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Risk assessment

This page exists to help managers and their appointed ‘Risk Assessors’ to assess and manage risk.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations requires employers to assess and manage significant risk, the Health and Safety (HSE) executive promotes a 5 Steps to Risk Assessment approach.

It is important for managers to understand the risk assessment process, therefore it is a mandatory for managers to attend the Managing Health and Safety Course. As a manager you should appoint a ‘Competent Risk Assessor’, the Council provides a one day risk assessment course available from Learning and Development.

Where a significant risk has been identified, the manager must put in controls to manage the risk so far as is reasonable practicable, where resources do not allow this, the risks must be escalated up the management chain. The results of the risk assessment must be shared with employees and other (young persons and their parent) as appropriate.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) 5 Steps to Risk Assessment

Step 1: Identify the hazards

Step 2: Decide who might be harmed and how

Step 3: Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions

Step 4: Record your findings and implement them

Step 5: Review your assessment and update if necessary

Risk Management and Risk Assessment Guidance

This HSE provides guidance and tools to help understand what you need to do to assess and control risks in the workplace and comply with health and safety law. Although written with small businesses in mind, the site is relevant to all businesses and has risk assessment tools you may find useful. There are also audio tutorials and leaflets about the 5 Steps to Risk Assessment.

Southampton City Council exemplar risk assessment

In some cases it may be acceptable for a generic risk assessment to cover several activities at one, for example a general office risk assessment, the exemplar assessment has been produced for office manager to adapt for their local use.

Exemplar General Office Risk Assessment

For Risk Assessment templates and relevant guidance, see the downloadable documents section below.

Document Type Size
Risk Assessment Generaldocx253.6 KB
Risk Assessment Display Screen Equipmentdocx1.1 MB
Risk Assessment - Manual Handlingdoc193.5 KB
Task Listdocx577.7 KB