THE ANSWER, FIRST
Start with the real hazards in your work and how you control them. If you employ five or more people, record the significant findings. Having fewer staff does not remove the need to assess risk.
Check the sourceJump to a section
Who is responsibleYour next stepsBefore spending moneyWhat you can do yourselfPutting it into practiceRecords to keepWhen to reviewCommon questionsOfficial sourcesWho is responsible?
Employers. Self-employed people should check whether their work puts others at risk or falls within activities covered by health and safety law.
Identify hazards, assess the risks and eliminate them or put suitable controls in place. Record significant findings if you employ five or more people.
START HERE
Your next three steps
- 1
Walk through your activities with the people who do the work.
- 2
Identify who could be harmed, including visitors and contractors.
- 3
Put controls in place and review them when circumstances change.
BEFORE YOU PAY
Make sure you’re buying the right job
- 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.
Watch out: 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.
Compare the whole cost of two quotesWhat can you 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 competent 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.
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.
Compare costs and decide what to buy
Use these buying guides to prepare your brief, check exclusions and compare the whole price.
Keep a useful record
Aim for information that helps the next person make a sound decision.
- 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.
When to review it
Review when controls may no longer work, after relevant incidents or when work changes. There is no single review interval for every business.
Ask a supplier to distinguish a legal deadline, a recommendation based on risk and a condition in your contract or insurance. They are not interchangeable.
Questions to put to a provider
- Will you assess our actual work activities?
- How will our staff be involved?
- Will the actions be proportionate to our risks?
Common questions
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.
Check the official sources
Read the current guidance for the place where you operate. A link is not an endorsement of this website by the regulator.
Source-checked guidance. Specialist editorial sign-off is pending; this is not an assessment of your business. It does not cover every specialist activity or replace competent, case-specific advice.
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