THE ANSWER, FIRST
Assess the risks of your work and put suitable controls in place, using HSENI’s guidance for Northern Ireland.
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Who is responsibleYour next stepsBefore spending moneyWhat you can do yourselfPutting it into practiceRecords to keepWhen to reviewCommon questionsOfficial sourcesWho is responsible?
Employers and relevant self-employed businesses operating in Northern Ireland.
Assess what could harm people through your business and take suitable precautions. HSENI states that employers with five or more employees must record their risk assessment results.
START HERE
Your next three steps
- 1
Identify hazards in your work and who could be harmed.
- 2
Assess the risks and put suitable precautions in place.
- 3
Record the findings where required and keep the assessment useful as work changes.
BEFORE YOU PAY
Make sure you’re buying the right job
- Explain what happens in the workplace, including non-routine work.
- Identify the people who may be affected.
- Ask for practical controls and actions under the correct local framework.
Watch out: Fewer than five employees does not mean there is no need to assess risk. GB legislation references must not simply be substituted for Northern Ireland’s framework.
Compare the whole cost of two quotesWhat can you do yourself?
Use HSENI’s steps to identify hazards and consider straightforward risks. Keep the focus on making work safer, rather than acquiring a generic folder.
When to get competent help
Get competent advice where the activity is complex or you cannot adequately assess or control the risk.
Give the adviser a task-based brief for the NI workplace
Before you commission work
Describe what people do, the equipment and substances involved, and the issues staff have raised. Ask a prospective consultant to identify the Northern Ireland basis for the advice and any work needing specialist input. Agree whether the service includes a site visit, staff consultation and action planning.
Follow through on the result
Review the proposed actions with the people responsible for carrying them out. Ask for vague recommendations to be made specific enough to implement and check. Keep a record of unresolved questions and escalation, especially when a business-wide policy needs adapting to different sites and local requirements.
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.
- Significant findings where required.
- Controls, actions and who is responsible.
- Reviews following changes or concerns.
When to review it
Review when work or conditions change and when there is reason to doubt whether the assessment remains adequate.
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
- Which Northern Ireland duties apply to this activity?
- Does the assessment reflect how we actually work?
- What actions are needed and who will check them?
Common questions
Can a GB legislative reference settle an NI duty?
Do not assume it can. Use Northern Ireland legislation and HSENI guidance for the relevant activity.
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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