Risk Assessment Form

What this sheet is for

Record a risk assessment you have carried out yourself, in a layout that captures the part people forget: who is doing the further action, by when, and when it gets reviewed.

Who it is for

Anyone who has to write an assessment down — small employers, self-employed trades, clubs, village halls, event organisers and volunteer committees.

How to use it

1. Write down the rating scale you are using before you start, so the numbers in the table mean something to whoever reads it next.
2. Take one activity or area per sheet rather than trying to cover a whole site.
3. Fill in the controls that already exist before deciding what else is needed — most of the work is usually already done.
4. Give every further action an owner and a date, then date it again when it is done.
5. Set a review date and put it somewhere you will see it.

What is on the sheet

The layout is fixed at a size that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the A4 and Letter files are visually identical and print at full size on either. Rows are set at a height that an adult can actually write a date and a few words into with a pen — most printable tables are built in a word processor and never tested with one.

Questions

Why does the form not list any hazards?

Because the hazards depend entirely on what you are doing, and a printed list encourages people to tick the ones we happened to think of and stop. The value of an assessment is in looking at your own activity. What has to be assessed, and by whom, differs by country and by the kind of work — check what applies to you.

Does filling this in mean I have complied with something?

No. It is a blank pro-forma. It records your assessment and nothing more. Whether you are required to assess anything, what form it must take and how long it must be kept are questions for the rules where you are.