Health and Safety Advice Sheet 2:
RISK ASSESSMENTS
BACKGROUND
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (as
amended) (Regulation 3), all businesses must carry out suitable and sufficient
risk assessments. This involves a detailed look at your workplace and work
activities, so that you can identify all the known hazards associated with them.
The five main hazards in any workplace will include the following broad areas:

Physical – machinery, structures etc.

Chemical – hazardous substances, dusts, fumes etc.

Biological – bacteria, moulds etc.

Ergonomic – work equipment, display screen equipment etc.

Psychological – stress etc.
THE LAW
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (as amended)
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO COMPLY?
Why carry out an assessment:

To identify what you need to do in order to satisfactorily control the risks in your
workplace.

It will enable you to target your resources on the most important risks.

It will help you to comply with the law.
What you must do
1. Identify the hazards present

A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm e.g. substances,
machines, or work methods.

Be systematic in looking at hazards e.g. look at them in groups such as
machinery, or transport or slips and trips.

Ensure all aspects of your work are covered including non-routine operations and
interruptions to work activity.
1

Specific Acts or Regulations may help to identify hazards e.g. lifts and pressure
vessels.

If there are no hazards then there are no risks.
2. Evaluate the risks
 Risk is the likelihood that the harm will occur. The extent of the risk relates to
the number of people who might be exposed and the consequences for them.
 Identify the significant risks i.e. ignore trivial and everyday life risks, and focus
on those arising from your work activity.
 It may be necessary to obtain specialist advice for unfamiliar risks e.g.
complex processes or ergonomic design (this means designing the work to fit
the person).
 Look at what actually happens in the workplace.
 Remember to take account of existing control measures.
3. Identify preventive and precautionary measures
 Use your assessment to decide how to control the risk e.g. avoid a risk by not
using a dangerous article if it is not essential; tackle root causes of risks rather
than treating the symptoms; examine the ergonomics of a work activity; use
the latest technical advances to improve work processes.
 Ensure you comply with any relevant legal requirements.
 Give priority to measures that protect the whole workplace.
 Ensure that all workers understand what they need to do i.e. give instruction
and training in precautions, control measures, etc.
4. Record the significant findings
 Significant hazards identified.
 The existing control measures, and the extent of control.
 The people who may be affected
 Details of how the assessment was made in order to demonstrate its suitability
and allow for informed review.
5. Review and revise
 When the nature of the work changes.
2
 When your experience suggests that the assessment is insufficient or no
longer valid.
 On a regular basis depending on the nature of the risks and the degree of
change.
Generic Risk Assessments
Employers who control a number of similar workplaces containing similar activities
may produce a model or generic risk assessment reflecting the core hazards and
risks associated with these activities. Trade associations, employers’ bodies may
also develop model assessments, or other organisations concerned with a particular
activity. Model assessments may be applied by employers at each workplace, but
only if they:

Satisfy themselves that the model assessment is appropriate to their type of work;
and

Adapt the model to the detail of their own work situations, including any extension
necessary to cover hazards and risk not referred to in the model. This is referred
to as a site specific risk assessment. Enforcers will not accept generic
assessments where a site specific risk assessment is needed and legal action
may be taken against your company – particularly where a serious accident /
incident has occurred.
Site Specific Risk Assessments
These concern the specific hazards that are unique to your premises and workplace,
and so are the most accurate way in determining whether you are doing everything
you can to eliminate or subsequently, control the remaining risks. Therefore, it is
usually common to come across both generic and site specific risk assessments
within a business – as long as they are accurate and apply to your workplace!
FURTHER GUIDANCE

5 Steps to risk assessment (INDG163(rev1)) HSE

HSE website (see Risk Management): www.hse.gov.uk
3
4
5