A workplace risk assessment should be reviewed when there is reason to believe it is no longer valid or when there has been a significant change in the matters it covers. In Great Britain, these are the statutory review triggers under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Northern Ireland has separate regulations containing the same core review tests.
The Legal Review Triggers
For employers in Great Britain, Regulation 3 requires a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to employees and relevant risks to people who are not employees. The assessment must be reviewed where there is reason to suspect that it is no longer valid, or where there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates.
Where the review shows that changes to the assessment are needed, the employer must make them.
This means a review should be driven by what is happening in the workplace and by the continuing validity of the assessment. Regulation 3 does not prescribe a general annual review interval.
Changes That Can Prompt a Review
Workplace change is an obvious point at which an existing assessment can become outdated. HSE guidance identifies changes to staff, processes, substances and equipment as circumstances that can introduce new risks and prompt a review.
The practical question is whether the change affects the hazards, people exposed, level of risk or controls on which the existing assessment depends. A change that leaves those matters unaffected may require little alteration. A change that affects them may require parts of the assessment to be reconsidered and the controls revised.
Managers should therefore connect risk assessment review with operational change processes. New equipment, revised methods of work or changes in staffing arrangements should not be treated as separate from workplace risk management.
Accidents, Near Misses and Worker Feedback
A review may also be appropriate when experience indicates that the existing assessment or controls may no longer provide an accurate picture of the risk.
HSE advises employers to consider a review when workers identify problems or following accidents or near misses. These events can provide evidence that a hazard was underestimated, a control is ineffective or working arrangements differ from those described in the assessment.
A review does not automatically mean starting the entire assessment again. The aim is to establish whether the existing assessment remains suitable and whether any part needs updating.
Reviewing Whether Controls Still Work
HSE guidance requires employers to review the controls they have introduced to make sure they are working. This gives managers an assurance question that goes beyond checking the date on the risk assessment.
Evidence may come from workplace observations, employee feedback, accident information and checks on whether the stated controls remain in place. Where the evidence shows that conditions or controls have changed, the assessment record should be updated accordingly.
For employers with five or more employees, HSE guidance states that the significant findings of the risk assessment must be recorded. Changes arising from a review should be reflected in that record.
Northern Ireland Requirements
Northern Ireland operates under separate health and safety legislation. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 also requires review where there is reason to suspect an assessment is no longer valid or where there has been a significant change in the matters it covers.
HSENI describes review and updating as the fifth stage of the risk assessment process and also requires recorded results where an employer has five or more employees.
Common Compliance Gaps
Problems can arise where organisations treat the review date as the purpose of the review. A document may have been recently signed off while failing to reflect changed equipment, staffing or working methods.
Other gaps include failing to reconsider assessments after accidents or near misses, relying on controls without checking whether they work in practice, and making operational changes without updating the recorded assessment.
Manager Checklist
- Confirm who is responsible for initiating risk assessment reviews.
- Identify assessments affected by changes to staff, processes, substances or equipment.
- Check whether accidents, near misses or worker concerns indicate that an assessment may no longer be valid.
- Verify that stated control measures remain in place and effective.
- Update affected parts of the assessment when the review identifies changes.
- Make sure recorded findings reflect the current workplace and working methods.
FAQ
Is an annual risk assessment review legally required?
The general review duty in Great Britain is based on validity and significant change. Regulation 3 does not set a universal annual interval.
Does every workplace change require a completely new assessment?
No. The issue is whether the existing assessment remains valid and suitable. Where only part of it is affected, the relevant part can be reviewed and amended.
Should a near miss trigger a review?
HSE advises employers to consider reviewing controls where there has been an accident or near miss. The event may show that the existing assessment or controls need reconsideration.
Must changes made during the review be recorded?
HSE states that employers with five or more employees must record significant findings and should update the risk assessment record with changes made.