Unknown User2
Risk Assessment Procedures and Guide to Establishing a Safety and Health Management System (2026 for HR & Safety & Health Managers)
2026.07.03 10:55
Risk Assessment, Safety System, and HR Practical Guide
Risk assessment,
The key is actual improvement measures rather than the evaluation sheet.
The key is actual improvement measures rather than the evaluation sheet.
Risk assessment is a core procedure for identifying hazardous factors in the workplace and implementing corrective measures, while the safety and health management system is a management structure for continuously operating this at the organizational level.
2026 Practical Core
Manage the entire process from worker participation → identifying risk factors → improvement → sharing and recording results as a single procedure.
📌 Key Summary
| item | Items to check by the person in charge |
|---|---|
| Key Topic | Procedures for conducting risk assessments and establishing a safety and health management system |
| Main purpose | Prevention of industrial accidents, identification of hazardous and dangerous factors, implementation of corrective measures, prevention of serious accidents |
| Legal basis | Obligation to conduct risk assessments under the Occupational Safety and Health Act |
| Main targets | Employers, safety and health managers, supervisors, and workers at workplaces subject to the Industrial Safety and Health Act. |
| Risk assessment procedure | Setting implementation timing and scope → Worker participation → Identifying hazardous factors → Determining risks → Establishing and implementing improvement measures → Sharing, recording, and preserving results |
| Safety and Health Management System Elements | Executive leadership, worker participation, risk identification, elimination/replacement/control, contingency measures, contract management, evaluation/improvement |
| Practical Core | Checking the implementation of improvement measures that actually reduce risk, rather than filling out evaluation sheets |
| Supporting documents | Evaluation timing and person in charge, participating workers and worker representatives, hazardous and dangerous factors, risk determination results, improvement measures and implementation results, shared records and related supporting documents |
| EAP connection point | Post-accident psychological support, high-risk job stress management, managerial response, organizational recovery support |
Risk assessment is the starting point of the safety and health management system. The system can be considered to function effectively only when hazardous factors at the site are identified, risk levels are assessed, and measures are implemented to reduce them to an acceptable level.
🔎 What is Risk Assessment?
Risk assessment is a procedure in which an employer identifies hazardous and dangerous factors in the workplace, determines whether the magnitude of the risk is at an acceptable level, and then establishes and implements improvement measures to reduce unacceptable risks.
Risk assessment is not merely an administrative procedure involving the preparation of documents. It is a preventive activity that identifies what accidents may occur in the actual work environment, which tasks are repeatedly dangerous, and which equipment, processes, and work methods need to be improved.
For example, in the manufacturing industry, pinching, cuts, electric shock, chemical exposure, noise, and musculoskeletal strain can be risk factors. In the construction industry, falls, falling objects, collapses, equipment collisions, suffocation, and fire can be major risk factors. Even in office-centered workplaces, long working hours, job stress, emotional labor, musculoskeletal strain, and emergency response issues can be subject to risk assessment.
| division | explanation |
|---|---|
| Hazardous and dangerous factors | Causes that can cause accidents or diseases |
| Risk | Risk level considering the probability and severity of accidents |
| Risk assessment | The process of identifying hazardous and dangerous factors, assessing risks, and implementing corrective measures. |
| Reduction measures | Measures to eliminate or reduce risk |
| Safety and Health Management System | A management system that systematically operates risk assessments and corrective measures |
The key to risk assessment is not stopping at "identifying the risk," but rather verifying "what was done to reduce the risk and whether those measures actually worked."
🗓️ When is the risk assessment conducted?
| division | Implementation period |
|---|---|
| Initial evaluation | Until work begins for the first time at the workplace |
| Regular evaluation | At least once a year starting from the year following the year the initial evaluation was conducted |
| Regular evaluation | In the event that there is a risk of new hazardous or dangerous factors not identified in the previous assessment emerging, or that industrial accidents have occurred, until the relevant work begins |
Rather than operating with a single evaluation at the end of the year, the necessity of frequent evaluations must be determined by continuously monitoring changes in work, equipment, and processes, as well as the occurrence of accidents.
👥 Who needs to check this?
Risk assessment and the safety and health management system are not the sole responsibilities of the safety and health officer. They must be interconnected with management decision-making, on-site implementation by supervisors, worker participation, and HR's training and support management.
| manager | Things to check |
|---|---|
| Business owner/management executive | Establishment of safety and health objectives, budget, personnel, approval of corrective measures, and management policy |
| Safety and Health Officer | Risk assessment operation, on-site inspection, management of corrective actions, record keeping |
| Supervisor | Identifying risk factors before work, worker training, and implementing on-site safety rules |
| HR Manager | Industrial safety and health training, supervisor training, new employee training, post-accident employee support |
| Management Support Manager | Protective equipment, facility improvements, external agency contracts, safety and health budget management |
| Site manager | Identification of risk factors by work process, implementation of corrective measures, and work stoppage and evacuation measures |
| worker | Reporting on-site hazards, sharing near-miss incidents, suggesting improvements, and adhering to safety regulations |
| Partner company representative | Identification of risk factors and implementation of safety measures for contracted, service, and outsourced work |
Workers at the relevant workplace must participate in the risk assessment. In principle, workers should be included in on-site inspections, and surveys, interviews, or other methods of gathering opinions may be utilized in conjunction. Even if participation in on-site inspections is difficult due to special circumstances, workers' opinions must be reflected through at least one method, such as surveys or interviews.
If a worker representative requests participation, they must also be included in the risk assessment. Rather than merely listing participants formally, you must identify moments of inconvenience or danger during actual work, the reasons why existing measures fail, and the necessary improvements.
🧭 Procedures for the person in charge to check
STEP 01
I do some preliminary preparations.
Before starting a risk assessment, you must first organize the scope, participants, methodology, schedule, and materials. Beginning the assessment without preparation may result in the omission of on-site risk factors or prevent the assessment results from leading to action.
| Preparation items | Things to check |
|---|---|
| Evaluation scope | Classification by workplace, department, process, work, facility, and job unit |
| Participants | Safety and health officers, supervisors, workers involved in the work, worker representatives who requested participation, and subcontractor representatives if necessary. |
| Existing data | Accident history, near miss records, work standards, equipment list, chemical list |
| Evaluation method | Select a method suitable for the workplace, such as the checklist method, key factor description method, or frequency-intensity method. |
| schedule | Regular evaluation, ad-hoc evaluation, evaluation schedule for work changes |
| Record form | Risk assessment sheet, corrective action record sheet, meeting minutes, photo record form |
| Evaluation period | Check which evaluation it is among the initial, regular, or ad-hoc evaluations. |
| Worker participation | Determination of participants for巡回 inspections, worker representatives, subjects for surveys and interviews, and methods for collecting opinions |
In the preliminary preparation stage, it is important to specifically determine “which tasks will be evaluated.” Rather than simply listing department names, it is better to categorize them based on actual work units, equipment, movement routes, and the work environment.
STEP 02
Identify hazardous and risk factors.
Identifying hazardous and dangerous factors is a core step in risk assessment. You must inspect the site firsthand, listen to workers' opinions, and verify accident history and near-miss incidents.
| Method of identification | Practical examples |
|---|---|
| On-site巡回 inspection | Check facilities, workflow, protective equipment, work posture, and electrical and chemical conditions |
| Worker Interview | During the巡回 inspection process, verify the opinions of actual workers and identify recurring hazardous situations and the limitations of existing safety measures through surveys and interviews. |
| Near miss check | Records of near-injury situations, equipment malfunctions, slips, and pinch risks |
| Review of accident history | Check types of industrial accidents, work stoppage accidents, and recurring accidents over the past 3 years |
| Review of work standards | Verify that the actual work matches the documented procedures. |
| Verification of materials and equipment | Verify MSDS, mechanical safety devices, emergency stop devices, and ventilation devices |
| Confirmation of subcontractor work | Identification of work scope and risk factors for contracted, service, and outsourced work |
Worker participation should not be a procedure for receiving feedback after the evaluation is completed, but should begin from the stage of inspecting the actual site and identifying hazardous and dangerous factors. It is advisable to examine recurring inconveniences, minor warning signs, verbal abuse from customers, exposure to extreme heat or cold, and fatigue from night work.
STEP 03
Determines the risk
Once hazardous factors have been identified, the severity of the risk must be assessed. While methods for estimating risk may vary depending on the workplace, the likelihood of an accident and the severity of the consequences are generally considered together.
| Judgment criteria | Confirmation question |
|---|---|
| Possibility of occurrence | How often can this risk occur? |
| importance | If it occurs, can it lead to death, serious injury, prolonged treatment, or occupational disease? |
| Exposure frequency | How often and for how long are workers exposed? |
| Existing measures | Are the current protective equipment, safety devices, and work procedures sufficient? |
| vulnerable | Are new hires, older workers, pregnant women, foreign workers, and subcontractor workers included? |
| Manageability | Is immediate improvement possible, and is a budget and schedule required? |
In the risk assessment stage, it is more important to determine whether "this risk is acceptable at this time" than to assign an evaluation score. In particular, risks that could lead to death or serious injury must be managed as priority targets for improvement, even if they receive a low score.
STEP 04
We establish and implement risk reduction measures.
The purpose of risk assessment is to reduce risk. Therefore, reduction measures should be reviewed starting with the most fundamental methods possible.
| priority | Examples of reduction measures |
|---|---|
| eliminate | Eliminate dangerous work itself or abolish unnecessary processes |
| Replacement | Change to safer equipment, materials, and work methods |
| Engineering measures | Installation of protective covers, safety railings, ventilation systems, automation, and emergency stop devices |
| Administrative measures | Changes in work procedures, work permit system, two-person teams, work hour restrictions, strengthened training |
| protective gear | Management of provision and wearing of safety helmets, safety glasses, dust masks, safety gloves, safety belts, etc. |
In practice, reduction measures are often concluded solely with the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). However, PPE should be viewed as a final supplementary measure; if possible, it is advisable to first consider methods to eliminate the risk itself or improve equipment, processes, and work methods.
STEP 05
We check whether improvement measures have been implemented.
If reduction measures have been established, you must verify whether they have actually been implemented. If you simply write "Improvement Scheduled" on the risk assessment sheet and stop there, it is difficult to consider the safety and health management system to be functioning.
| Inspection items | Things to check |
|---|---|
| manager | Has a person responsible for corrective measures been designated? |
| Deadline | Has a scheduled completion date for the improvements been set? |
| budget | Have facility improvements, protective equipment, and training costs been reflected? |
| Execution proof | Do you have photos, purchase history, training records, and revised versions of work standards? |
| Verify the effect | Has the risk level decreased after the improvement? |
| Re-evaluation | Are there any remaining risks even after the improvements? |
| share | Have you notified workers and supervisors of the changes? |
If corrective measures are not completed within the deadline, do not simply mark it as 'incomplete'; instead, record the reason for the delay, temporary safety measures, matters requiring additional budget or cooperation, and the date of the next inspection. After the improvements are completed, re-verify the condition before and after the measures and any remaining risks.
STEP 06
Record and share with members
The results of the risk assessment and corrective actions must be documented. These records serve not only for responding to inspections but also as foundational data for subsequent assessments, training, and accident prevention activities.
| archival materials | Management purpose |
|---|---|
| Risk Assessment Implementation Plan | Evaluation scope, distinction between initial, regular, and ad-hoc evaluations, schedule, and participant verification |
| Timing of evaluation and person in charge | Confirmation of implementation timing and evaluation managers for each type of evaluation |
| Participating workers and worker representatives | Verification of worker participation criteria and actual opinion collection |
| List of hazardous and dangerous factors | Management of identified risk factors by task and process |
| Risk determination results | Basis for determining risk acceptability and selecting priority improvement targets |
| Reduction measures | Verify improvement measures such as risk elimination, replacement, engineering measures, administrative measures, and protective equipment. |
| Improvement Measures and Implementation Results | Verify person in charge, completion deadline, details of actions taken, and actual completion status. |
| Worker Shared Records | Confirmation of whether results were shared through education, briefings, postings, written notices, electronic notifications, etc. |
| proceedings | Record of worker opinions and discussions on improvement measures |
| Educational materials | Verify whether the risk assessment results and revised work procedures have been reflected in on-site training. |
| Re-evaluation records | Identify remaining risks and the need for additional measures following corrective actions. |
| On-site photos if necessary | Verify the status before and after improvement and the results of the measures. |
| Budget and purchasing related materials | Verification of budget execution necessary for improvement measures, such as facility improvements, protective equipment, and safety gear |
| Work Standard Revision Record | Verify whether the results of the risk assessment have been reflected in actual work methods and safety rules. |
Risk assessment records must include the assessment date, the person in charge, participating workers and worker representatives, identified hazardous factors, risk determination results, improvement measures, and implementation results; relevant data must be preserved for three years. It is recommended that records not be kept solely by the safety and health officer, but be managed in a way that supervisors and site managers can also access necessary information.
🏗️ Standards for Establishing a Safety and Health Management System
If risk assessment is a procedure for identifying and improving risks in the field, the safety and health management system is a structure that ensures those activities are repeatedly executed within the organization.
| element | Items to check by the person in charge |
|---|---|
| Executive Leadership | Safety and health goals, management policies, budget, and personnel allocation |
| Worker participation | Participation in risk assessment巡回 inspections, surveys, and interviews; reflection of worker representative participation requests; and sharing of improvement results. |
| Identify risk factors | Risk assessment, site inspection, near-miss analysis, accident history review |
| Elimination, replacement, and control of risk factors | Improvement measures, equipment upgrades, changes to work procedures, management of protective equipment |
| Emergency measures | Stop work, evacuation, relief measures, accident reporting, prevention of further damage |
| Management of contracts, services, and entrustment | Subcontractor selection criteria, pre-work consultation, joint inspection, and reflection of safety and health costs |
| Evaluation and Improvement | Management of initial, regular, and ad-hoc evaluations, re-evaluation of corrective measures, reporting to management, tracking of non-implemented measures, and measures to prevent recurrence |
The purpose of a safety and health management system is not merely to create separate file folders. Risk assessment, training, budgeting, site inspections, accident response, and subcontractor management must be connected as a single flow.
✅ Practical Checklist
| item | check |
|---|---|
| The scope of the risk assessment and the target tasks were determined. | ☐ |
| Participation standards were established for safety and health officers, supervisors, and on-site workers. | ☐ |
| I checked preliminary materials such as accident history, near misses, work standards, equipment lists, and MSDS. | ☐ |
| Hazardous and dangerous factors were identified through on-site inspections and listening to workers' opinions. | ☐ |
| We established criteria for determining risk and selected priority targets for improvement. | ☐ |
| Risk reduction measures were reviewed in the order of removal, replacement, engineering measures, administrative measures, and protective equipment. | ☐ |
| The person in charge, deadline, budget, and completion criteria for each improvement measure were determined. | ☐ |
| We re-evaluated whether the risk level had decreased after the completion of improvement measures. | ☐ |
| The results of the risk assessment were reflected in supervisor training and industrial safety and health education. | ☐ |
| Emergency procedures have been established, including work suspension, evacuation, relief measures, and accident reporting. | ☐ |
| We verified the risk factors of contracted, outsourced, and subcontracted work, as well as the safety and health standards of partner companies. | ☐ |
| Risk assessment sheets, records of corrective actions, meeting minutes, training materials, and photos were kept. | ☐ |
| Regular reports were submitted to management regarding major risk factors and the status of improvement measures. | ☐ |
| Procedures for psychological support for victims, witnesses, and managers were established together following the accident. | ☐ |
| The implementation criteria and schedules for the initial evaluation, regular evaluation, and ad-hoc evaluation were distinguished. | ☐ |
| Workers involved in the relevant tasks participated in workplace巡回 inspections, and surveys and interviews were conducted concurrently when necessary. | ☐ |
| A procedure was established to include employee representatives in the evaluation if they request participation. | ☐ |
| The schedule prior to the evaluation, as well as risk factors, decision results, improvement measures, and implementation results after the evaluation, were shared, and related records were kept for three years. | ☐ |
📊 How to use the check results
| Checked items | Confirmation direction |
|---|---|
| 15~18 | A basic risk assessment operating system has been established. We regularly verify whether worker participation, the completion of corrective measures, and the sharing of assessment results are actually taking place, rather than focusing solely on whether documents are retained. |
| 9~14 | Although evaluations are being conducted, there may be gaps in the evaluation timing, worker participation, tracking of corrective measures, sharing of results, or 3-year record retention. We will determine the person in charge of the incomplete items and set a deadline for supplementation. |
| 0~8 | Rather than creating an evaluation form, it is necessary to first organize the target work, evaluation timing, participants, risk assessment criteria, and procedures for implementing corrective measures. |
It cannot be concluded that all risk assessment obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act have been fulfilled based solely on the number of checks. It is also necessary to verify whether all hazardous and dangerous factors of the actual work have been identified without omission, and whether measures to mitigate risks and reassessments have been carried out on-site.
RELATED RESOURCE
📎 Related Practical Materials
To organize the entire process from selecting the subject of the risk assessment to worker participation, identifying hazardous factors, implementing improvement measures, and sharing results all at once, please use the PDF document below.
Free PDF Download of Risk Assessment Procedure Table →
This document consists of basic workplace information, evaluation subjects and participants, risk determination, improvement measures, personnel and deadlines, and items for results sharing and re-inspection. The content must be adjusted for use to suit the workplace's industry and actual work characteristics.
⚠️ Commonly missed points
Cases where risk assessment is handled solely through paperwork
It is an activity that actually reduces risk, not just filling out evaluation sheets. The evaluation results must lead to improvement measures, budget allocation, training, and changes to work procedures.
Cases where worker participation is operated only in a formality
On-site workers are often the most aware of actual risk factors. Their opinions must be reflected through risk assessment meetings, suggestion systems, pre-work TBMs, and the sharing of near-miss incidents.
Cases where the risk assessment is concluded without corrective measures
Even if risk factors are identified, the preventive effect is low if there is no person in charge of the action, a deadline, a budget, or confirmation of completion.
If you intend to manage all risks solely through the provision of protective equipment
While protective equipment is important, measures to eliminate the risk itself or improve facilities and processes should be considered first.
Cases where contract, service, or outsourced work is excluded from risk assessment
Even if the work is performed by a subcontractor, if it takes place within our workplace or falls within the scope of the company's actual management, risk factors and safety measures must be verified before starting the work.
Cases where psychological trauma and organizational anxiety are not managed after an accident
After a near miss or major accident, not only the victim but also witnesses, colleagues, and managers may experience anxiety and tension.
Cases where only the safety and health manager completes it and actual workers are not involved
Workers must participate in the evaluation primarily through巡回 inspections, and requests for participation from worker representatives must also be reflected.
Cases where evaluation results are kept only by the person in charge and not disclosed to on-site workers
Before the evaluation, the implementation schedule must be shared with workers, and after the evaluation, the results of the determination of hazardous and dangerous factors and risks, improvement measures, and implementation results must be shared.
💬 Situations where EAP is needed
Risk assessment and the occupational safety and health management system are fundamental frameworks for preventing accidents. However, in actual workplaces, situations requiring psychological and organizational support may arise simultaneously, such as tension from high-risk work, recurring near-misses, anxiety following an accident, managerial burden, disputes over responsibility, and support for returning to work.
| situation | Directions for EAP Utilization |
|---|---|
| Employees are expressing anxiety due to repeated near misses. | Job stress counseling, risk awareness training |
| Witnesses and colleagues are shocked after a major accident or industrial accident | Crisis intervention, support for post-traumatic stress prevention |
| Site managers feel burdened between strengthening safety measures and employee resistance | Providing manager coaching and communication guides |
| Accumulation of tension and fatigue in high-risk workers | Recovery support, individual counseling, discussion on work environment adjustment |
| Disputes over liability or conflicts arise after the risk assessment | Organizational communication support, team recovery program |
| Workers returning from industrial accidents or leave of absence complain of difficulties adapting to work and anxiety about recurrence. | Psychological support before and after return, work adaptation counseling |
| Customer verbal abuse, emotional labor, and job stress were identified as risk factors. | Emotional Labor Counseling and Guide to Organizational Protection Systems |
While risk assessment is a procedure to reduce physical and environmental risks, EAP is a complementary system that supports organizational recovery and alleviates psychological burdens before and after an accident. Particularly after an accident, it is necessary to address the burdens faced by victims, witnesses, colleagues, managers, and HR personnel. However, EAP does not replace risk assessment, work stoppages, safety measures, accident investigations, or the implementation of corrective actions.
🔗 Related Posts
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Is a risk assessment required at all workplaces?
Employers of workplaces subject to the Occupational Safety and Health Act must identify hazardous and dangerous factors arising from work, determine the level of risk, and establish and implement necessary improvement measures. While evaluation methods and operational standards may vary depending on the size and industry of the workplace, these must be managed as an obligation stipulated by law, rather than merely as a recommendation.
Q2. Is it sufficient to conduct a risk assessment only once a year?
The initial evaluation must be conducted before work begins for the first time at the relevant workplace. Starting from the year following the initial evaluation, a regular evaluation must be conducted at least once a year, and an ad hoc evaluation must be conducted before starting related work if there is a risk of new hazardous or dangerous factors arising or if industrial accidents occur.
Q3. Is it sufficient to just complete the risk assessment table?
No. The risk assessment form is merely a document for recording results. What is actually important are corrective measures to reduce risk factors, designation of personnel, budget allocation, confirmation of completion, and re-evaluation. In addition, the timing of the evaluation, the person in charge, participating workers and worker representatives, the results of the risk determination, and the corrective measures and implementation results must be recorded and preserved for three years.
Q4. What is the relationship between the safety and health management system and risk assessment?
Risk assessment is a procedure for identifying and improving on-site risk factors, while the safety and health management system is a structure that ensures this procedure operates continuously within the organization. The results of the risk assessment must lead to reporting to management, budgeting, training, contract management, emergency measures, and evaluation and improvement.
Q5. What should the HR manager do in a risk assessment?
HR personnel must oversee occupational safety and health training, supervisor training, new hire training, post-accident employee support, management of leave, industrial accidents, and return-to-work, and grievance response. By collaborating with the safety and health manager, they can provide support to ensure that risk assessment schedules, employee participation guidance, sharing of assessment results, incorporation into training, and related record management are not overlooked.
NEXT STEP
Risk assessment
If you want to connect accident prevention with organizational recovery
If you want to connect accident prevention with organizational recovery
Review the safety and health management system, managerial response, job stress management, and post-accident organizational recovery together.
Go to Nudge EAP Implementation Consultation →📚 Source and Information
• National Law Information Center, Article 36 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act
• Ministry of Employment and Labor, "Guidelines on Workplace Risk Assessment"
• Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, "Risk Assessment Implementation and Inspection Manual"
• Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Industrial Safety Portal, "Key Elements for Establishing a Safety and Health Management System"
• Ministry of Employment and Labor, "Guidebook for Establishing a Safety and Health Management System"
• Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, "Guide to Consulting for Establishing a Safety and Health Management System"
• Ministry of Employment and Labor, "Guidelines on Workplace Risk Assessment"
• Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, "Risk Assessment Implementation and Inspection Manual"
• Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency Industrial Safety Portal, "Key Elements for Establishing a Safety and Health Management System"
• Ministry of Employment and Labor, "Guidebook for Establishing a Safety and Health Management System"
• Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, "Guide to Consulting for Establishing a Safety and Health Management System"
This content is intended for general informational purposes. Specific legal, labor, employment, occupational safety and health, medical, and psychological counseling matters may vary depending on workplace conditions and the latest laws, so review by relevant experts may be necessary.
Comments10