Free Tool · Risk Assessment Template
Risk Assessment Builder: A 5-Step Working Checklist
Work through each step below and check off items as you complete them. This gives you a practical starting structure for a task or workplace risk assessment – use it alongside your organization’s official risk assessment form and record-keeping process.
Step 1: Identify the Hazards
- Walk the task or area and list every hazard you can see, not just the obvious ones.
- Ask workers who do the task regularly what near misses or close calls they have had.
- Review incident and near-miss records for this task or similar tasks.
- Consider hazards from equipment, materials, environment and work organization together.
- Check manufacturer instructions and safety data sheets for equipment and substances used.
Step 2: Decide Who Might Be Harmed and How
- Identify workers directly doing the task.
- Identify others nearby who could be affected, such as passersby or other trades.
- Consider vulnerable groups such as new starters, young workers or lone workers.
- Note how each group could realistically be harmed, not just a generic description.
Step 3: Evaluate the Risk and Existing Controls
- List controls already in place for each hazard.
- Judge whether existing controls are actually sufficient, not just present.
- Consider likelihood and severity together to prioritize the worst risks first.
- Check whether the hierarchy of controls has been applied – elimination and substitution before PPE.
Step 4: Record Findings and Implement Further Controls
- Write down significant findings in your official risk assessment format.
- Assign an owner and a deadline for each additional control identified.
- Communicate the findings and any new controls to everyone affected.
- Confirm new controls are actually in place before work proceeds, not just planned.
Step 5: Review and Update
- Set a review date, and stick to it even if nothing seems to have changed.
- Review immediately after any incident, near miss or process change.
- Check the assessment still matches how the task is actually being done in practice.
- Archive the previous version and date-stamp the updated assessment.
How to Use This Tool
Use this checklist as a working companion while you complete your organization’s official risk assessment form – it is a structure and memory aid, not a replacement document. Check items off as you go, and treat any unchecked item as an open action before you consider the assessment complete.
Why a Checklist Cannot Replace a Competent Assessor
A generic checklist helps make sure no step is skipped, but it cannot judge the specific risks of your actual workplace, task or equipment. A suitably experienced person should always lead or review the assessment, and higher-risk tasks may require a specialist or additional method statement alongside the risk assessment.
Relevant standards:
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should a risk assessment be reviewed?
At a minimum on a set schedule such as annually, but always immediately after any incident, near miss, change in equipment, process or personnel that could affect the hazards present.
Who should be involved in a risk assessment?
The workers who actually perform the task should always be consulted, alongside a competent assessor. Their practical knowledge often reveals hazards or workarounds that would not be visible from documentation alone.
What is the hierarchy of controls?
A prioritized approach starting with elimination, then substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and finally personal protective equipment as the last line of defense, not the first.
Does every task need a full written risk assessment?
Lower-risk, routine tasks may be covered by a generic assessment, while higher-risk or non-routine tasks typically need a specific, written assessment. Your local regulations and organizational policy will define the exact threshold.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement?
A risk assessment identifies hazards and controls; a method statement describes the step-by-step safe system of work for carrying out the task. The two are often used together, especially for higher-risk activities.
Explore the full EN Standards Library for every standard referenced above, or read real Field Stories showing what happens when procedures are skipped.