In Ontario workers have the right to know about health and safety hazards in the workplace, including potential risks. To ensure that potential hazards are identified and addressed before they create injury or illness, worker representatives conduct monthly inspections and report those hazards.

In addition to the inspection process, a risk assessment should be done when new processes or activities are introduced to the workplace, when changes are made to existing processes, activities or equipment, or when there are known hazards. In education, risk assessments are particularly important when there is a risk of workplace violence (e.g., when a student with a known history of violent behaviour begins at the school or following an incident of violence). Safety plans and behaviour plans are not risk assessments in themselves, but updating these plans with the school team can be part of a risk assessment. Your supervisor should provide staff with a notification of risk after each significant incident.

Risk assessments and re-assessments are important to evaluate and mitigate risk. Your health and safety worker representative should be able to tell you about risk assessments in your workplace.