How do I do a risk assessment? To do a risk assessment, you need to understand what, in your business, might cause harm to people and decide whether you are doing enough to prevent that harm. Once you have decided that, you need to identify and prioritise putting in place, appropriate and sensible control measures.

Start by:

• identifying what can harm people in your workplace;
• identifying who might be harmed and how;
• evaluating the risks and deciding on the appropriate controls, taking into account the controls you already have in place;
• recording your risk assessment;
• reviewing and updating your assessment.

When do I need to do a risk assessment? You should carry out an assessment before you do work which presents a risk of injury or ill-health. You only need to do a risk assessment if you are an employer or a self employed person.