Risk assessment template for Irish workplaces
An Irish workplace risk assessment should identify the hazards in the actual work, who could be harmed, the level of risk, the controls needed and who will put them in place. It should be reviewed when conditions change and its findings should feed the employer's Safety Statement. Copy the blank form below for a particular workplace or activity; do not use a completed example from another business as proof that your own risks have been controlled.
Under section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers and those controlling workplaces must identify hazards and assess risks. Section 20 requires a Safety Statement based on that process. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) says a generic Safety Statement that has not been made specific to the workplace does not meet these duties. The HSA offers its own templates and BeSMART tool, and says employers do not have to use one prescribed assessment layout. This form is another structure for recording the same site-specific thinking.
This page covers a standalone risk assessment for an Irish workplace. For a construction task requiring both the assessment and step-by-step work method, use the separate proposed Ireland RAMS template once that route is approved. A risk assessment is part of a RAMS; it does not by itself describe the entire job sequence.
When should you use this form?
Use it when a hazard or activity needs an explicit decision and action record: a new machine, changed delivery route, cleaning chemical, manual-handling task, lone work, workplace fire interface or contractor work in an occupied area. One assessment can cover a coherent activity, but a very broad “all site work” assessment may hide important differences. Specialist matters such as fire, chemical agents, asbestos, biological hazards, work at height or machinery may need additional competent assessment and controls.
The assessment should be conducted by someone familiar with the activity and with enough competence to identify what is missing. The HSA's risk-assessment guidance recommends a walk-through, information from workers and relevant manufacturer or technical instructions. Talk to the people doing the work; a manager drafting from an office may miss a shortcut, awkward access, seasonal change or a person affected by the work.
Copyable Ireland risk assessment
A. Scope and document control
| Field | Complete for the actual work |
|---|---|
| Organisation, site, area and activity | |
| Assessor, role and date | |
| Workers consulted and supervisor | |
| Normal and non-routine parts of the task | |
| Employees, contractors, visitors, public or others affected | |
| Equipment, substances, vehicles and relevant instructions | |
| Linked Safety Statement section and other assessments | |
| Existing permits, inspections or maintenance information | |
| Version, approver and next review trigger |
Specify the assessment boundary. “Warehouse” is too broad if loading, racking, picking and cleaning have different hazards. Note whether the assessment applies to night shifts, temporary workers, maintenance or unusual weather.
B. Hazard, risk and action record
| Activity/hazard | Who may be harmed and how | Current controls and evidence | Risk remaining before further action | Additional control, responsible person and completion date | Check that control works / residual risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: shared pedestrian and vehicle route | |||||
| Example: manual handling or awkward posture | |||||
| Example: electricity or machinery | |||||
| Example: chemical, dust or biological exposure | |||||
| Example: slip, trip or fall | |||||
| Example: fire, emergency or lone-work issue | |||||
| Other hazard specific to this workplace |
Replace the example rows with the hazards you find. “All staff” or “general PPE” can be too vague: say which workers, contractors or other people are exposed, how they could be injured or become ill, and the measure that actually prevents or reduces exposure. If an action is still open, say whether the activity may continue under an interim control or must stop until it is complete.
C. Control decision
| Question | Decision, evidence and owner |
|---|---|
| Can the hazardous task, substance or movement be eliminated? | |
| Can a safer method or substitute be used? | |
| What physical or engineering control protects people? | |
| What safe procedure, training or supervision is needed? | |
| What personal protective equipment remains necessary? | |
| How are vulnerable or particularly exposed people considered? | |
| Which control must be in place before work is released? |
Choose a measure suited to the hazard. For example, separate pedestrian and forklift routes rather than relying only on high-visibility clothing. For a harmful cleaning product, consider a safer product and suitable containment or ventilation before relying only on gloves. The HSA's Safety Statement and risk-assessment guidance asks employers to identify appropriate controls and make them part of the actual system of work.
D. Action and communication log
| Action | Person responsible | Due date/stop point | Evidence completed | Person informed | Follow-up check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The assessor should not close an action because a sentence has been added to a form. Check the guard, route, training, extraction, maintenance or other control in place. Record outstanding actions in the Safety Statement arrangements and make the relevant findings available to the people whose work is affected.
E. Review record
| Review question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Have the activity, equipment, substance, site or people changed? | |
| Has an incident, near miss or worker report shown a gap? | |
| Are controls still present and effective? | |
| Are actions overdue, and is an interim restriction needed? | |
| Who approved the revised assessment and when? | |
| Who has been told about the changed controls? |
The HSA describes risk assessments as live documents. Its plain-language guidance advises review at least annually and when work, equipment, chemicals, organisation or applicable requirements change, or when an incident suggests the assessment is no longer adequate. The important operational point is to review before relying on a stale control. Do not misstate that every activity has the same fixed statutory renewal period.
How to complete it in practice
Walk the work. Observe the normal job and the difficult version: peak demand, cleaning, fault clearing, access for maintenance, shift change and deliveries. Ask workers what actually happens. Look at relevant instructions, inspection results and previous incidents.
Separate hazard and risk. A forklift is a hazard; the risk is a pedestrian being struck or crushed at a particular crossing. A chemical is a hazard; the risk depends on the way it is used, concentration, duration and people exposed. Precise wording leads to useful controls.
Prioritise action. If a severe risk cannot be adequately controlled, stop that activity. Do not let a numerical risk score hide an absent guard, unknown exposure or overdue isolation. For lower risks, still assign actions and verify completion. A risk matrix can help consistency, but it is not a replacement for identifying practical controls.
Connect the assessment to the Safety Statement. The Safety Statement sets out how the employer manages safety, responsibilities and arrangements; the assessments provide the underlying hazard and control findings. Keep a link or reference so a change in one can trigger a change in the other. The HSA guide explains this relationship.
Brief and check. Tell affected people what changed and where the controlled route or method is. Inspect the control during work, not only at approval. A worker's signature does not prove that a barrier, extraction unit or safe access actually exists.
Worked example: a shared delivery route
In a small distribution premises, visiting drivers reverse into a loading bay while employees cross the same area to reach stores. The assessor observes the route at a busy time and records that a verbal “watch for vehicles” instruction is not a reliable separation measure. The team considers removing the crossing, then designs a marked and physically protected pedestrian route with a controlled crossing point. A named manager checks that the layout suits the vehicles and emergency route, briefs staff and visitors, and checks it after implementation. Until the route is in place, the employer restricts pedestrian movement during unloading under a supervised temporary procedure. The assessment records the outstanding works, owner, completion date and verification.
This is an illustration, not a completed assessment for a real depot. Vehicle movements, visibility and layout require local examination.
Common mistakes
- Copying UK legislation into an Irish form. Use Irish law, HSA guidance and Irish duty-holder language.
- Using a generic Safety Statement as the assessment. The HSA says the statement must be specific to the workplace and based on actual assessments.
- Listing hazards without actions. Record the control, owner, due date and evidence it is in place.
- Relying only on PPE or warnings. Consider changing the work and providing physical protection first.
- Forgetting people outside the team. Contractors, visitors and other affected people may be exposed.
- Treating approval as the end. Review after a material change or incident and check controls in use.
Where Complys fits
The proposed Ireland commercial route is /ie/risk-assessment-software. Its existence and Ireland-specific implementation were not independently verified during this writer-side pass. Do not link it as a live product page or claim automatic Irish-law compliance until Claude checks the current repository and product. The form above remains usable without any software. If a verified Complys destination exists, a restrained CTA could invite readers to keep assessments, actions and review history together; every specific feature claim must match the implementation.
Next step: complete the form at the workplace with the people who know the job, resolve the hold points, link its findings to the Safety Statement and check that the controls work.
Source, claim and writer-side QA register — checked 5 October 2026
| Material claim | Primary source | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Section 19 requires hazard identification and risk assessment; section 20 Safety Statement is based on them | HSA Safety Statement and Risk Assessment | Apply to actual workplace and duty-holder. |
| HSA provides templates but does not prescribe one format | HSA Safety Statement and Risk Assessment | This blank form is not HSA-approved. |
| A generic Safety Statement is insufficient | HSA Safety Statement and Risk Assessment | Adapt the statement and assessment to site. |
| HSA advises review at least annually and after material changes or incidents | HSA Risk Assessments Made Easy | Presented as HSA advice, not universal fixed statutory renewal. |
Cannibalisation: observed GB generic risk assessment template is jurisdictionally distinct. N5-088 is a combined Irish construction RAMS, while this is a standalone Irish workplace RA. No exact Complys IE form observed; check current repo/unpublished owners. Product truth: proposed IE money route inaccessible through web research; no live feature claim. Jurisdiction: Republic of Ireland, HSA and 2005 Act, not GB HSE/CDM. Links/CTA: HSA evidence and proposed sibling route only, with route gate. Writer-side QA: fillable form, action and review records, Safety Statement relationship, practical example, primary-source register and legal/product gates. Independent whole-page and repo QA remain outstanding.