The pipe above the server rack
A technician spots a water pipe running right above the servers. Everyone has walked past it for years.
If nobody writes it down, nobody owns it, and nothing changes until the day it leaks.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can write and read a risk assessment with all seven parts.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Risk assessment | a written record of a risk and what to do about it |
| Mitigation | an action that lowers a risk |
| Continuity | keeping a service running without a break |
| Regulation | a rule set by law that must be followed |
| Compliance | following the rules and the law |
| Owner | the person responsible for an action |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Three reasons to write one
A risk assessment does three jobs.
It protects continuity of service. It stops a fault taking the whole school offline.
It protects the health and safety of people. In the UK the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 expects employers to look at risks and control them.
It supports compliance with regulations, for example keeping people's information safe under data protection law.
The seven parts of a risk assessment
| Part | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The risk | A short description of what could go wrong | Water leak in the server room |
| Who or what may be harmed | People or equipment at risk | Servers, staff in the room |
| How the harm could happen | The way it would occur | A pipe above the rack could burst |
| Controls already in place | What is done now | None |
| Extra controls needed | What more must be done | Move the rack, add a water alarm |
| Who is responsible | The owner of each action | Site manager |
| Due date | The day the action is finished | End of next week |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.