Free Risk Assessment Template UK

A free risk assessment template can be a useful starting point for UK businesses required to comply with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Templates are available in Word and PDF formats from HSE and industry bodies, and typically provide a blank structure following the five-step process. However, HSE inspectors frequently reject generic, template-based risk assessments because they lack the specificity required by law — they don't identify the actual hazards in your workplace, the real people at risk, or the control measures you've implemented. A template is a framework, not a finished document.

What is a risk assessment template?

A risk assessment template is a blank form or document structure designed to guide you through the legally required five-step process under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The template typically contains column headings or sections for: the activity or location being assessed, the hazards identified, who might be harmed and how, the risk rating (before and after controls), existing and planned control measures, the person responsible, and the review date.

Templates are freely available from HSE, local authority websites, trade associations, and private health and safety consultancies. Most are provided in Word (.docx) or PDF format. Word templates allow you to type directly into the document; PDF templates may be fillable forms or static documents requiring you to print and complete by hand.

A template does not do the risk assessment for you. It provides a structure — you still have to identify the hazards, evaluate the risks, and determine the appropriate controls based on your actual workplace and activity.

The legal requirements for a UK risk assessment template

There is no legal requirement for a risk assessment to use a particular template format. Regulation 3(6) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 only requires that employers with five or more employees record the significant findings of the assessment in writing. The law does not specify the form that record must take. HSE guidance in publication L21 states that a risk assessment should be straightforward in most cases and does not need to be over-complicated.

However, to meet the suitable and sufficient standard required by Regulation 3(1), a completed risk assessment template must demonstrate:

• That you have identified the significant hazards arising from the work
• That you have considered who might be harmed and how
• That you have evaluated the level of risk and determined appropriate control measures
• That the controls follow the hierarchy of controls set out in Schedule 1 of MHSWR 1999 — elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE
• That you have recorded the findings and communicated them to those affected
• That you have a process for reviewing the assessment when circumstances change

A template that consists of tick-boxes and generic phrases (such as "hard hats must be worn" without specifying the activity or hazard that makes them necessary) is unlikely to satisfy the suitable and sufficient test.

Free risk assessment template download options

HSE generic risk assessment template

The Health and Safety Executive publishes a free generic risk assessment template on its website as part of the guidance document INDG163 — Five Steps to Risk Assessment. The template is a simple table in Word format with columns for: What are the hazards? Who might be harmed and how? What are you already doing? Do you need to do anything else to control this risk? Action by whom and by when?

This template is widely used by small businesses and is legally sufficient if completed thoroughly and honestly. However, it requires the user to identify all hazards themselves — it provides no prompts for sector-specific risks.

Industry-specific templates

Trade associations and professional bodies offer free templates tailored to specific industries. For example:

• The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) provides templates for common construction activities
• The British Safety Council offers members templates for office work, manual handling, display screen equipment, and working at height
• ROSPA publishes templates for driving and road safety activities
• Local authorities sometimes publish templates for landlords, event organisers, and small food businesses

These templates include pre-populated hazard lists relevant to the sector, which can act as a useful checklist. However, they still require you to assess whether each hazard is present in your specific workplace and to record your specific control measures.

Free online form-based templates

Some websites offer free online risk assessment forms where you fill in fields in a web browser and download the completed document as a PDF. These tools are essentially digital versions of the HSE template. They do not generate tailored content — you still write the risk assessment yourself. Be cautious of websites that require you to create an account or provide payment details for a supposedly free template.

Sample sections from a compliant risk assessment template

Below are example completed sections from a generic risk assessment template, showing what a suitable and sufficient entry looks like compared to a generic, non-compliant entry.

Example 1: Office environment

Non-compliant entry:

Activity: Office work. Hazard: Slips, trips and falls. Who at risk: Employees. Existing controls: Floors kept clean. Additional measures: None. Review date: Annual.

Compliant entry:

Activity: General office work in first-floor open-plan workspace, 12 staff. Hazard: Trip hazard from trailing cables under desks and in walkways; slip hazard from wet floor in entrance lobby during rain. Who at risk: All office staff, visiting clients, delivery drivers entering lobby. Existing controls: Cable management trays installed at all workstations; entrance matting in place; daily visual inspection by office manager; spill kit stored in cleaning cupboard; wet floor signs available. Additional measures: Install trunking for remaining cables in print station area by 30 June (Facilities Manager); provide additional entrance matting for winter months by 1 November (Office Manager). Review date: Annually or after any trip incident.

Example 2: Construction work

Non-compliant entry:

Activity: Building work. Hazard: Working at height. Who at risk: Workers. Existing controls: Scaffolding. Additional measures: Use PPE. Review date: N/A.

Compliant entry:

Activity: External rendering to two-storey residential property, elevation up to 6.5m. Hazard: Fall from height during work on scaffold platform; materials falling onto persons below; scaffold collapse due to inadequate foundation or assembly. Who at risk: Rendering operatives, scaffold erectors, site manager, members of public on adjacent footpath. Existing controls: Independent tied scaffold erected by CISRS-certified contractor, inspected and tagged (report dated 12 May 2025); edge protection (top rail, mid rail, toe board) on all working platforms; exclusion zone marked below work area; materials lifted using gin wheel and secured containers; netting installed on public side; scaffold inspection every seven days recorded in site diary. Additional measures: Pre-start briefing to all operatives on safe access routes and edge protection requirements (Site Manager, daily); scaffold re-inspection if strong winds or after any modification. Review date: Weekly during works; after adverse weather; immediately after any near-miss or change to working method. Regulation: Work at Height Regulations 2005 Regulation 4 (avoid work at height), Regulation 6 (hierarchy of measures).

Why free templates often fail HSE inspections

HSE inspectors report that the most common failing in risk assessments is that they are generic, copied or template-based documents that do not reflect the actual work being done. According to HSE enforcement statistics, inadequate risk assessment is one of the most frequently cited breaches in improvement notices served under Section 21 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Common problems with template-based risk assessments include:

• Generic language that could apply to any workplace — for example, "ensure good housekeeping" without specifying what housekeeping measures are in place (cleaning frequency, storage arrangements, responsible persons)
• No evidence of genuine hazard identification — the template prompts are filled in with hypothetical hazards rather than hazards actually present in the workplace
• Control measures that are not implemented — the risk assessment states "toolbox talks will be provided" but there is no record of talks having been delivered, or staff are unaware of them
• Identical assessments for different sites — the same template is used for multiple locations without any site-specific information
• Tick-box compliance — the template is filled in as a paperwork exercise to satisfy an insurer or client, but the findings are not acted upon

During an HSE inspection, the inspector will compare the written risk assessment to the actual workplace conditions and interview workers to determine whether the assessment reflects reality. A template that has not been genuinely completed will be immediately obvious.

Alternative to free templates: instant generated risk assessments

Free templates require you to write the risk assessment yourself — to identify every hazard, assess every risk, and determine every control measure. For many business owners, this is time-consuming and difficult, especially where the work involves unfamiliar hazards or where multiple regulations apply (for example, working at height combined with manual handling and hazardous substances).

An alternative approach is to use an AI-powered risk assessment generator such as Anyrisks. You describe the activity in plain English — for example, "Replacing a domestic boiler in a small two-bedroom flat, working at height on a stepladder to access the wall-mounted unit, using hand tools and lifting a 40kg boiler with a colleague" — and receive a complete, written risk assessment in under two minutes.

The generated document identifies the specific hazards relevant to the described activity (working at height, manual handling, burns from hot surfaces, electrical isolation, confined space if working in a small airing cupboard), applies the hierarchy of controls correctly (e.g. recommending a platform stepladder rather than relying on PPE alone), cites the applicable regulations by name and number (Work at Height Regulations 2005 Regulation 6, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 Regulation 4, Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 Regulation 4), and provides both PDF and editable Word formats for £29.

This is materially different from a free blank template. The content is written for you, based on your specific description, with regulation references included. You still review and adjust the document to match your exact working methods — but the burden of drafting the assessment from scratch is removed.

What to look for in a risk assessment template

If you choose to use a free template rather than a generated assessment, ensure the template you select includes the following elements:

• Clear identification fields: activity, location, date, assessor name
• A column or section for hazards — with enough space to describe them specifically
• A column or section for who is at risk and how — prompting you to consider all groups (employees, contractors, visitors, vulnerable persons)
• A risk rating system (either numeric or high/medium/low) both before and after controls are applied
• A column for existing control measures — what you already have in place
• A column for additional control measures required — what further action you need to take
• Responsibility and target date fields — who will implement the additional measures and by when
• A review date field — when the assessment will be reviewed
• Space for sign-off by the assessor and a responsible manager

Templates that do not include responsibility, target dates, or review dates make it very difficult to demonstrate that you have implemented the findings of the assessment — a key part of the legal duty under MHSWR 1999 Regulation 3.

How to use a free template correctly

If you use a free template, follow these steps to ensure the completed document meets the suitable and sufficient standard:

• Walk the workplace or think through the task in detail before filling in the template — do not sit at a desk and guess what the hazards might be. Involve the people who do the work.
• Be specific — instead of writing "slip hazard", write "slip hazard from oil spillage in vehicle maintenance bay; smooth concrete floor becomes extremely slippery when contaminated". Describe the actual surface, the actual contaminant, the actual location.
• Name the people at risk by role or characteristic — instead of "employees", write "two full-time mechanics, one apprentice (age 17, limited experience), visiting MOT examiner, customers collecting vehicles".
• Apply the hierarchy of controls in order — for each hazard, consider: can we eliminate this? If not, can we substitute it with something safer? If not, what engineering controls can we put in place? Only then consider administrative controls and PPE.
• Record what you actually do, not what you would like to do — if the risk assessment says "weekly toolbox talks" but you do not currently hold weekly toolbox talks, the control measure is not in place and the risk rating should reflect that.
• Set realistic target dates for additional measures — if you identify that edge protection is needed on a flat roof, specify when it will be installed and who is responsible. "ASAP" and "ongoing" are not acceptable.
• Sign and date the assessment — the person who carried out the assessment and a responsible manager (director, site manager, health and safety officer) should both sign to confirm it has been completed and approved.
• Communicate the findings to those affected — the assessment must be made available to employees and others who need to know about the risks and controls. This might involve a briefing, a notice on a board, or inclusion in an induction pack.

When a template is not appropriate

A generic free template is not appropriate for higher-risk activities where specialist knowledge is required. Examples include:

• Work involving hazardous substances requiring a COSHH assessment — the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 impose specific assessment duties that go beyond a generic risk assessment. You must assess exposure, refer to safety data sheets, set workplace exposure limits, and determine control measures including health surveillance where required.
• Work in confined spaces — the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 require a specific assessment and a safe system of work before entry. A generic template will not prompt the necessary considerations (atmospheric testing, emergency rescue, permit-to-work).
• Major construction projects — the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require project-specific risk assessments during the design phase and construction phase, coordinated by the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor. A single generic template is inadequate.
• Fire risk assessment for complex premises — the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a structured fire risk assessment by a competent person. For large or high-risk premises (care homes, nightclubs, high-rise buildings), this must be carried out by someone with professional fire safety qualifications. A free generic template is not sufficient.

In these situations, you should either engage a competent health and safety consultant or fire risk assessor, or use a tool that generates assessments tailored to the specific regulations involved.

Cost of non-compliance: why a £29 generated assessment can save thousands

The average fine for a health and safety conviction in the UK in 2023/24 was £148,000, according to HSE statistics. In sentencing, courts consider whether the organisation had adequate risk assessments in place and whether they were implemented. An organisation that cannot produce a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, or that has a generic template-based assessment that does not reflect the actual work, is likely to receive a significantly higher fine.

Beyond fines, the costs of non-compliance include legal fees (defending a prosecution typically costs £20,000–£100,000), increased insurance premiums following a claim or conviction, reputational damage and loss of contracts (many clients require evidence of compliant risk assessments before awarding work), and civil compensation claims from injured workers.

For £29, Anyrisks generates a comprehensive, regulation-specific, written risk assessment in both PDF and editable Word formats. The return on investment is considerable when measured against the cost of getting it wrong.

Related risk assessment guides

For specific types of risk assessment, see: Construction risk assessments, Fire risk assessments, COSHH risk assessments, Event risk assessments, Landlord risk assessments. For the legal requirements in detail, see Risk assessment legal requirements. For an overview of the five-step process, see The ultimate guide to risk assessment.