Health and safety risk assessment

Once you have created your health and safety risk assessment, you should aim to review and revise it on a regular basis.

Why risk assessments need to be regularly revised

It's important to review and update your risk assessment because of the everyday changes that happen in all businesses. Few workplaces stay the same. Sooner or later, you will bring in new equipment, substances and procedures that could lead to new hazards. So it makes sense to review what you are doing on an ongoing basis.

How to review your health and safety risk assessment

Look at your risk assessment again:

• Have there been any changes?
• Are there improvements you still need to make?
• Have your workers spotted a problem?
• Have you learnt anything from accidents or near misses? 

Make sure your risk assessment stays up to date.

When you are running a business it's all too easy to forget about reviewing your risk assessment - until something has gone wrong and it's too late. Why not set a review date for this risk assessment now? Write it down and note it in your diary as an annual event.