Conducting a risk assessment is not difficult or demanding. It is just a case of looking at the activity and identifying the hazards (anything that has the potential to do harm) associated with it. By gauging the likelihood that the hazard will do harm, and the severity of the harm caused, a risk rating can be calculated. If the risk rating is low, the activity can proceed; if it is medium more control measures might need to be considered, and if it is high more control measures are likely to be required to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

See below for some example risk assessments – modify the risk assessment template to reflect hazards on your site.

Don’t forget

The completed risk assessments are important and should be made available at your event to brief volunteers/ staff on the possible hazards and the control measures in place to overcome them.  At the end of the event paperwork should be filed securely. The information may be needed in the future (for example in the event of an insurance claim or an inspection by the enforcing authority).

Further guidance about Risk Assessments can be found on the HSE website.