Free risk assessment template (Word download)

A simple, editable risk assessment for any UK workplace — an office, shop, workshop, warehouse or site. Record the hazards, who could be harmed, what you're already doing, and what more needs doing.

Download the risk assessment template (.docx)

[DISCLAIMER — DRAFT, FOR SOLICITOR REVIEW] This template is a starting point only. You are responsible for assessing the risks of your own work, and for making sure any document you produce from it is suitable and sufficient for the task, the site and the people involved. It is not health and safety advice.

What's in the template

1. Document control — workplace, area covered, who assessed it and when
2. Risk assessment — hazards, who could be harmed, existing controls and a scored rating
3. Risk rating key — a 5 × 5 likelihood and severity scale
4. Action plan — further action, who does it and by when
5. Review — when to look at it again
6. Sign-off — record that staff have been told the findings

The HSE's five steps

The Health and Safety Executive sets out risk management as five steps, and the template follows them:

1. Identify hazards — anything in your workplace that may cause harm.
2. Assess the risks — who could be harmed and how, and what you're already doing.
3. Control the risks — decide what further controls are needed, and put them in place.
4. Record your findings — the hazards, who's at risk and what you're doing about it.
5. Review the controls — check they're working, and update the assessment when things change or after an accident or near miss.

Do you have to write it down?

Every employer must assess the risks to their workers and others affected by their work. If you employ five or more people, you must record the significant findings. With fewer than five it isn't compulsory, but a written record is still the easiest way to show you've done it.

Tips for a useful assessment

• Focus on significant hazards — the ones that could cause real harm — rather than listing everything.
• Walk round the workplace and ask staff what concerns them; they often know best.
• Look back at accident and ill-health records for less obvious hazards.
• Write controls that someone could check, and give every action a name and a date.
• Don't rely on paperwork alone — the point is to control the risks in practice.

Specific hazards may need their own assessment — see the COSHH, manual handling and lone working templates. For construction work, contractors usually need a RAMS.