Risk Assessment

Bullying in the workplace is a workplace hazard. In order to reduce or prevent the risk, it needs to be risk assessed and controls put in place. The Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Safety Health and Welfare (General Application) Regulations 2007 require employers to ensure the safety health and welfare of their employees. This includes finding out if there is a problem and how serious it is by:

• identifying the hazards,
• assessing the risks to health and safety from bullying in the workplace, and
• putting in place appropriate control measures.

Risk assessment is a cornerstone of good health and safety management. All employers regardless of the size of business are required by law to carry out a risk assessment at their place of work and to keep a written record of it. The below is a sample risk assessment for bullying in the workplace. This sample is for illustrative purposes only and not exhaustive. Control measures must always be based on risk assessment carried out at the place of work.

Further information on risk assessments can be found here.