Broken Arm Risk Assessment Template for England and Wales

A Broken Arm Risk Assessment is a crucial workplace safety document that helps you identify, evaluate, and control risks that could lead to arm fractures or injuries in your workplace. Under England and Wales health and safety law, you have a legal duty to assess risks to your employees and implement appropriate control measures to prevent injuries, including broken arms and other serious workplace accidents.

When do you need this document?

You need to complete a Broken Arm Risk Assessment whenever your workplace activities present a significant risk of arm injuries. This includes construction sites where workers handle heavy materials or operate machinery, manufacturing facilities with moving equipment or assembly lines, warehouses with manual handling operations, and any environment where employees work at height or with potentially dangerous tools. The assessment is also required when introducing new equipment, changing work processes, or following any incident that resulted in or could have resulted in an arm injury. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you must review and update these assessments regularly to ensure they remain current and effective.

Key legal considerations

Your Broken Arm Risk Assessment must comply with several critical legal requirements under England and Wales legislation. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 establishes your fundamental duty to ensure the safety of employees and others who may be affected by your work activities. You must document all identified hazards that could cause arm injuries, assess both the likelihood and severity of potential harm, and implement suitable control measures following the hierarchy of controls. The assessment should include existing safety measures such as personal protective equipment, training programs, and safe working procedures, as well as any additional controls needed to reduce risks to an acceptable level. If an incident occurs resulting in a broken arm or serious injury, RIDDOR 2013 requires you to report it to the Health and Safety Executive, making accurate risk assessment documentation essential for demonstrating due diligence.

Legal requirements in England and Wales

Under England and Wales law, your risk assessment must meet specific statutory requirements and follow HSE guidance. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 mandate that assessments must be suitable and sufficient, recorded in writing where you employ five or more people, and regularly reviewed when circumstances change. You must ensure that employees receive appropriate information, instruction, and training based on the assessment findings. The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 require you to consider first aid provisions for potential arm injuries, including access to trained first aiders and appropriate equipment. Your assessment should also address your common law duty of care, demonstrating that you have taken all reasonable steps to prevent foreseeable harm. Documentation must be retained for inspection by HSE enforcement officers and should clearly show how you identified risks, evaluated their significance, and implemented proportionate control measures to protect your workforce from arm injuries.