Use the structure. Build it properly in Graftly.
Static templates are useful starting points, but risk assessments need to be adapted to the task, site conditions, people involved and controls required. Graftly helps you create, store, export and share cleaner site-specific risk assessments.
- Site-specific, not generic
- Stored by job or site
- Ready to export and share
Risk assessment template structure
A practical risk assessment usually covers the hazard, who could be harmed, the controls in place and what further action is needed. Use the grouped structure below as a starting point, then create a site-specific version in Graftly rather than editing a static file.
Job and site details
- Project/site
- Client
- Location
- Date
- Assessor
- Task or activity
Hazards
- Hazard identified
- Who could be harmed
- How harm could happen
- Existing controls
Risk rating
- Likelihood
- Severity
- Overall risk level
- Priority
Controls and actions
- Additional controls needed
- Person responsible
- Target date
- Completion status
Review and sign-off
- Review date
- Supervisor or responsible person
- Team sign-off
- Notes or comments
What is a risk assessment?
A risk assessment is a way of identifying what could cause harm, who might be affected and what controls are needed to reduce the risk. For UK construction, trades and site-based work, risk assessments help teams plan safer work before the job starts and keep a record of the controls agreed.
A suitable risk assessment considers the hazards involved, the people at risk, the control measures already in place, any further controls needed, how the document will be reviewed and signed off, and the site-specific context that makes each job different.
UK risk assessment requirements in plain English
For UK employers and contractors, risk assessments are part of managing health and safety before work starts. The key duty is not just to create paperwork, but to identify hazards, decide who could be harmed, put suitable controls in place and review those controls when work or site conditions change.
If you employ five or more people, significant findings usually need to be recorded. Even smaller firms often keep written records because clients, principal contractors or site managers may ask to see how the work has been planned.
For construction and site-based work, a construction risk assessment template or risk assessment example is a useful starting point — but the finished assessment should be specific to the task, site conditions, people involved and controls required. That is where a reusable risk assessment structure, adapted inside Graftly, works better than a static file.
What should a risk assessment include?
Why use Graftly instead of another static risk assessment template?
Free templates are helpful, but they often end up copied, renamed and buried in old folders. Graftly gives UK trades a more practical way to create risk assessments from a mobile-first workflow, keep them organised by site and export clean records when needed.
Static template
- Easy to copy
- Can become outdated
- Needs manual editing every time
- Harder to organise by site
- Harder to track sign-off
Graftly
- Built around site-document workflows
- Reuses site and job details
- Keeps risk assessments organised
- Exports clean PDFs
- Supports sign-off and sharing
Example: working from ladders
A short worked example for a common site task. Adapt this to your job, site and team rather than copying it wholesale.
- Hazard
- Falls from height
- Who could be harmed
- Operatives, other site workers, members of the public
- Initial risk
- High
- Likelihood
- Medium
- Severity
- High
- Existing controls
- Suitable ladder selection, pre-use checks, level ground, three points of contact, short-duration use only
- Further action
- Use platform access for longer tasks, brief team before work starts, review if weather or site conditions change
- Risk after controls
- Low/Medium, if controls are followed and reviewed
- Review trigger
- Weather changes, task changes, equipment condition issue, or longer-duration work required
Risk assessment vs method statement vs RAMS
Risk assessment
Identifies hazards, who might be harmed and what controls are needed.
Method statement
Explains how the work will be carried out safely, step by step.
RAMS
Combines risk assessments and method statements into one site safety document.
See our method statement template or the plain-English RAMS guide for how these documents fit together.
Common risk assessment mistakes
- Using a generic template without adapting it to the site
- Listing hazards without clear controls
- Forgetting who could be harmed
- Not assigning owners for follow-up actions
- Not reviewing the assessment when site conditions change
- Not sharing the assessment with the team
- Storing risk assessments where they cannot easily be found later
Related site safety documents
Risk assessments rarely sit on their own — they connect with other Graftly document types across the same job or site.
Frequently asked questions
What is a risk assessment?
A risk assessment identifies hazards, who could be harmed and what control measures are needed to reduce risk before work starts.
Do I need a risk assessment for construction work?
UK construction and site-based work usually requires suitable assessment of health and safety risks before work starts. The assessment should be specific to the task, site conditions and people involved.
Can I use a risk assessment template?
Yes, but it should be adapted to the specific job, site, team and hazards. A generic template should not be used without checking it fits the work being carried out.
What should a risk assessment include?
It should usually include the task, hazards, who could be harmed, existing controls, further actions, responsible person, review date and sign-off.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and RAMS?
A risk assessment identifies hazards and controls. RAMS usually combine a risk assessment and method statement into one document.
Do I need to write down a risk assessment?
If you employ five or more people, significant findings usually need to be recorded. Smaller firms may still choose to keep written records because they help show how risks are being managed and are often requested by clients or site managers.
Can I create risk assessments in Graftly?
Yes. Graftly supports risk assessments alongside RAMS, method statements, COSHH assessments, toolbox talks, incident records and sign-offs.