Risk Assessing

Course Overview

A risk assessment filed in a drawer is not a risk assessment. It’s paperwork.

The whole point is to understand what could cause harm in your workplace, decide whether you’ve done enough about it, and act if you haven’t. Done properly, it protects your people, demonstrates your legal compliance and gives you something concrete to stand behind if something does go wrong. Done badly, or not done at all, it leaves you exposed in every direction.

Most organisations know they need risk assessments. Fewer have staff who genuinely understand how to carry them out well. The assessments get completed because they have to be, not because anyone is confident they’re right. They don’t get reviewed. They don’t reflect what actually happens on the ground. And when something goes wrong, they’re the first thing an inspector or a court asks to see.

Our risk assessment course gives staff the knowledge and practical confidence to carry out assessments that are actually useful. Not tick-box exercises. Real, proportionate, working documents that reflect your workplace and hold up to scrutiny.

The course is built around current UK legislation and HSE guidance, including duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Course Details

  • Duration: Half day or full day
  • Delivery: Face-to-face in-house, or remote via Zoom or Teams
  • Certificate: CPD-accredited Risk Assessment certificate
  • Validity: Refresher recommended periodically or in line with organisational policy
  • Group size: Flexible

Who the Course Is For

This course is for anyone who carries out, contributes to or signs off on risk assessments as part of their role. That includes:

  • Managers and supervisors
  • Health and safety representatives
  • Team leaders
  • Business owners
  • HR and compliance staff
  • Anyone responsible for completing or reviewing risk assessments

It’s relevant across all sectors and all workplace types. Whether your team works in an office, on a construction site, in a warehouse, a school or a care setting, the legal duty to assess risk is the same. What changes is the nature of the hazards, and this course works with your environment rather than around it.

Why This Training Is Important

Every employer in the UK has a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and anyone else affected by their work.

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, organisations must take all reasonably practicable steps to reduce risk in the workplace. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 go further, requiring employers to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments and, where five or more people are employed, to record the significant findings in writing.

The Health and Safety Executive sets out a clear five-step process: identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risks and decide on precautions, record your findings, and review and update when needed. That process is what this course teaches staff to apply in practice.

When risk assessments are poor, outdated or missing entirely, the consequences are real:

  • Workplace accidents and injuries that could have been prevented
  • Unlimited fines and prosecution under health and safety legislation
  • Civil claims from injured employees, with records used as evidence
  • Improvement or prohibition notices from HSE inspectors
  • Reputational damage that outlasts the incident itself

The HSE’s position is unambiguous: if the assessment wasn’t carried out properly, or wasn’t reviewed when things changed, that’s a failure of legal duty. Training staff to do it right is one of the most direct investments an organisation can make in its own protection.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

  • Understand legal responsibilities for risk assessment under UK legislation
  • Identify hazards across a range of workplace environments
  • Assess levels of risk accurately and proportionately
  • Apply the hierarchy of control to select appropriate measures
  • Implement and communicate control measures within their team
  • Record risk assessments clearly, accurately and in a legally defensible format
  • Review and update assessments when circumstances change
  • Understand and apply dynamic risk assessment in real-time situations
  • Distinguish between hazard and risk with confidence
  • Recognise common risk assessment mistakes and how to avoid them

Course Content

  • What risk assessment is and why it matters
  • Legal framework: HSAW, etc
  • The HSE five-step risk assessment process
  • Identifying hazards: who might be harmed and how
  • Evaluating risk: likelihood, severity and existing controls
  • The hierarchy of control
  • Recording findings clearly and correctly
  • Reviewing and updating assessments
  • Dynamic risk assessment
  • Practical workplace scenarios
  • Common mistakes and how to avoid them

How the Course Is Delivered

Training is delivered face-to-face at your workplace or chosen venue, or remotely via Zoom or Teams.

Sessions include:

  • Real workplace examples of risk assessments done well and poorly
  • Scenario-based learning grounded in genuine workplace situations
  • Group discussion and practical problem-solving
  • Hands-on application of the risk assessment process

Where it’s useful, we can incorporate your own:

  • Workplace environment and site-specific hazards
  • Existing risk assessments for review and discussion
  • Hazards specific to your industry or operations
  • Organisational policies and procedures

That means by the time staff leave the room, they’re not starting from scratch. They’re applying what they’ve learned to the risks that actually exist in their workplace.

Certification and Validity

Learners receive a CPD-accredited Risk Assessment certificate on completion.

There is no fixed legal renewal period, but refresher training is recommended to ensure:

  • Knowledge stays current as workplaces change
  • Assessments are reviewed and updated appropriately
  • Staff remain confident in their legal responsibilities

In-House and Bespoke Training

All training is delivered in-house or remotely and built around your organisation.

We can:

  • Align training with your existing risk assessment templates and formats
  • Focus on specific hazards relevant to your sector or site
  • Support teams where experience levels vary significantly
  • Incorporate real examples and scenarios drawn from your own workplace

This isn’t a generic course with your name on the delegate list. It’s training built around the risks your people actually face.

Course Location and Service Areas

We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue, which means your staff learn in the environment they’re actually being asked to assess.

Our trainers work across Manchester and Greater Manchester, with regular delivery throughout the North West. We also deliver nationwide, covering the North East, Midlands, London, Surrey and across South England via our experienced associate network.

Every session, wherever it’s delivered, is held to the same Prima Cura standard.

FAQs

What is a risk assessment, and why does it matter legally?

A risk assessment is a structured process used to identify hazards in your workplace, evaluate how likely those hazards are to cause harm and to whom, and decide what control measures are needed. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, carrying out suitable and sufficient risk assessments is a legal requirement for all employers. Organisations with five or more employees must also record the significant findings in writing. Failure to comply leaves employers exposed to enforcement action, unlimited fines and civil liability.

Is risk assessment training a legal requirement?

There is no law that specifically mandates a formal risk assessment training course, but the law does require that anyone carrying out risk assessments is competent to do so. Competence means having the skills, knowledge and experience to identify hazards, evaluate risk and implement appropriate controls. This course builds exactly that. It also provides a documented record that staff have received relevant training, which is valuable evidence in the event of an inspection or a claim.

What does “suitable and sufficient” actually mean?

The phrase comes directly from the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. It means the assessment must properly identify the significant hazards, evaluate the real level of risk, include appropriate and proportionate control measures, and be relevant to the actual workplace and the people working in it. A generic template copied from the internet and filed without ever being read does not meet this standard. This course explains what does.

Who should carry out risk assessments in our organisation?

The assessment must be carried out by a competent person: someone with enough knowledge, experience and understanding of the workplace to identify hazards and make sound judgements about risk. That could be a manager, a supervisor, a designated health and safety lead, or any member of staff who has been properly trained. The duty ultimately sits with the employer, even when the task is delegated. This course is suitable for anyone taking on that responsibility.

What is dynamic risk assessment?

Dynamic risk assessment is the process of assessing risk in real time, in situations where conditions are changing or unpredictable. It’s a core skill for staff who work in environments that don’t stay the same from one hour to the next: construction sites, care settings, events, and lone working scenarios. This course covers the principles of dynamic risk assessment alongside the formal five-step process, so staff can apply sound judgement when a static document can’t cover every situation they’ll face.

Can this course be tailored to our sector or workplace?

Yes. We can adapt the content to reflect your specific environment, the hazards relevant to your industry and your existing processes. Whether you’re in construction, hospitality, manufacturing, education, logistics or any other sector, the legal framework is the same, but the practical application is different. We make sure the training reflects that.

Related Courses

Book or Enquire

If your organisation wants risk assessments that actually work rather than ones that just exist, get in touch, and we’ll put together a session built around your workplace.

Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance

At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.

All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Training is regularly reviewed against updates from the Health and Safety Executive and UK legislation, including the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page

Reviewed by Stephanie Austin– Owner & Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training | 25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer
Last reviewed: April 2026 | Next review: April 2027

This course provides guidance on workplace risk assessment practice. It does not replace organisational responsibilities or legal requirements. Employers remain responsible for ensuring compliance with UK health and safety legislation.

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