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Are risk assessments a legal requirement? If you are looking for a simple yes or no answer here, the answer is yes, risk assessments are a legal requirement.

At least, they are a legal requirement at work.

We assess risk all day every day. Is it safe to cross the road? Is that plate hot? Is it going to rain? Do I need to put sun cream on? It becomes second nature, and half the time, we might not realise we are doing it. There is no law that tells us to do it. It is just second nature, and self-protection. We don't want to get hurt or face the consequences of a bad decision.

At work, employers have responsibilities under health and safety laws to protect their workers and anyone who may be harmed by their work.

1. It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees

The regulations that specifically make risk assessments a legal requirement are the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR). In fact, risk assessment is so important it has its own section under the MHSWR. Section 3.

It is the law under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) that every employer and self-employed shall carry out a risk assessment of any risks to the health and safety of employees or other persons.

1. Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of—
   1. the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work; and
   2. the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking...
2. Every self-employed person shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of—
   1. the risks to his own health and safety to which he is exposed whilst he is at work; and
   2. the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking...

So, risk assessments are a legal requirement for every employer and self-employed person, and they must assess the risks not only to those they employ, but also the risks to anyone else who may be affected by the work activities.

The regulations go further in that any employer employing over 5 or more employees must record (a)the significant findings of the assessment; and (b)any group of his employees identified by it as being especially at risk .

Even if you employ less than 5 employees you may be required to have a written record of your risk assessment since, you may need to supply it to clients or other stakeholders, and communicate the finding to employees.

Having the risk assessment written down is really the only way you can show you have done one, and will often be required for health and safety accreditations and pre-qualification questionnaires, especially in higher-risk industries.

So what format does a risk assessment need to follow to comply with the MHSWR?

While risk assessments are required by law, the MHSWR does not necessarily specify how to carry one out, just that the assessment of risks must be done. It is a good idea to follow the 5 steps to risk assessment , to make sure your risk assessment is sufficient.

There are different ways to record your risks assessments and even different types of risk assessment . It doesn't have to look pretty, but your assessment should be clear, easy to read and understandable. After all, your team need to be able to check and follow it.

Additional Laws

It's worth mentioning that the MHSWR isn't the only set of regulations that require risk assessments. It is the main regulation, and the basis of the law surround risk assessments. But, there are other legal requirements to consider.

For example, under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, a COSHH assessment is required. This is a risk assessment produced specifically for hazardous substances.

Under the Display Screen Regulations, employers are required to "perform a suitable and sufficient analysis" of workstations. Also referred to as a DSE assessment.

An employer who carries out work which is liable to expose any of his employees to risk from vibration shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk created by that work to the health and safety of those employees and the risk assessment shall identify the measures that need to be taken to meet the requirements of these Regulations.

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations require employers to assess the risk from vibration and the measures needed to control them, again, this requirement is to carry out a risk assessment.

So while the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations contain the fundamental requirement for all businesses to carry out risk assessments, other regulations also add additional legal requirements for specific hazards. These can specify some extra things that need to be included in your risk assessment, or legal limits that apply.

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Need help with your risk assessments? We have a large library of risk assessment templates you can edit and use for your business activities.