Sample
Health and safety risk assessment
The entries in italics are made-up examples, to show how it's filled in.
- Business
- Machine and site
- Assessed by
- Date
- Review by
Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, an employer has to assess the risks to their staff, and to anyone else affected by their work, and write them down in a safety statement. This sample covers the machine at a venue: our staff who restock and clean it, the venue's staff, and customers.
How to use it
- Walk round the machine at the venue, and change the hazards and controls to match what you find.
- Rate each risk with its controls in place: low, medium or high. Anything medium or high needs more action.
- Share it with the venue, so their own safety statement covers the machine.
- Review it once a year, after any accident or near miss, and whenever something changes.
- The HSA's free BeSMART.ie tool helps small businesses write a full safety statement.
Hazards and controls
| Hazard | Who could be harmed | How we control it | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot oven, hot pizzas and boxes | Customers, our staff | The oven is enclosed and the machine locked. Pizzas come out boxed, through the hatch. A "Careful: hot" sign at the hatch. The oven is only serviced cool, as the manual says | Low |
| Electric shock | Our staff, venue staff | A dedicated circuit, fitted and certified by a registered electrician. An isolator beside the machine. Panels stay locked; power off before cleaning inside. Venue staff report faults and never open the machine | Low |
| Moving parts inside the machine | Our staff | Only trained staff open the machine. Power off before reaching in, as the manual says. Guards stay in place | Low |
| Moving the machine in and out (around 650 kg) | Delivery crew, venue staff, the public | Route checked at the site survey. Moved by an experienced crew with a pallet truck or skates, outside opening hours, with the area kept clear. Levelled in place | Medium |
| Carrying stock and cool boxes | Our staff | A trolley or sack truck, parking close by, and loads kept light. Manual handling training | Low |
| Slips and trips around the machine | Customers, venue staff | No trailing cables. Spills and crumbs cleared at every visit; the venue keeps the area clear between visits | Low |
| Fire | Everyone at the venue | Certified circuit and an isolator. The machine serviced as the manual says, and never blocking a fire exit or escape route. It's included in the venue's fire safety plan | Low |
| Cleaning products | Our staff | Food-safe products, used as the label says. Gloves, and the safety data sheets kept | Low |
| Working alone and late | Our staff | Restocking while the venue is open and staffed. A charged phone, and someone knows where they are | Low |
| Cash in the machine | Our staff | Cash emptied regularly, at different times, in view of the venue's staff or CCTV | Low |
| Unsafe food or allergens | Customers | Covered by our HACCP plan and allergen chart | Low |
More action needed
| Action | Who | By when | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask the venue to add the machine to their fire safety plan | [Name] | [Date] | Yes |
| Put a "Careful: hot" sign at the collection hatch | [Name] | [Date] | Yes |
| Buy a sack truck for carrying stock in | [Name] | [Date] | |