Every employer and self-employed person in the UK has a legal duty to assess the risks in their work. The HSE sets out a simple, five-step approach — you don't need to be a safety expert to understand it.
Walk through your work and spot anything with the potential to cause harm: chemicals, working at height, slips and trips, manual handling, electrical equipment, dust, and so on. Ask your team — they often notice things you don't.
For each hazard, identify who could be affected — staff, contractors, visitors, members of the public — and how the harm might happen. Some groups need extra thought, such as new or young workers, expectant mothers and lone workers.
Judge how likely harm is and how serious it could be, then decide what to do about it. The law expects you to do everything "reasonably practicable" to control risk — following the hierarchy of control: remove the hazard if you can, and if not, reduce, isolate or protect against it.
Write down the significant hazards, who is at risk and the controls you've put in place. If you employ five or more people, recording your assessment is a legal requirement. Even if you have fewer, a written record is strong evidence that you've met your duty.
A risk assessment is a living document. Review it regularly and whenever something changes — new equipment, a new process, an accident or near-miss, or a change in how you work.
We'll write a bespoke risk assessment for your work — flat fee, £75.