Free HSE template · Risk Assessment Templates
5-Step Risk Assessment Template
The five-step template keeps the assessment in the order the HSE method intends, because most failed assessments are steps done out of order or skipped. Each of the five steps is a labelled section of the template, so you cannot score before you have named the hazard, or record before you have decided the controls.
5-Step Risk Assessment Template — the HSE method, in order
Each step is a labelled section, so the order cannot be skipped. The scoring sits inside step 3, pre-control first, residual last.
Step 1 · Identify the hazards
Step 2 · Decide who might be harmed
Step 3 · Evaluate the risks & decide on controls
| Hazard | Pre L | Pre C | Pre score | Controls (hierarchy order) | Post L | Post C | Post score |
|---|
Step 4 · Record the findings
Step 5 · Review
The scoring sits inside step 3, the evaluation, so the pre-control score comes before the controls and the residual after them — the order an auditor looks for. The worked example shows the five steps on a chemical cleaning task, from the 3×3=9 start to the 2×2=4 after the substitution.
How to use the template
- Step 1 — identify the hazards on the walkover, one per line, including the working pattern and the people
- Step 2 — decide who might be harmed for each hazard; the who changes the control, so write it down
- Step 3 — evaluate: score likelihood and consequence, then select the controls in hierarchy order
- Step 4 — record the significant findings, the controls, the owners, the dates, and the sign-off
- Step 5 — set the review: after any incident, any change, and at the set interval
Worked example
A chemical cleaning task in a canteen: step 1 the hazard is the regular exposure to a hazardous cleaner; step 2 the two cleaners and the canteen staff nearby; step 3 pre-control 3×3=9, and the first control in the hierarchy is the substitution of a pre-diluted, low-hazard product, taking it to 2×2=4; step 4 the record names the product change, the owner, the date and the PPE that remains as the last layer; step 5 the review is set for the next product change or the annual cycle. The five steps, in order, on one page.
Standard & legal context
The method is the HSE (UK) Five steps to risk assessment, implementing the Management of HSW Regulations 1999 — regulation 3 the assessment duty, regulation 6 the recording duty. The template is the same sequence taught in IOSH Working Safely and Managing Safely and in the NEBOSH risk assessment units, and it maps to ISO 45001:2018 clause 6.1.2, so the template is the UK, the qualification and the standard in one document.
Common mistakes
- Collapsing steps 1 and 2 — listing the hazard without the who, then designing controls for an average worker who does not exist
- Inverting the control hierarchy in step 3 — reaching for PPE before substitution or engineering, the most common audit finding
- Recording the method and not the decisions in step 4 — controls in place instead of the interlocked guard, fitted and by whom
- Treating the review in step 5 as a date — the triggers (incident, change, new information) matter more than the calendar
Need the sign-off, not just the template?
The template is the preparation; the sign-off is the professional. For the statutory assessments, the audits, the ISO 45001 implementation and the training that comes with them, ask Muhammad Umer — 8+ years across Iraq, KSA and Pakistan, and the programme runs through umer-hse.pro. One message gets the written scope.
Common questions
5-Step Risk Assessment Template — answered
What is the 5-step risk assessment method?
1. Identify the hazards. 2. Decide who might be harmed. 3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions. 4. Record the findings. 5. Review the assessment. The order is fixed; the template keeps it fixed by labelling each section.
Who created the 5-step risk assessment?
It is the UK Health and Safety Executives method, published in its Five steps to risk assessment guidance and implementing the Management of HSW Regulations 1999. It is the standard teaching method across IOSH, NEBOSH and the ISO 45001 courses.
Is this template different from the general risk assessment template?
The layout is the same five steps; this template makes each step a labelled section so the order cannot be skipped, and the scoring sits inside step 3. The general template is the flat table version for experienced assessors.
Can I use it for a small business?
Yes — the recording duty formally applies at five or more employees in the UK, but the assessment duty applies at one. The template works at any size; the number of lines simply scales with the workplace.
Does it score the risk for me?
Yes — in step 3 you set likelihood and consequence (1–5) and the template shows the score, the band and the action the band requires, pre-control and post-control.
Can I print or export it?
Yes — Print / Save as PDF gives the signed document, and Export CSV gives every line for your file. The worked example is at the bottom of the template.
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THE HEALTH AND SAFETY is an education and knowledge network. The templates are free and open; the professional assessments and audits run through umer-hse.pro.
Safety disclaimer
These templates are practical documents, built to the UK baseline with the US equivalents named on each page. They do not replace a competent person assessment for high-risk work, a statutory assessment, or the advice of your insurer. Where a document has legal force — the fire risk assessment, the COSHH register, the permit to work — the responsible person owns it. Use the template as the preparation, and the competent person as the sign-off.