Quick answer
A workplace risk assessment identifies what could harm people, considers the likelihood and seriousness of that harm, and decides how the risks will be controlled. Involve the people doing the work, put the controls into practice and review them. A form or risk score is useful only when it supports those decisions.
Assess the work so you can choose effective precautions
The purpose is to prevent harm, including ill health that may develop over time. A neat form cannot compensate for a missing guard, an unsuitable method or a recurring exposure nobody has addressed.
HSE’s risk-assessment overview describes the general duty in Great Britain to identify hazards, assess the risks and eliminate or control them. HSENI provides the Northern Ireland approach. Keep the relevant legal framework clear when preparing records or describing duties.
1. Choose the work to assess and identify hazards
Define the area, activity or change you are assessing. Include preparation, normal operation, cleaning, maintenance and what happens when something fails. Talk to workers and observe the task rather than relying solely on a description.
HSE’s assessment steps includes equipment, substances, working practices, premises and less-routine work. Think about immediate injury and health exposures such as repeated wet work, dust or awkward handling.
Use competent help appropriate to the risks. HSE explains competent assistance: a low-risk business may have suitable knowledge in-house, while more complex work may need additional expertise.
2. Identify people affected and assess the risk
For each hazard, explain how harm could occur and to whom. Include employees, contractors, visitors and people nearby. Consider any particular needs relevant to the work without assuming everyone is exposed in the same way.
- How often does exposure occur, and for how long?
- What could happen if the control fails?
- How serious could the harm be?
- What already prevents harm, and is it reliable in real conditions?
A numerical matrix can help a business organise its thinking, but the number does not prove that a task is safe. Describe the hazard, exposure and controls in words so another person can understand the decision.
3. Choose controls and put them into practice
First consider removing the hazard. If that is not possible, choose practical measures that control the risk, taking account of what is reasonably practicable. HSE’s steps describe options such as redesigning work, changing equipment or materials, organising exposure and providing protective measures.
For each further action, name an owner, a realistic completion point and the safe arrangements needed meanwhile. Check whether the change creates a different risk or affects another task.
Worked example: wet floor at a wash-up doorway
Hypothetical example. Staff carrying items repeatedly pass water at a café’s wash-up entrance. The assessment looks at the source of the water and the route, rather than making a warning sign the entire solution.
| Assessment point | Finding or decision |
|---|---|
| Hazard and people | Wet flooring may cause staff or contractors using the doorway to slip. |
| Existing controls | Spills are reported and cleaned, but water repeatedly returns during service. |
| Further action | Investigate and fix the water source, review the work layout and organise safe access during the work. |
| Owner and check | Manager arranges the investigation; shift lead checks conditions during service and reports recurrence. |
The example needs adaptation to the actual floor, equipment and work. Our kitchen-slip guide provides a practical related example.
4. Record findings and check the controls
For the general GB requirements, HSE says employers with five or more employees must record significant findings. Smaller businesses still need to assess and control risk, and a record can help. Specific activities may have additional record requirements. HSENI’s risk-assessment guidance explains the Northern Ireland recording rule.
Keep the record proportionate and useful: hazard, people affected, precautions, further action, responsibility and follow-up. Make the relevant instructions available to workers.
Review whether controls work, especially after a change, a concern, an accident or a near miss. HSE’s review guidance does not reduce review to a single annual calendar event. Update the assessment and explain what has changed.
Common mistakes that weaken an assessment
- Copying an example unchanged. The people, environment and tasks may differ.
- Scoring without controlling. A lower number on paper does not implement a precaution.
- Omitting cleaning or maintenance. Non-routine work may create different exposure.
- Assigning actions without resources. Give the owner authority and an escalation route.
- Closing an action without checking it. Confirm that the change works during the real task.
Next steps
- Observe one complete activity and involve its workers.
- Describe the hazards, people and current precautions.
- Implement justified further controls and record owners and checks.
- Review the result in practice and update the assessment after relevant changes.
Use HSE’s risk-assessment steps — Provides the official process and links to its template and examples.
Relevant next resource
Level 3 Health & Safety in the Workplace
The verified Level 3 workplace course covers risk assessment, management responsibilities and corrective action relevant to people organising this process.
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