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Compliance Risk Assessment — UK Regulatory Compliance Made Simple
A compliance risk assessment identifies where your business might breach UK regulations — from GDPR and FCA rules to health and safety, environmental law, and sector-specific obligations. Anyrisks generates a fully written, regulation-referenced compliance risk assessment in minutes. Describe your activities, legal obligations, and current controls — we do the rest. £29, instant download.
Used by compliance officers, risk managers, legal teams and business owners across the UK
📋 Regulated by the FCA, ICO, CQC, Environment Agency or other body? Mention your regulator and specific obligations — we will reference the relevant legislation, rules, and enforcement powers in your compliance risk assessment.
Legal requirements for compliance risk assessment in the UK
There is no single law requiring a "compliance risk assessment" by that name, but the duty to identify and manage regulatory risk is embedded throughout UK legislation. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to assess health and safety risks. The Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR require data controllers to assess risks to data subjects. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 requires regulated firms to maintain systems and controls to manage compliance risk. The Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 require permit holders to assess environmental risks. Across all sectors, a written risk assessment documenting how you comply with legal obligations is considered fundamental to good governance.
Regulators expect organisations to demonstrate that they understand their legal obligations, have assessed the risk of non-compliance, and have implemented proportionate controls. The HSE expects documented risk assessments under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) expects data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) where processing is high-risk. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) expects firms to maintain compliance monitoring frameworks under SYSC rules. A compliance risk assessment is the foundational document that demonstrates this understanding.
In practice, a compliance risk assessment covers every area where regulatory breach could result in enforcement action, fines, prosecution, or reputational damage. This includes health and safety, data protection, financial conduct, environmental law, equality duties, safeguarding, fire safety, food hygiene, licensing, and any sector-specific obligations. Anyrisks assessments reference the relevant legislation and guidance for each area of regulatory risk you describe.
How it works
1. Describe your regulatory obligations
Tell us your sector, the regulations you must comply with (GDPR, FCA rules, environmental permits, health and safety law), your current controls, and any known compliance gaps. The more detail you provide, the more specific the compliance risk assessment.
2. Anyrisks does the heavy lifting
Anyrisks produces a fully written, UK-compliant compliance risk assessment referencing the relevant legislation, regulatory guidance, and enforcement powers. Every regulatory risk is documented with likelihood, impact, and control measures.
3. Download and implement
Download as PDF and Word. Use it to brief your team, inform internal audit scope, satisfy regulator requests, or demonstrate compliance to stakeholders. £29, no subscription, instant delivery.
What it covers
Every compliance risk assessment is written in full — covering all regulatory obligations relevant to your organisation.
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and MHSWR 1999 compliance
GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 — data processing, retention, subject rights
FCA Handbook rules — SYSC, COBS, PRIN for regulated financial services
Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 — waste, emissions, discharge consents
Equality Act 2010 — protected characteristics, reasonable adjustments, discrimination risk
Bribery Act 2010 — anti-bribery controls and adequate procedures
Modern Slavery Act 2015 — supply chain transparency and due diligence
Fire safety — Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 compliance
Food hygiene — Food Safety Act 1990 and Food Hygiene Regulations 2013
Safeguarding — DBS checks, Keeping Children Safe in Education, local safeguarding procedures
CQC registration — Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014
Licensing obligations — alcohol, late night refreshment, entertainment, taxis
Sector-specific regulations — construction CDM, care standards, education inspections
Regulator enforcement powers — HSE, ICO, FCA, Environment Agency, CQC, Ofsted
Works for
From financial services to healthcare, Anyrisks covers every sector and every type of regulatory obligation.
What customers say
"We were preparing for an ICO audit and needed to document our GDPR compliance gaps. Anyrisks produced a compliance risk assessment covering data retention, subject access requests and breach procedures in under 10 minutes. The ICO inspector was satisfied."
Rachel T.
Data Protection Officer, Manchester
"As an FCA-regulated firm we need to demonstrate compliance with SYSC and conduct of business rules. Anyrisks gave us a fully referenced compliance risk assessment covering financial promotions, client money, and complaints handling. It saved us days of work."
James P.
Compliance Manager, London
"We hold environmental permits for waste operations. Anyrisks covered our obligations under the Environmental Permitting Regulations, waste duty of care, and Environment Agency enforcement powers. It is now part of our management system."
Sarah M.
Environmental Manager, West Midlands
Anyrisks vs DIY compliance registers
| Anyrisks | DIY / Spreadsheets | |
|---|---|---|
| Written in full — not a blank template | ✓ | ✗ |
| References specific UK legislation and regulations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Covers all regulatory areas — not just health and safety | ✓ | ✗ |
| Identifies likelihood and impact of compliance breach | ✓ | ✗ |
| Documents current controls and residual risk | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ready in under 10 minutes | ✓ | ✗ |
| Instant PDF and Word download | ✓ | ✗ |
| Accepted by regulators and auditors | ✓ | Sometimes |
Frequently asked questions
What regulations does a compliance risk assessment cover?
A compliance risk assessment identifies where your business might fail to meet legal obligations under legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, GDPR, Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, Environmental Protection Act 1990, Equality Act 2010, and industry-specific regulations. The assessment reviews your current practices, documents gaps, and sets out controls to reduce the risk of regulatory breach.
Is this the same as a health and safety risk assessment?
No — a compliance risk assessment covers all regulatory risk, not just health and safety. It includes data protection, financial conduct, environmental compliance, equality duties, and any sector-specific legal obligations. A health and safety risk assessment is one subset of overall compliance risk.
Who needs a compliance risk assessment?
Any UK business subject to regulation. This includes financial services firms, care providers, construction companies, environmental consultancies, public sector organisations, charities, landlords, and any organisation handling personal data. If regulatory breach could result in fines, enforcement action or reputational damage, a compliance risk assessment is required.
Does it include GDPR and data protection compliance?
Yes — if you describe data processing activities, the compliance risk assessment will cover GDPR obligations, data retention policies, subject access request procedures, breach notification duties, and ICO registration requirements under the Data Protection Act 2018.
Can I use it for FCA or financial services compliance?
Yes — describe your regulated activities (consumer credit, insurance, investment advice, payment services) and the compliance risk assessment will reference the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, FCA Handbook rules, and specific conduct of business obligations relevant to your firm.
How is this different from an internal audit?
A compliance risk assessment is forward-looking — it identifies where regulatory breaches might occur and sets out preventive controls. An internal audit is backward-looking, reviewing whether controls were followed. The compliance risk assessment informs the audit scope and is updated as regulations change.
Does it cover environmental compliance?
Yes — describe your environmental activities (waste management, emissions, chemical storage, discharge consents) and the compliance risk assessment will cover obligations under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, Waste Duty of Care, and other relevant environmental legislation.
Is it accepted by regulators and auditors?
Yes — Anyrisks produces a fully written, regulation-referenced compliance risk assessment in the standard format expected by the HSE, ICO, FCA, Environment Agency, CQC, Ofsted, and external auditors. The format is professional and accepted across all sectors.
Also see: The ultimate guide to risk assessment · Do I need a risk assessment? · Risk assessment legal requirements · Risk assessment generator
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