on the working environment generally takes place through ongoing direct dialogue between the employer, employees and any supervisors.Companies with 10–34 employees must establish an AMO, consisting of the employer, supervisors, and health and safety representatives.

What should an APV include?

An APV must be adapted to the individual company because the working environment depends on the industry, tasks, size and organisation.

As a minimum, the APV should include:

• Identification of risks
  You must identify and assess conditions that may affect employees’ safety or health. Examples include heavy lifting, poor working postures, high workload, noise, indoor climate, chemicals or the risk of workplace accidents.
• Solutions and priorities
  Once you have identified working environment problems, you must assess how they can be resolved or prevented. The most serious risks should be prioritised first.
• Action plan and follow-up
  Problems that cannot be resolved immediately must be collected in a written action plan. This should 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 articles in the series on how to identify risks in the APV and how to work with the action plan and follow-up.

We can help you with your APV

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 work.

If you need help carrying out or updating your APV, Azets can provide reliable guidance on the next steps.