Disabled people can present special hazards within the workplace. If you employ disabled people then your risk assessments must take notice of their special needs.

Disabled people are not only those with obvious disabilities such as being confined to a wheel chair, consideration should also be given to those persons who are less able than others, such as the hard of hearing, partially sighted, asthmatics and dyslexics etc.

Some things you may wish to consider when carrying out the assessment are:

• Are passageways and doors wide enough for safe access and egress of wheel chairs particularly on escape routes
• Are workstations where wheel chair bound employees work nearer to the fire escapes and exits than for fully mobile employees
• Is there sufficient space around workstations to allow for easy access and egress of wheel chairs
• Are all warning, information and safety signs clear, easy to read and easy to understand
• Do you require audible and visual alarm systems (for example fitted to fork lift trucks in a warehouse)
• Do you need to supply special equipment for this person such as task lighting