Risk assessment builder
Pick the hazards, rate likelihood and severity, and get a scored matrix you can print. Nothing is stored — the assessment stays in your browser.
Free Tool · Risk Assessment Template
Risk Assessment Builder: A 5-Step Working Checklist
Build a scored risk matrix from a task and its hazards.
Work through each step below and check off items as you complete them. This gives you a practical starting structure for a task or workplace risk assessment – use it alongside your organization’s official risk assessment form and record-keeping process.
Step 1: Identify the Hazards
- Walk the task or area and list every hazard you can see, not just the obvious ones.
- Ask workers who do the task regularly what near misses or close calls they have had.
- Review incident and near-miss records for this task or similar tasks.
- Consider hazards from equipment, materials, environment and work organization together.
- Check manufacturer instructions and safety data sheets for equipment and substances used.
Step 2: Decide Who Might Be Harmed and How
- Identify workers directly doing the task.
- Identify others nearby who could be affected, such as passersby or other trades.
- Consider vulnerable groups such as new starters, young workers or lone workers.
- Note how each group could realistically be harmed, not just a generic description.
Step 3: Evaluate the Risk and Existing Controls
- List controls already in place for each hazard.
- Judge whether existing controls are actually sufficient, not just present.
- Consider likelihood and severity together to prioritize the worst risks first.
- Check whether the hierarchy of controls has been applied – elimination and substitution before PPE.
Step 4: Record Findings and Implement Further Controls
- Write down significant findings in your official risk assessment format.
- Assign an owner and a deadline for each additional control identified.
- Communicate the findings and any new controls to everyone affected.
- Confirm new controls are actually in place before work proceeds, not just planned.
Step 5: Review and Update
- Set a review date, and stick to it even if nothing seems to have changed.
- Review immediately after any incident, near miss or process change.
- Check the assessment still matches how the task is actually being done in practice.
- Archive the previous version and date-stamp the updated assessment.
How to Use This Tool
Use this checklist as a working companion while you complete your organization’s official risk assessment form – it is a structure and memory aid, not a replacement document. Check items off as you go, and treat any unchecked item as an open action before you consider the assessment complete.
Why a Checklist Cannot Replace a Competent Assessor
A generic checklist helps make sure no step is skipped, but it cannot judge the specific risks of your actual workplace, task or equipment. A suitably experienced person should always lead or review the assessment, and higher-risk tasks may require a specialist or additional method statement alongside the risk assessment.
Relevant standards:
A documented, scored assessment is the basis for choosing the right controls.
Explore the full EN Standards Library for every standard referenced above, or read real Field Stories showing what happens when procedures are skipped.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a risk assessment be reviewed?
At a minimum on a set schedule such as annually, but always immediately after any incident, near miss, change in equipment, process or personnel that could affect the hazards present.
Who should be involved in a risk assessment?
The workers who actually perform the task should always be consulted, alongside a competent assessor. Their practical knowledge often reveals hazards or workarounds that would not be visible from documentation alone.
What is the hierarchy of controls?
A prioritized approach starting with elimination, then substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and finally personal protective equipment as the last line of defense, not the first.
Does every task need a full written risk assessment?
Lower-risk, routine tasks may be covered by a generic assessment, while higher-risk or non-routine tasks typically need a specific, written assessment. Your local regulations and organizational policy will define the exact threshold.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a method statement?
A risk assessment identifies hazards and controls; a method statement describes the step-by-step safe system of work for carrying out the task. The two are often used together, especially for higher-risk activities.