Health & Safety Risk Assessments
Ensure the wellbeing of your staff, customers, and visitors. We provide comprehensive Health & Safety and Disability Access Audits with rapid dispatch across the UK.
- Nationwide Service: Highly qualified safety consultants across the UK.
- Legally Compliant: Adheres strictly to the HASAWA 1974 & MHSWR 1999.
- Disability Access Included: Ensure compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
- Multi-Service Discount: Combine with Fire and Legionella assessments.
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Your Statutory Duty of Care
If you operate any kind of commercial premises—whether it is a small retail shop, a busy dental practice, or a sprawling warehouse—you have a fundamental legal responsibility to protect the people within it.
Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) states that it is the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of all their employees.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
While HASAWA 1974 lays the groundwork, the specific legal requirement for a Risk Assessment comes from Regulation 3 of the 1999 regulations. This law explicitly states that every employer must make a "suitable and sufficient assessment" of the risks to the health and safety of their employees, as well as persons not in their employment (like customers, contractors, and visitors).
The Cost of Negligence & HSE FFI
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not issue warnings lightly. Under the Fee For Intervention (FFI) scheme, if an HSE inspector visits your site and finds you are in material breach of the law (such as lacking a valid risk assessment), they will charge you an hourly rate for their time spent identifying the issue. This is before any formal fines, improvement notices, or civil compensation claims from injured staff are even calculated.
The "Competent Person" Requirement
Regulation 7 of the MHSWR 1999 dictates that you must appoint one or more "competent persons" to assist you in undertaking your health and safety duties. If you lack the internal expertise to accurately assess complex workplace risks, outsourcing this duty to the highly trained professionals at Safety Certificates UK immediately fulfills this legal requirement.
The HSE 5-Step Methodology
Our nationwide assessors do not use generic, copy-and-paste templates. We conduct a rigorous site audit following the Health and Safety Executive’s exact 5-step risk assessment methodology.
1. Identify the Hazards
We physically walk your premises to identify anything that could cause harm. This includes obvious dangers like trip hazards, trailing cables, and poor lighting, as well as hidden threats like poor Display Screen Equipment (DSE) ergonomics, hazardous substances (COSHH), and manual handling risks.
2. Decide Who Might Be Harmed
A hazard is only a risk if someone interacts with it. We assess how your staff, cleaners, contractors, and the general public navigate your space. We pay special attention to vulnerable groups, such as expectant mothers, young workers, and individuals with disabilities.
3. Evaluate Risks and Decide on Precautions
Once we identify a hazard, we evaluate the likelihood of it causing harm and the potential severity. We then advise on practical control measures following the Hierarchy of Hazard Control (Elimination, Substitution, Engineering Controls, Administrative Controls, and finally PPE).
4. Record Our Findings
If you have five or more employees, it is a criminal offence not to have your risk assessment written down. We provide a comprehensive, legally robust digital report that you can easily share with inspectors or insurance brokers.
5. Review and Update
Workplaces evolve. We offer ongoing support and can schedule regular reviews to ensure your documentation remains legally valid as your business grows.
Disability Access Audits
Workplace safety isn't just about preventing accidents; it is about ensuring equal access for everyone. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers, employers, and landlords have a legal obligation to make "reasonable adjustments" to ensure that disabled individuals are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people.
As part of our comprehensive service, our assessors can incorporate a rigorous Disability Access Assessment into your standard Health and Safety audit.
- Physical Barriers: Assessing ramps, doorway widths, and the absence of step-free access.
- Visual & Auditory Aids: Checking the adequacy of tactile paving, high-contrast signage, and hearing loop systems.
- Facilities: Ensuring disabled washrooms meet the required spatial and structural dimensions.
A proactive Disability Access Audit not only protects your organization from costly discrimination claims but also broadens your customer base and fosters an inclusive workplace culture.
The Safety Certificates UK Advantage
We blend professional compliance expertise with a down-to-earth approach, ensuring your legal obligations are met without the stress.
The Multi-Service Discount
Managing multiple compliance contracts is a headache and a drain on your budget. Book us once. Our assessors can combine your Health & Safety, Disability Access, Fire Safety, and Legionella assessments into one highly efficient, non-intrusive visit.
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Safety is not an area where you can cut corners. We operate under strict ISO 9001:2015 quality management standards. When you hand our report to a local authority inspector, it carries the weight of accredited, rigorously audited excellence.
Post-Visit Advice
Our job doesn't end when we hand over the paperwork. We offer ongoing phone support to help you understand your action points. If you are unsure how to fix a hazard identified in the audit, our friendly team is just a call away to guide you.
Health & Safety FAQs
Expert answers to common workplace safety compliance questions.
Yes. If you employ five or more people, it is a strict legal requirement under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to have your risk assessments recorded in writing. If you have fewer than five employees, you must still conduct the assessment to identify risks, but you do not legally have to write it down (though doing so is strongly recommended to prove compliance if an accident occurs).
The HSE states that risk assessments must be reviewed "regularly." As a general industry standard, we recommend a formal review annually. However, you must immediately review your assessment if there has been a significant change in the workplace (e.g., new machinery, new office layout), if a vulnerable person joins the team, or if an accident or "near miss" has occurred.
Operating without a valid risk assessment exposes you to massive liabilities. The HSE can issue Improvement or Prohibition notices, halting your business operations. Furthermore, if an employee is injured and you cannot produce a valid assessment, your Employers' Liability Insurance may be voided, leaving you personally liable for expensive civil compensation claims.
The law requires the assessment to be conducted by a "Competent Person"—someone with the necessary training, skills, and experience to identify hazards accurately. If you run a small, low-risk office, you may have the competence to do this yourself. However, for more complex environments (warehouses, healthcare settings, construction), missing a critical hazard could lead to severe injury and prosecution. Hiring an external, certified consultant ensures your legal duty is met perfectly.