Risk Assessment Template: How to Identify and Manage Workplace Risks
A risk assessment is one of the most important safety documents a business can produce. It identifies hazards, evaluates risks, and documents the controls that keep people safe. A well-structured risk assessment template ensures that every risk is assessed consistently and that nothing falls through the cracks.
What is a risk assessment?
A risk assessment is a systematic process of identifying hazards in the workplace, evaluating the risks they pose, and implementing controls to eliminate or minimise those risks. It is a foundational document in any workplace health and safety (WHS) program and is often a legal requirement.
The goal of a risk assessment is simple: to prevent people from getting hurt. By identifying hazards before they cause harm, you can take action to control them.
The five steps of a risk assessment
Every risk assessment follows the same five-step process:
Step 1: Identify hazards
Walk through your workplace and identify anything that could cause harm. Common hazards include:
- Physical hazards (machinery, heights, noise, electricity)
- Chemical hazards (cleaning products, solvents, fumes)
- Biological hazards (bacteria, viruses, mould)
- Ergonomic hazards (repetitive motion, heavy lifting, poor posture)
- Psychosocial hazards (stress, harassment, fatigue)
Talk to workers, review incident reports, and inspect equipment. The people doing the work often know the hazards best.
Step 2: Assess the risks
For each hazard, evaluate the level of risk. Risk is a combination of two factors:
- Likelihood — how likely is it that the hazard will cause harm? (Almost certain, likely, possible, unlikely, rare)
- Consequence — how severe would the harm be? (Catastrophic, major, moderate, minor, insignificant)
A risk matrix helps you combine these two factors to produce a risk rating (low, medium, high, extreme). This rating tells you which risks need urgent attention.
Step 3: Implement controls
Use the hierarchy of controls to manage each risk. The hierarchy, from most to least effective, is:
- Elimination — remove the hazard entirely (e.g., stop using a dangerous chemical)
- Substitution — replace the hazard with something safer (e.g., use a less toxic cleaner)
- Engineering controls — isolate people from the hazard (e.g., install guards on machinery)
- Administrative controls — change how people work (e.g., training, procedures, signage)
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) — equip workers with safety gear (e.g., gloves, goggles, helmets)
Always start at the top of the hierarchy. PPE is the last resort, not the first.
Step 4: Record the findings
Document everything. A risk assessment that is not written down might as well not exist. Use a risk assessment template to ensure every hazard, risk rating, and control is recorded consistently.
Step 5: Review and update
Risk assessments are not set-and-forget. Review them regularly — at least annually — and whenever something changes: new equipment, new processes, new workers, or after an incident.
Essential sections of a risk assessment template
A comprehensive risk assessment template should include:
1. Assessment information
- Assessment title and reference number
- Date of assessment
- Assessed by — name and role
- Location — area or activity being assessed
- Review date — when the assessment should be revisited
2. Activity description
- Task or activity — what work is being assessed
- Who is involved — workers, contractors, visitors
- Where and when — location and frequency of the task
3. Hazard identification
For each hazard:
- Hazard description — what is the hazard
- Hazard type — physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, psychosocial
- Who is at risk — who could be harmed and how
4. Risk evaluation
For each hazard:
- Likelihood — probability of harm
- Consequence — severity of harm
- Risk rating — low, medium, high, extreme (from the risk matrix)
- Current controls — what is already in place
5. Risk treatment
For each risk:
- Additional controls needed — what will be done to reduce the risk
- Hierarchy level — elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE
- Control owner — who is responsible for implementing the control
- Target date — when the control should be in place
- Residual risk — the risk rating after controls are implemented
6. Sign-off
- Approved by — name and role of the approver
- Approval date
- Next review date
How to write an effective risk assessment
- Involve the workers. The people doing the work know the hazards best. Involve them in the assessment process.
- Be thorough. Do not rush. Walk the workplace, observe the tasks, and talk to the people. A missed hazard is an uncontrolled risk.
- Use a risk matrix. A risk matrix brings objectivity to risk evaluation. It prevents guesswork and ensures consistent ratings.
- Follow the hierarchy of controls. Do not jump straight to PPE. Always try to eliminate or engineer out the hazard first.
- Be specific. "Provide training" is vague. "Conduct a 2-hour manual handling training session for all warehouse staff, delivered by a certified trainer, with attendance recorded" is specific and actionable.
- Document everything. If it is not written down, it did not happen. A risk assessment template ensures consistency and completeness.
Common risk assessment mistakes
- Treating it as a paperwork exercise. A risk assessment filed in a folder and never acted on is useless. The value is in the controls you implement.
- Only assessing once. Workplaces change. Equipment wears out. Processes evolve. A risk assessment that is never reviewed becomes inaccurate and potentially dangerous.
- Relying on PPE. PPE is the least effective control. If you can eliminate, substitute, or engineer out the hazard, do that first.
- Vague controls. "Be careful" is not a control. Describe exactly what will be done, by whom, and by when.
- Not involving workers. A risk assessment written by someone who has never done the work will miss real hazards.
Use a template for consistency
A risk assessment template ensures every assessment follows the same structure, captures the same information, and is easy to review. Editi's risk assessment template includes all the essential sections, a risk matrix, professional formatting, and branded headers and footers. Fill in the details, and export to Word or PDF for your records.
A good risk assessment is not about ticking a box — it is about keeping people safe. Identify hazards thoroughly, assess risks objectively, implement controls using the hierarchy, document everything, and review regularly. Done well, a risk assessment prevents injuries and saves lives.
Start from a template
Editi's WHS risk assessment template gives you all the sections above ready to go — hazard identification, risk rating, control measures and monitoring — so you can focus on safety instead of formatting.
Related templates
Editi has free templates for every step of your safety management process: