# Where do I start with a workplace risk assessment?

Understand what could harm people in your business and take practical steps to control it.

Jurisdiction: England, Wales, Scotland
Source check: 2026-11-03. Editorial status: source-checked draft; specialist sign-off pending.

## Who this covers
Employers. Self-employed people should check whether their work puts others at risk or falls within activities covered by health and safety law.

## The requirement
Identify hazards, assess the risks and eliminate them or put suitable controls in place. Record significant findings if you employ five or more people.

## Practical steps
- Walk through your activities with the people who do the work.
- Identify who could be harmed, including visitors and contractors.
- Put controls in place and review them when circumstances change.

## Common mistake
A generic template is a starting point, not an assessment of your workplace. Having fewer than five employees does not remove the duty to assess risks.

## Timing
Review when controls may no longer work, after relevant incidents or when work changes. There is no single review interval for every business.

## Questions for a provider
- Will you assess our actual work activities?
- How will our staff be involved?
- Will the actions be proportionate to our risks?

## Official sources
- [HSE: managing risks at work](https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm)
- [HSE: steps needed to manage risk](https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/steps-needed-to-manage-risk.htm)

General information, not an assessment or a statement that a business is compliant.


## Assess the work people actually do

### Before you commission work
Invite the people who carry out each task to describe normal work and the awkward exceptions: deliveries, cleaning, breakdowns and staff shortages. Gather previous concerns and near-miss information. If commissioning help, explain which activities need attention rather than simply requesting a complete health and safety folder.

### Follow through on the result
Turn findings into specific changes with a named owner. “Be careful” is difficult to implement or verify; ask what practical change is intended. Review progress with the workers affected and check whether the change works during a normal shift. Record unresolved questions for someone with the appropriate competence rather than treating them as completed actions.

## Related buying guides
- [Health and safety consultant costs: project or retainer?](https://whatcompliance.com/buying-guides/health-and-safety-consultant-costs)

## Buying the right work
- List your actual activities, including cleaning, deliveries and maintenance.
- Involve the people who do the work and identify what is already controlled.
- Ask for an assessment of your activities, with practical actions, rather than a generic document pack.

## What you can do yourself
You may be able to assess straightforward risks yourself using HSE’s guidance and your knowledge of the work. A template can organise your findings; it cannot inspect the workplace for you.

## When to get help
Use competent help when you cannot assess or control the risks adequately. Bring in relevant expertise for specialist activities, rather than expecting one generic assessment to settle every issue.

## Records to keep
- The hazards and who could be harmed.
- Existing controls, further actions and who will complete them.
- Review triggers such as new equipment, changed work or an incident.

## Do I need a consultant to complete every risk assessment?
No. HSE says you can do it yourself or appoint a competent person to help. The important question is whether the assessment and controls are suitable for the work.

## Must every risk assessment be reviewed annually?
Review the controls when they may no longer be effective or work changes, and consider incidents and staff concerns. A calendar date is useful organisation, not a substitute for those triggers.

Source check for this expanded guide: 2026-11-03. Specialist sign-off pending.