The five  steps to completing a risk assessment

Making sure your workplace is safe and compliant is vital – and completing risk assessments are the best way to protect your employees and your business, as well as comply with your legal obligations. Plus, if you employ five or more people, documented risk assessments are a legal necessity!  

This guide breaks down the process into five simple steps, providing practical examples and expert insights to help you confidently navigate Health & Safety  regulations. Download our free Risk Assessment Checklist to get started!

Risk assessment checklist

Risk assessments don’t have to be complicated. We’ve broken down the process into five easy-to-follow steps. Whether you’re new to completing risk assessments or looking for a refresher, this is the checklist for you. .

Step 1: Identify hazards

A hazard can be anything that has the potential to cause harm to anyone. This includes:

• Physical hazards – Tangible dangers within the workplace that can cause immediate bodily harm. This could be slippery floors, faulty wiring or unguarded machinery.
• Chemical hazards – This involves substances that can cause harm through contact, inhalation, or ingestion, such as cleaning solvents, fumes or dust.
• Biological hazards – These stem from living organisms or their byproducts, posing risks of infection or allergic reactions, including things like bacteria, viruses or mould.
• Ergonomic hazards – These hazards come from poorly designed workspaces or tasks that strain the body. Such as poor posture, repetitive tasks or heavy lifting.
• Psychological hazards – Often overlooked, these relate to workplace stressors that can negatively impact mental health and wellbeing. These hazards could be stress, anxiety or burnout.

To identify hazards, carry out a thorough workplace inspection, making sure to involve your employees, as they’re the ones who know where the everyday hazards are. 

Step 2: Assess who’s at risk

Think about who could be harmed by the hazards that you identified in step 1. You should be considering employees, contractors, people who are visiting and even members of the public that might be affected. 

If applicable, you should also take into account vulnerable individuals, such as pregnant women, younger or older employees and employees with disabilities, because you’ll need to cater to their specific needs.

Step 3: Evaluate the risk

Ask yourself how likely it is that harm could occur, and how severe the harm could be. .You could use a risk matrix to categorise them – and a . 5×5 risk matrix is a good place to start. This risk matrix  categorises risks from insignificant to major and from rare to almost certain. 

Use this to figure out the likelihood of harm, and the severity of that harm and use it to consider your control measures. 

Step 4: Record your findings

Document your findings in a clear and detailed manner. You need to include the identified hazards, who’s at the most risk, evaluated risk levels, and control measures that you plan to put in place.

Keep in mind that this is a legal document, and you need to store it safely and somewhere that’s easily accessible. An incident occurs on your site, you’ll need to have your risk assessment to hand.

H3: Step 5: Review, review, review

Remember that your risk assessment is a living document, and needs to be reviewed regularly. Some events that might need a review could be after accidents or near misses, when there are changes in work processes or legislation or when new equipment is introduced.

You should also encourage employee feedback on potential hazards, and taking their feedback into account doesn’t just help you identify and reduce risks, but it also helps you demonstrate your business’s commitment to employee safety.

Download your FREE risk assessment checklist

Our team of experts can also provide you with their specialist advice based on the latest government guidelines to help you keep your people safe and your business on the right side of the law. Simply give us a call on 0161 826 6802 and our team will be happy to discuss your business needs.

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