Write a risk assessment
The HSE five-step method in the editor — hazards, who might be harmed, controls, and scores that have to make sense.
7 min read · Last reviewed 18 August 2026
Start the assessment
- 1
Open Risk assessments and create a new assessment; name the activity and the site it covers.
- 2
Add hazards — from the hazard library, which carries harmed-group presets and control suggestions, or from scratch when the risk is particular to you.
Tip: Assess the activity, not the building. “Using the bench grinder” produces controls someone can follow; “the workshop” produces a poster.
Who might be harmed, and how
- 1
For each hazard, record who could be harmed — operators, cleaners, visitors, residents and service users — and how the harm would happen.
- 2
Be specific enough that a new starter could read it and recognise the situation.
Controls, then score
- 1
List the controls already in place, honestly — what actually happens, not what the old document says.
- 2
Score likelihood and severity on your organisation’s matrix; the banding is shared, so every assessor’s red means the same red.
- 3
Add the further controls needed, then score the residual risk. The residual score must be coherent with the controls you added — the editor will not let controls that change nothing claim a lower number.
Note: Severity floors stop a hazard that could kill being scored trivially: some severities cannot be rated down, whatever the likelihood.
Before you publish
Read it as the person doing the job. Would they recognise the task? Could they follow the controls?
Check the review date — the register will chase it, so make it a date you mean.
Publishing is covered in “Publish, sign off and get it acknowledged” — drafting and publishing are different jobs.