Risk assessments should be a "continuous thought process, rather than just a pile of documents," according to Norwich Union Risk Services' John Phillips.

NURS’ training and consultancy manager said that when it came to health and safety, too much emphasis was sometimes placed on "writing things down" and not enough on carrying out "dynamic risk assessments".

"No one would expect someone to pull out a folder and fill-in a risk assessment form before they crossed the road, so why over-complicate things in the workplace," he commented.

"Of course it's a legal requirement for anyone who employs five or more people to record, and regularly review, the significant findings of a risk assessment, and this is a hugely important process. But a distinction must be made between the formal process and the day-to-day assessments everyone should be making."

John explained it was bit like driving a vehicle: "Clearly there is a danger of crashing, so with that risk in mind you'd expect someone to have passed their driving test, to have a properly maintained vehicle and to be in a fit enough state to get behind the wheel. That's the formal part”.

"However, once they're driving you would then expect them to continually weigh-up any dangers on the road and respond accordingly. This is what we mean by 'dynamic risk assessment'."

He said it was essential that all staff were encouraged to adopt this approach. "Let's be honest, everyone should be risk assessing all the time. By this I mean people simply looking out for themselves and their colleagues on a day-to-day basis, not filling in forms!

"Workers should regularly ask themselves 'is it safe to proceed?' If not, they need to change the way they're working or seek help from their employer when things are not right."