Question 1

A height-work task has a written risk assessment from six months ago. On the day of the job, two of the three originally-named crew members have been replaced by less experienced personnel, and the weather is colder than usual.

What is the correct approach before starting work?

Accepted Answer

Carry out a dynamic risk assessment / toolbox talk to confirm whether the existing assessment's hazards and controls are still valid given the changed personnel and conditions Personnel competency and weather are both explicit factors in COSWP's risk assessment guidance; a written assessment that assumed different people and conditions may no longer reflect reality and needs revalidating, not blind reuse.

Question 2

What does COSWP mean by a "dynamic risk assessment" in relation to a toolbox talk before height work?

Accepted Answer

An in-the-moment review confirming the existing risk assessment's hazards and controls are still relevant and understood before starting the task The toolbox talk uses the existing task-based risk assessment as its foundation, checking that nothing has changed (conditions, personnel, scope) since it was written, rather than generating a brand new assessment each time.

Question 3

If, during a dynamic risk assessment, a person does not believe the existing controls are sufficient for the conditions on the day, what should happen?

Accepted Answer

Go back to an earlier stage of the risk assessment process and reassess before continuing COSWP explicitly allows stepping back to an earlier stage of the process if the dynamic assessment raises doubt - this empowers any team member to pause work rather than push ahead on an outdated assessment.