Risk assessment checklist
This is a checklist on what should be on your risk assessment. You can use it to review your current risk assessments and highlight what you
are doing well and where you could improve.
Legal standard: Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, Regulation 3 Risk assessment and Regulation 4 Principles of
prevention to be applied
Regulation 3 (1) Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of(a) the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work; and
(b) the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking.
Regulations 4 Where an employer implements any preventive and protective measures he shall do so on the basis of the principles specified in
Schedule 1 to these Regulations1
HSE: risk assessment website (http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/ )
Legislation: Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3242/contents/made)
Section
Standard
1. ADMINISTRATION DETAILS
1.1 recorded





It is recorded
electronic copy
word processed
linked to other records or documents
other languages if required
1.2 risk assessment
description



there is a description
it’s meaningful
it’s relevant
1.3 risk assessment reference
No.

There is an administration reference
Risk assessment checklist_last updated January 2016
Comment
1.4 proportional to the risk


risk assessment appears detailed enough for higher risk
hazards
the activity etc. assessed is broken down into key
components
1.5 assessment date


Yes
Current, within 1 year
1.6 Assessor’s name
 Yes
Assessor is connected with the work (ie not a contractor or
‘other’)
Yes
1.7 Assessor’s job role
1.8 Assessor’s signature
1.9 review date
Yes
 Yes
 Evidence the risk assessment has been reviewed
 Appropriate time scale
 Reason for review noted
1.10 manager responsible
name
1.11 manager responsible
signature
1.12 manager responsible
date
Yes
Yes
Yes
2. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ESTIMATION/EVALUATION
2.1 Hazards identified
 Yes
 Correct - ‘things with the potential to cause harm’ NOT
hazardous events/harm
 Significant hazards
 Routine, non-routine, emergency hazards
 Specific regulations – see support standards
Risk assessment checklist_last updated January 2016
2.2 Expert, industry and
common knowledge used to
identify reasonably
foreseeable risks


Evidence to expert and/or industry knowledge where
applicable
Specific regulations – see support standards
2.3 Who is harmed




Yes
Appropriate
Relevant to hazard
Included reference to employees at increased risk
groups of employees at
increased risk:
 Young person
 Inexperienced
workers
 Pregnancy/new
mothers/women of
childbearing age
 Individual capabilities
 Disabilities –
permanent and
temporary
 Lone working
2.4 Risk Estimation




Yes
Appropriate
Relevant to hazard
Included reference to employees at increased risk

Risk estimation carried out and recorded on the
assessment
Used an appropriate matrix
Likelihood of hazardous event reasonable
Severity of harm reasonable
Risk estimation recorded
Appropriate values
Correct value






Risk assessment checklist_last updated January 2016
2.5 Risk Evaluation
3. RISK CONTROLS
3.1 Significant findings
recorded
3.2 Risk controls
3.3 Hierarchy of control1
1
 Yes
 Correct
 High risk hazards can be easily identified
 Existing risk controls taken into account
Residual risk noted
Yes


Relevant to hazard
Full description (ie not ‘PPE’, ‘Training’ or ‘relevant
experience’)
 Protective and preventative controls
 Further action, if any, needed to be taken
 Person responsible
 Target date
 Completed y/n noted
Specific regulations – see support standards
 Evidence that the HoC has been applied
 Evidence that controls that offer higher levels of
protection are applied
 Specific regulations – see support standards
Hierarchy of controls Schedule 1 MHSWR, regulation 4:
1. avoiding risks;
2. evaluating the risks which cannot be avoided;
3. combating the risks at source;
4. adapting the work to the individual, especially as regards the design of workplaces, the choice of work equipment and the choice of working and production methods, with a view, in
particular, to alleviating monotonous work and work at a predetermined work-rate and to reducing their effect on health;
5. adapting to technical progress;
6. replacing the dangerous by the non-dangerous or the less dangerous;
7. developing a coherent overall prevention policy which covers technology, organisation of work, working conditions, social relationships and the influence of factors relating to the working
environment;
8. giving collective protective measures priority over individual protective measures; and
9. giving appropriate instructions to employees.
Risk assessment checklist_last updated January 2016