A USER GUIDE TO THE RISK
ASSESSMENT REPORTING SYSTEM
(RARS) IN SERVICE PORTAL
Laboratory Safety Unit (LSU)
Version 2.1 (last revision on 10 May 2024; prepared by LSU)
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1. Workflow of the Risk Assessment Reporting System (RARS)
*The RARS is a project/course-based system; project/course leaders or delegates can only
create one risk assessment request for a project or a course.
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2. Eligibility for submitting a risk assessment request
Personnel who are eligible to submit a risk assessment request via the RARS are as follows:
- Project leaders
- Course leaders
- Delegates appointed by project/course leaders with or without a Chemical Control System
(CCS) account (e.g. research staff/student, technical staff, clerical staff, etc.)
*Please note undergraduate students cannot be appointed as a delegate.
3. Registration for RARS
The following information should be submitted to the LSU if project/course leaders would like
to make any changes to the name list of the RARS:
- Name of the department
- Name of the personnel
- EID
- Project/course leader (if any)
Department Name of delegate EID Project/course leader
ABC Tom xxx Prof. XYZ
For projects, during the launch of RARS, the research group list of the RARS is the same as
the existing list in the CCS. However, project leaders may add/remove a delegate from the
research group list of the RARS by notifying the Laboratory Safety Unit (LSU) via email:
[Link]@[Link].
For courses, the course group list of the RARS can be compiled by course leaders. Course
leaders may add/remove a delegate from the course group list of the RARS by notifying the
Laboratory Safety Unit (LSU) via email: [Link]@[Link]. There is no limit on
the number of delegates for each course. For courses without course leaders, the head of
department will be assigned as the course leader.
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4. Risk assessment submission
I) To access the RARS:
Step 1: Login with the link [Link]
Step 2: Click “SERVICE REQUEST”
Step 3: Click the “Risk Assessment Reporting System” under the CATEGORIES column
II) To create new risk assessment of project / course:
Step 1: Click “Create New Risk Assessment”
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Step 2: Fill in all the necessary information (* are mandatory)
Remarks for step 2:
- Select the nature of risk assessment; either a project or course.
- Select Type; in this part, choose create new or review. (If “review” is selected, the
information will be automatically retrieved from the previous record.)
- Select Project/Course leader (PI can only view his/her projects or courses only)
- Select Research group
- Select Project/Course code (the project/course information is automatically generated
after you choose the project/course code)
- Provide a description of the project/course (e.g. project abstract, course objective &
outcome, no. of lab practical lessons, any important information, etc.)
- Click to choose the safety approval obtained (may only applicable to project, except
animal ethics approval)
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- Tick the box if a “Lab-based project/course”
- Choose the “Commencement date” and “Expected completion date”
*Computer-based works/activities conducted in an office setting workplace are not
considered as lab-based project/course. For example, a computer science course teaches
in a computer laboratory or a project only involves statistical analysis in an office.
Step 3: Click “Save”
Step 4: Click “New” to add hazard items
Step 5: Fill in all the necessary information for each risk item, click “Submit” after getting the
residual risk rating. To add another hazard information, please repeat step 4 and 5.
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Remarks for step 5:
- Choose the “Hazard”
- Choose the “Type of hazards” and the “Work process”
- Choose the control measures, such as “Engineering control”, “Administrative
control”, and “Personal protective equipment”
Click this icon to unlock
the box.
Click this icon to look
for the relevant control
measures.
- Choose the appropriate “Likelihood”
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* Calculation for residual risk rating:
Severity x Likelihood – (n(Engineering
Control[3]) + n(Administrative
Control[2]) + n(Personal Protection
Control[1]))
If
- Catastrophic severity is 5 and almost
certain is 5
- 2 Engineering control measures
- 1 Administrative control measure
- 3 Personal protection control measures
E.g. 5 x 5 – ((2 x 3) + (1 x 2) + (3 x 1)) =
14
*Definition for different likelihood:
- Click “Submit” to add a hazard item
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* Users are required to fill in the
types of hazards as many as
possible.
If any types of safety approval
obtained are chosen, at least
ONE corresponded hazard must
be added.
E.g. Chemical Safety Approval >
at least ONE Chemical Hazard;
Biological Safety Approval > at
least ONE Biological Hazard.
Step 6: Print the risk assessment report by selecting the “Risk assessment report” and the
report will pop up in a new tap.
Step 6a: Right-click on your mouse and select “Print”.
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Step 6b:
- After clicking “Print”, a preview of your risk assessment report will be shown as
below.
- By clicking “More settings”, you can customize the printing scale. We suggest that the
printing scale to be set at 60 - 65%.
Step 7: Pass to project/course leader, HoD, chairperson of laboratory management committee,
or director of research center for signature
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Step 8: Click “My Risk Assessment Request” to upload the signed form to the system
Step 9: Click “Risk assessment status: Draft” for uploading
Step 10: Click the correct project for uploading
E.g. Click the risk assessment request
ID if you want to upload the RA form
for project with the code 9000008.
Step 11: Click to upload the signed form
Step 12: Click “Submit to review”, a declaration will pop up and click “OK” for final
submission.
Step 13: Wait for acknowledgement from the LSU
Step 14: The signed risk assessment form should be passed to departmental safety officers for
record-keeping. (This is the final step to create a new risk assessment via the RARS.)
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III) To view the risk assessment request record:
Click “My Risk Assessment Request”, user can view the details of his/her risk assessment
request records, such as cancelled, draft, rejected, acknowledged, and submitted.
IV) To view group risk assessment request record:
Click “My Group’s Risk Assessment Request”, user can view the details of the
acknowledged risk assessment request(s) of his/her group
*Remarks for project/course status:
On-going - The project/course status is still active.
Old version - Once a risk assessment has been reviewed, the previous risk assessment report
record will become an old version.
Completed - The project/course has been completed (e.g. according to RO record or the
expected completion date that input in RARS).
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