Health and safety in duty of care: Evaluating and stratifying risk.

During any physiological testing, an assessor has a duty of care to the individuals under his/her supervision. In this context, duty of care represents a formalisation of the social responsibilities that individuals, laboratories and organisations have to research participants, patients or clients in their care. This chapter provides clear guidelines and suggestions for the processes of hazard identification, risk assessment and mitigation. The first key step in duty of care-based risk mitigation is the identification of hazards. This should not only focus on research participants or clients, but also individuals working with these individuals or indeed in isolation. The assessment of risk is the key component of health and safety practice and management. One underpinning risk mitigation strategy that is essential to exercise physiology is to ensure measures are in place to optimise hygiene via effective handwashing and/or use of alcohol gel, cleaning surfaces regularly, sterilisation of equipment, disposable equipment where appropriate and after-use decontamination.