Course Description
This short, practical course introduces the principles and practice of risk management in construction, with a focus on health and safety risk assessment. Participants will learn how to identify, assess, and control common site hazards, apply the HSE five-step risk assessment approach, and use practical control measures to reduce risks to acceptable levels. The course combines academic insight with real-world safety applications designed for students and early-career engineers.
Course Overview
Purpose: To equip learners with the knowledge and practical skills to perform basic health and safety risk assessments on construction sites and to make informed decisions that protect workers, the public, and the environment.
- Duration: 45–60 minutes (self-paced)
- Format: Short, practical modules with examples and a sample risk assessment
- Focus: Identifying hazards, evaluating likelihood and severity, ranking risks, and implementing control measures
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Explain the purpose and process of risk management in construction.
- Define hazards, risks and appropriate control measures.
- Apply the HSE five-step risk assessment method to a simple construction activity.
- Evaluate likelihood and severity to prioritise hazards using a risk matrix approach.
- Identify persons at risk and select practical controls to reduce residual risk to acceptable levels.
- Understand the legal and professional duty to manage foreseeable risks in line with CDM principles.
Modules & Lessons
The course is organised into short, focused lessons. Suggested lesson order for a 45–60 minute self-paced course:
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Introduction to Risk:
What is risk and why it matters in construction — basic definitions and context.
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Why Manage Risk?
Objectives of risk management: protect lives, ensure legal compliance, and improve project outcomes.
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Risk Management Process:
Overview of the identify–assess–control–review cycle and practical workflow steps.
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Legal Framework (CDM Principles):
Roles, responsibilities and the obligation to eliminate or reduce foreseeable risks.
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Hazards vs Risks:
Distinguishing potential sources of harm (hazards) from the probability and severity of harm (risks).
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The HSE Five-Step Risk Assessment:
Step-by-step guidance: identify hazards, decide who might be harmed, evaluate risks, record and communicate, review and update.
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Evaluating and Rating Risk:
How to combine likelihood and severity to prioritise actions using a risk matrix.
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Control Measures:
Hierarchy of controls — elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative and PPE — and choosing appropriate actions.
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Residual Risk & Review:
Assessing remaining risk after controls, determining acceptability, and when to revise method statements.
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Example Risk Assessment (Practical Exercise):
Worked example such as excavation risk assessment: hazards, persons at risk, controls, and residual risk table.
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Common Mistakes & Key Takeaways:
Typical pitfalls to avoid and core messages for good safety practice.
About Your Instructor
Damilola Bashir Akinniyi — Geotechnical Engineer, Researcher, and Higher Education Professional. Damilola connects soil mechanics with human development and mentors students to build clarity, resilience, and purpose while mastering the fundamentals of safe construction. He brings academic rigour and practical field experience to health and safety teaching, focusing on clear method statements, effective controls, and ethical professional practice.
Damilola’s approach emphasises that good engineering and good safety practice go hand-in-hand. This short course reflects his practical teaching style: concise, example-led, and focused on actionable skills you can apply immediately on site or in professional assessments.
How to Use This Course
- Work through each lesson sequentially and complete the practical example.
- Use the HSE five-step method as a template for your own site risk assessments.
- Document findings, share them with site teams, and review the assessment as site conditions change.