A health and safety risk assessment is the starting point for everything else in workplace safety. It is how you find the hazards in your workplace, decide what to do about them, and work out exactly which training your team needs. This guide walks through the steps in plain language and shows how the assessment connects directly to training.
What a risk assessment is
A risk assessment is a careful look at what could cause harm in your workplace, so you can decide whether you are doing enough to prevent it. In Ireland it underpins your safety statement and your duties under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.
The five practical steps
- Identify the hazards - walk the workplace, talk to staff, review past incidents.
- Decide who might be harmed and how - employees, visitors, contractors, the public.
- Evaluate the risks and controls - what is already in place, what more is needed.
- Record your findings - write down hazards, controls and the training required.
- Review regularly - update when the work, equipment or people change.
How it decides your training
This is the key link most people miss: your risk assessment tells you which courses you actually need. If lifting is a hazard, you need manual handling training. If there is work at height, you need working at heights awareness. If older buildings are involved, asbestos awareness matters. Buy training because your assessment points to it - not at random.
The risk assessment is the employer's responsibility and is workplace-specific. Online courses build the awareness your assessment identifies as needed; they do not replace the assessment itself or the supervision and hands-on instruction some tasks require.
Common hazards to look for
- Manual handling and repetitive tasks.
- Slips, trips and falls.
- Fire and emergency readiness.
- Work at height, machinery, vehicles and chemicals.
- Display screen equipment in offices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should carry out the risk assessment?
The employer is responsible, often with input from a competent person and the employees who know the tasks best. It must reflect your actual workplace.
How does it relate to the safety statement?
Your safety statement is built on the risk assessment - it sets out how you manage the risks you identified.
How often should it be reviewed?
Review whenever the work, equipment, layout or people change, and periodically even when they do not, to confirm controls still work.
Turn your assessment into action: match courses to your hazards with our online safety training.
