How to Do a Workplace Risk Assessment in Ireland

A risk assessment should help an employer decide how work can be carried out without exposing people to avoidable harm. It is not a list of hazards that sits unused in a folder. A useful assessment identifies what could cause injury or illness, who could be affected, how exposure occurs, what controls are already in place, what else needs to change and who will check the result. It should match the actual work in the Republic of Ireland and be revisited when that work changes.

Section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires employers to identify hazards in workplaces under their control, assess the risks they present and possess a written assessment. The assessment must be reviewed after a significant change or where there is another reason to believe it is no longer valid, and necessary improvements must be implemented. The Health and Safety Authority's guidance explains the practical process. This article is about doing the assessment. The existing Irish safety statement guide owns the broader statement itself.

Hazard, risk and control are different things

A hazard is something with the potential to cause harm, such as an unguarded moving part, a chemical, traffic movement or a working-at-height task. Risk concerns the likelihood and severity of harm, including who may be exposed and how often. A control is a measure that removes or reduces the exposure. The HSA distinguishes hazard from risk and asks employers to consider both the chance and seriousness of harm.

Write a description that leads to a decision. “Forklift” is a hazard label. “Pedestrians cross the reversing route while orders are packed” describes an exposure that can be controlled. A single generic phrase such as “manual handling risk” may hide very different tasks. Explain the task, location and people involved so a worker can recognise the situation.

A numerical score can support prioritisation, but it is not the legal conclusion. A low-looking score cannot justify leaving a known serious hazard uncontrolled. The Act requires a real assessment and implementation of necessary improvements. The HSA does not require every employer to use one proprietary matrix or template to satisfy section 19.

Step 1: define the work and people affected

List normal tasks and activities that happen less often: cleaning, maintenance, deliveries, breakdowns, emergencies and work away from the usual premises. Walk the workplace when work is underway. Speak with workers, supervisors and any contractors who understand the job. Review accident, near-miss, ill-health and maintenance information. Check supplier instructions, safety data sheets and relevant sector rules when a particular hazard has its own requirements.

Identify who may be harmed: employees, temporary staff, contractors, visitors, customers and members of the public where work may affect them. Consider workers with different experience, tasks or vulnerabilities without making assumptions about any individual's health. Section 19 expressly refers to unusual or other risks affecting an individual or group of employees. The point is to assess actual exposure, not label people as the hazard.

Set a sensible scope. A small office can have a concise assessment of its real risks. A construction contractor may need task, site and project detail that changes as work progresses. HSA guidance notes that separate sections can be needed for multiple locations or changing activities. A universal document downloaded for another business is unlikely to describe those differences.

Step 2: identify hazards systematically

Look at physical, health and organisational hazards. Depending on the work, consider plant, vehicles, slips, falls, electricity, substances, noise, manual tasks, biological agents, working alone and work-related stress. Do not include every theoretical hazard in the world. Section 19 is about risks generated by work activities under the employer's control. The HSA's guide describes a systematic look at hazards and gives prompts.

Observe conditions at different times. A warehouse may appear orderly between deliveries but develop blocked routes at dispatch. A guard may be fitted during an inspection but removed for a frequent adjustment. A hazardous product may be used only for monthly cleaning. Ask workers what changes under time pressure and when equipment is unavailable. Document both the normal system and foreseeable deviations.

For each hazard, describe how harm could occur. A substance label identifies a chemical, but the assessment should explain whether people may inhale it, get it on skin or be exposed during a spill. A height is not automatically the whole risk; access method, edge protection, surface and rescue arrangements matter. The detail should be enough to choose and review a control.

Step 3: assess exposure and priorities

Consider the likelihood of harm, potential severity, frequency and number of people exposed. The HSA's risk assessment guidance uses these factors to help set priorities. A severe event may deserve urgent attention even if it is infrequent. Long-term exposures can matter even when no one has reported immediate pain. If an imminent serious danger is found, make the area safe through the appropriate procedure before waiting for a complete written analysis.

Check existing controls honestly. Is a guard present and working? Is ventilation maintained? Are workers trained and able to follow the method? Does a contractor understand the same site rules? Do not award a lower risk category simply because a policy exists. Record the control's condition and whether it is used during real work. Where exposure needs measurement or technical judgement, arrange competent assessment rather than inventing a number.

Decide which issues must be addressed first. The resulting priority should drive resources and deadlines. A risk register that colour-codes hazards without assigning action does not fulfil the practical purpose of section 19.

Step 4: choose controls that address the source

Ask whether the hazardous task or material can be removed, or the job redesigned. If not, consider safer substitution, isolation, guarding, engineering controls and a system of work that reduces exposure. Training, supervision and PPE can support stronger measures, but they may be insufficient alone. HSA guidance asks whether the hazard can be eliminated or the job changed to make it safer, and what further precautions are needed.

Check hazard-specific legislation. The general section 19 duty does not replace detailed rules on a particular exposure. A noise or asbestos assessment, for example, may need measurements and controls under specific regulations. The risk assessment should refer to the applicable requirement and competent evidence. It should not silently treat a general checklist as a full specialist assessment.

Assign each improvement to someone with authority and resources. State what will change, by when, and how workers are protected in the meantime. If a permanent fix is delayed, an interim measure may be needed or the task may have to stop. That decision depends on the risk at the site. Inform the people affected and check whether the new control creates a different hazard.

Step 5: write down the assessment and communicate it

Section 19 requires a written assessment. A practical record includes the task and area, hazard, people exposed, existing controls, assessed risk, additional controls, action owner, target date and review trigger. It does not require a particular HSA form. The HSA says employers may use a suitable format and should include their risk assessments with the safety statement.

Section 20 of the Act requires a written safety statement based on hazard identification and risk assessment. The two documents are related but not identical. The assessment is the analysis of a task and controls; the statement sets out the broader programme for securing and managing safety and health. Readers needing the statement's required contents should use the existing safety statement guide. This page keeps the focus on the assessment method.

Make relevant findings understandable to the people who perform the work. A document that only managers can access may not influence a dangerous task. Explain changed procedures, train where needed and give contractors relevant risk information. Seek worker input when checking whether a control will work. A signature is not a substitute for understanding.

Step 6: review when the evidence changes

Section 19(3) names significant change and other reasons to believe the assessment is no longer valid as review triggers. A new machine, substance, location, task, incident or evidence that a control failed can trigger review. The HSA's practical guidance recommends at least annual review. Distinguish that guidance from the statutory wording: the law does not allow an employer to ignore a significant change until an annual date.

Revisit the work with the people who do it. Check whether actions were completed and whether the control reduced exposure. If a guard is routinely removed or a new procedure creates another risk, amend the assessment and improve the system. Section 19(4) requires necessary improvements identified by the most recent assessment to be implemented. A reviewed document without follow-through misses that duty.

Example: a warehouse loading route

A warehouse has forklifts moving through a loading bay used by pickers. The assessment observes the busy period and identifies where a person could be struck. It checks existing lines and barriers and finds that pallets are regularly staged across the marked route. The team considers redesigning the staging location, separating pedestrian and vehicle movement, changing the traffic pattern and training workers in the revised system. A supervisor owns the changes, with an interim control while the layout is altered. After implementation, the business inspects the busy period again and asks workers whether the route stays clear.

The example illustrates the method. It does not certify a traffic plan for a particular warehouse. Site dimensions, vehicles and work patterns require an assessment specific to that location.

For teams assessing ways to organise written assessments and follow-up, evaluate Complys Ireland risk assessment software. Ask the product team to demonstrate the actual workflow.