Dutch Risk Assessment tools

The ‘Risico- Inventarisatie- en Evaluatie-instrumenten’ is the name for the Dutch risk assessment (RA) tools. A RA tool can be used to perform a risk assessment including an evaluation of the identified risks. These tools were among the first online risk assessment tools developed in Europe. The Dutch RA tools and the web application system to generate RA tools has inspired EU-OSHA to use the Dutch model as a basis for developing the Online Interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA). OiRA is a European web application, consisting of a tools generator and interface. OiRA helps Sectoral Social Partners (employers' and employees' organisations) and National Authorities (Ministries, Labour Inspectorates, OSH institutes, etc.) to produce sector-specific risk assessment tools (RA tools) targeting small businesses. The overall purpose of the Dutch digital RA tools as they stand today is to ensure that SMEs primarily, but micro enterprises in particular, comply with the legal obligations to execute a risk assessment and to reduce the administrative and financial burden on them in doing so. Other companies may use the tool, but they do not get the ‘bonuses’ that small companies get. Furthermore the aim is to improve their level of health and safety; to improve general awareness about the existence of the RA tools and finally to stimulate the development by the social partners of new sector-specific RA tools. Nowadays 182 sector-specific RA tools are available online on the website (www.rie.nl), either via a direct link or if the specific tool is not digital there is at least the contact details of the relevant sector organisation from which the paper-based risk assessment tool can be obtained. Sixty-nine of the RA tools are generated with the OiRA tool generator. The sector-specific digital RA tools are easy to use and the business owner only needs to answer questions that are really relevant to his/her particular field. The intention was that you should be able to complete the RA including the action plan, within 2 hours. Sometimes it is less, sometimes it takes more time, depending on the content of the tool. Sector-specific RA tools also make it easier to provide detailed solutions for business, as standard solutions to resolve a potential risk are available in the RA tool (or additional information is available, for instance through hyperlinks).