Risk assessment template (UK)

What the law actually requires

• Everyone who employs people must assess risk. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires every employer (and the self-employed whose work affects others) to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks their work creates.
• 5 or more employees: it must be written down. Below 5 employees you must still do the assessment, you just do not have to record it. From 5 employees upwards the significant findings must be in writing. This template is that written record.
• "Reasonably practicable" is the standard. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 does not demand zero risk. It demands that you reduce risk so far as is reasonably practicable, weighing the risk against the cost and effort of controlling it.
• Some risks need their own assessment. Fire has its own legal regime under the Fire Safety Order, and hazardous substances need a COSHH assessment. Use the fire risk assessment template and the COSHH and workplace variants pack alongside this master template.

The HSE 5 steps, in plain English

• 1. Identify the hazards. Walk the workplace. Equipment, substances, electrics, vehicles, work at height, manual handling, lone working, stress. Check accident records and ask your staff; they know where the near misses happen.
• 2. Decide who might be harmed and how. Employees, contractors, visitors, the public. Give extra thought to young workers, new and expectant mothers and lone workers, who may need their own variant assessments.
• 3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions. Score likelihood and severity, look at your existing controls, and compare against HSE guidance for your industry to decide if more is needed.
• 4. Record your significant findings. A few clear lines per hazard: what it is, who is at risk, what you already do, what you will do next, who owns it and by when.
• 5. Review and update. After any significant change, after any incident, and at a fixed date at least annually.

What is in the pack

• Master template (Word): the 5 steps method plus a fill-in assessment table with likelihood, severity and scoring guidance and sign-off lines.
• Register (Excel): 40-row assessment register with 1 to 5 dropdowns, automatic risk score (likelihood x severity), RAG colour-coding, open-action counter and a separate 5x5 matrix tab with band definitions.
• Worked example (Word): a completed assessment for a fictional 7-person joinery workshop covering wood dust, machinery, manual handling, slips and fire, so you can see the expected level of detail.

I built these the same way I build data tools for clients: the scoring is done by formulas, the record structure matches what the law asks for, and there is no padding. Guidance references last checked: 15 July 2026.

Need a specific type of risk assessment?

The master template covers general workplace risk. Two areas have their own legal requirements and their own templates on this site:

Do I legally need a risk assessment?

Yes, if you are an employer or self-employed with work that could put others at risk. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require every employer to assess the risks their work creates. If you have 5 or more employees you must also record the significant findings in writing.

What are the 5 steps of a risk assessment?

The HSE method: 1) identify the hazards, 2) decide who might be harmed and how, 3) evaluate the risks and decide on precautions, 4) record your significant findings, 5) review and update. The master template in this pack walks through all five with space to record each one.

Is there a simple risk assessment template I can just fill in?

Yes. The Word version in this pack is a fill-in table: hazard, who might be harmed, existing controls, likelihood, severity, score and further actions. The completed worked example shows the level of detail that is actually expected, which is a few clear lines per hazard, not an essay.

How does the 5x5 risk matrix work?

You score each hazard for likelihood (1 very unlikely to 5 almost certain) and severity (1 negligible to 5 catastrophic), then multiply them. 1 to 4 is low, 5 to 9 medium, 10 to 15 high, 16 to 25 very high. The Excel template calculates and colour-codes the score automatically.

Is a risk assessment template free to use legally valid?

The format does not matter legally; the thinking does. A free template is fine as long as you genuinely assess your own workplace, involve your staff and act on the findings. Copying a generic assessment without adapting it will not stand up if the HSE or an insurer looks at it.

How often should I review a risk assessment?

Review it whenever something significant changes: new equipment, substances, processes or people, or after an accident or near miss. Most businesses also set a fixed review date, with annual review being common practice. The template has a review date field so it does not get forgotten.

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