HSE risk assessment templates
The HSE's own starting point for 'what could go wrong, and what are we doing about it?'
What it is
About HSE risk assessment templates
HSE risk assessment templates provide a structured five-step format (identify hazards, decide who might be harmed, evaluate risks and precautions, record findings, review) that meets the UK Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requirement for suitable and sufficient risk assessment. Safety managers use them as the baseline document for everything from routine site tasks to specific hazard assessments (manual handling, working at height, COSHH).
What you can do with it
Capabilities
Complete a structured five-step risk assessment for a given task or site
Document identified hazards, existing controls and further actions required
Use HSE's example assessments as a benchmark for common industries (construction, warehousing, offices)
Review and update assessments on a defined schedule as required by law
Demonstrate legal compliance to inspectors, insurers or auditors
How to learn it
Learning Resources
HSE's own free guidance and example risk assessments at hse.gov.uk
IOSH Managing Safely or NEBOSH General Certificate courses, which teach the methodology in depth
HSE's free online risk assessment tool and case studies by sector
Practise by writing a real risk assessment for a familiar task and comparing it against an HSE example
Pro Tip
Treat the HSE template as a minimum floor, not a ceiling — auditors and courts judge a risk assessment as 'suitable and sufficient' based on whether it genuinely reflects the real hazards of the specific task, not just whether the boxes are filled in
Skills that use this tool
Roles that use this tool