The employer's risk assessment for the job should only consider the actual risks to which the employee is exposed due to the work process under normal conditions. 

When preparing a risk assessment, employers tend to identify in it hypothetical risks that arise from possible accidents and risks that are unrelated to the work process. Such an approach, in the opinion of the employers, is intended to protect employees and themselves - an employee who is aware of the risks is able to avoid them. However, framing the risks too broadly is not beneficial to the employer.

Due to the pandemic employers were putting SARS-CoV-2 risks in their risk assessments, without thinking about the consequences of having to reduce working time, take other measures to counter the spread of the pandemic, and create appropriate inventories. Meanwhile, outside of laboratories and medical facilities, as a general rule, exposure to COVID-19 infection results from general epidemiological conditions and is not related to the work process, so it should not be included in the risk assessment. This position was issued by the Chief Labour Inspector. For the same reasons, influenza or other viruses should not be included in the risk assessment. 

The risk assessment for the job should address the employee's work in the daily work environment. As such, it should not assume risks associated with possible equipment failure, as this may suggest that the employer is inadequately maintaining such equipment, which is not beneficial in the event of a possible accident at work. The risk assessment should also not include hypothetical hazards, as these are not encountered by employees in their daily work. It is difficult to determine how far one should go in identifying such hypothetical risks: after all, a meteorite impact in a work establishment is also theoretically possible.
 

Find more in the PRO HR February 2022.