Task Specific Risk Assessment Template for England and Wales

A Task Specific Risk Assessment is a legal requirement that helps you identify potential workplace hazards and implement appropriate safety measures for specific work activities. Under England and Wales law, you must conduct these assessments to protect your employees and comply with your statutory health and safety duties.

When do you need this document?

You need a Task Specific Risk Assessment whenever you introduce new work activities, change existing processes, or identify potential safety risks in your workplace. This includes scenarios such as introducing new machinery or equipment, implementing different work methods, working in confined spaces, handling hazardous substances, or when employees work at height. The assessment is also required when accident rates increase for particular tasks or when health and safety inspectors request evidence of risk management. Regular reviews are necessary, particularly after incidents or when work conditions change significantly.

Key legal considerations

Your Task Specific Risk Assessment must identify all reasonably foreseeable hazards including physical risks like machinery dangers, chemical hazards from substances, biological risks from exposure to harmful organisms, and ergonomic issues from manual handling. You must evaluate both the likelihood and potential severity of each risk, typically using a risk matrix system. The document should detail specific control measures following the hierarchy of controls: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. You must ensure that control measures are suitable, sufficient, and regularly monitored for effectiveness. The assessment should also identify who might be harmed, including employees, contractors, visitors, and members of the public.

Legal requirements in England and Wales

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers have a general duty to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of employees so far as is reasonably practicable. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 specifically require you to make suitable and sufficient assessments of workplace risks. Your assessment must be recorded if you employ five or more people, and you must review it regularly or when circumstances change. Specific regulations may apply depending on your industry, such as the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 for lifting activities, COSHH Regulations 2002 for hazardous substances, or Work at Height Regulations 2005 for elevated work. You must also provide adequate training, information, and supervision to ensure employees can work safely. Failure to conduct proper risk assessments can result in enforcement action, prosecution, and substantial fines from the Health and Safety Executive.