Templates
Risk Assessment – & workplace-ready free
Free risk assessment template for Excel and Google Sheets. Hazard identification, risk levels, and measures for workplace safety documentation. Download now.
- 100% free
- Workplace-ready
- Excel & Google Sheets
What is a risk assessment and why do you need a template?
A risk assessment is the systematic process of identifying workplace hazards, judging who could be harmed, and putting controls in place. It is a core employer duty—not optional paperwork for "office only" businesses.
A risk assessment template gives you worksheets for hazards, ratings, and actions so you do not start from a blank page. Excel is popular because you can filter, sort, and update rows when layouts or equipment change.
Your advantages with a template
- Structure: Aligns with how US OSHA and UK HSE expect hazards to be considered.
- Time savings: Pre-built tables for likelihood, severity, and controls.
- Completeness: Checklists reduce the chance of missing slips, trips, manual handling, or stress factors.
- Evidence: Documented assessments support inspections, insurers, and incident follow-up.
United States (OSHA)
OSHA’s General Duty Clause requires a workplace free from recognised hazards. Many standards (e.g. hazard communication, personal protective equipment, recordkeeping) assume you identify risks and train staff. Written programmes are expected in several contexts even when a single federal "risk assessment form" is not mandated for every employer.
United Kingdom (HSE)
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks and record significant findings where five or more people are employed (good practice for smaller teams too).
Who needs this: Any employer with staff—including hospitality, retail, care, and trades. Pair safety planning with our compliance checklist template for wage-and-hour and privacy reviews.
Operating in Germany? German occupational safety law requires a documented workplace risk assessment (local term: Gefaehrdungsbeurteilung)—similar in purpose to US/UK assessments but with different legal references; involve your safety specialist for Germany-specific wording.
Legal duty to assess workplace risks (US and UK)
| Topic | United States (OSHA-focused) | United Kingdom (HSE-focused) |
|---|---|---|
| Core duty | Provide a safe workplace; comply with applicable OSHA standards | Suitable and sufficient risk assessment; general duties under HSWA 1974 |
| Documentation | Written programmes where standards require; injury/illness logs (Form 300 series) for many employers | Record significant findings (recommended for all sizes) |
| Controls | Hierarchy: elimination, engineering, administrative, PPE | Same hierarchy; involve employees in assessments |
| Review | When processes, equipment, or incidents change | Regular review and after significant change |
The template does not need to be perfect—it must be understandable and acted upon. After an incident or OSHA/HSE inspection, auditors ask whether hazards were identified and controls implemented.
Create a risk assessment: step-by-step
With the risk assessment template, work through these steps (aligned with common OSHA and HSE guidance):
- Define areas and tasks: Split the site into zones (kitchen, stockroom, office, yard) and list activities.
- Identify hazards: Slips/trips, cuts, noise, chemicals, manual handling, violence, work-related stress, lone working, etc.
- Rate risks: Estimate likelihood and severity (e.g. 1-5 scale) to prioritise action.
- Choose controls: Apply the hierarchy—eliminate or substitute first, then engineering, administrative measures, and PPE last.
- Assign actions: Name owners and due dates for each control.
- Review: Revisit after changes, near-misses, or at least annually.
The Ordio Excel template includes sheets for hazards, ratings, measures, and a summary so you meet documentation expectations in one file.
Risk assessment and action planning
Risk rating is the heart of the assessment: combine likelihood and severity into a priority score. High scores need urgent controls; lower scores may need monitoring.
Hierarchy of controls: Engineering fixes (guards, ventilation) and safe procedures beat relying on PPE alone. The template helps you log each measure, responsible person, and review date.
Typical hazards in hospitality and retail: wet floors, knives and slicers, manual handling, workplace violence, heat, and fatigue from long shifts. In care: patient handling, sharps, infection control, and shift work. Add site-specific rows (delivery bays, fryers, lone closing shifts).
Occupational safety sits alongside scheduling and time tracking: fair rotas and rest breaks support both US wage-and-hour compliance and UK working-time rules, while the risk assessment addresses physical and psychosocial harm.
Risk assessment Excel template from Ordio
The Ordio risk assessment template is a free Excel workbook with instructions, hazard lists, risk matrix, action plan, and summary. Download, customise for your site, and keep a version dated for each review cycle.
You document hazards, scores, and controls in one place—useful for leadership briefings, insurers, or safety committees.
Legal notice: This template is planning support, not a substitute for qualified safety advice. Chemical, construction, or healthcare settings may need specialist assessments under OSHA or UK COSHH/other regulations. Consult OSHA resources, HSE guidance, or a certified safety professional when unsure.
Ideal for: SMEs with roughly 1-50 employees building a first assessment or refreshing an outdated file. Combine with the compliance checklist template for a broader internal audit. For day-to-day operations, Ordio time tracking and scheduling help you run safer, predictable shifts.
Stay workplace-ready with Ordio
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Records created automatically and stored in a GDPR-aligned way
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Time saved
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Frequently asked questions about Risk Assessment – free & workplace-ready
Who needs to create the risk assessment?
In the US, employers must provide a workplace free of recognised hazards under OSHA's general duty clause and related standards; in the UK, employers must assess risks and act under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, usually documented for HSE. The responsible person is typically the employer or a competent appointee. The Ordio Excel template structures hazards, ratings, and controls.
When is a risk assessment mandatory?
Before work starts in a new role or location, and whenever processes, equipment, or staffing change materially. US OSHA programmes expect hazard identification for covered workplaces; UK law requires suitable and sufficient risk assessment before exposure. Update after incidents or near misses.
How often do you have to make a risk assessment at work?
Review regularly—many US and UK businesses reassess at least annually and after significant change. OSHA inspections and UK HSE visits may ask for evidence that controls remain effective. The Ordio template supports versioned reviews and action tracking.
How many steps are necessary according to BGW for a risk assessment?
Common frameworks use five to seven steps: scope the activity, identify hazards, score risk, plan controls, implement, and verify. The Ordio Excel template mirrors this with sheets for hazards, assessment, and measures—aligned with US OSHA practice and UK HSE expectations, not German BGW wording.
What is a DGUV risk assessment?
DGUV is a German accident-insurance framework. This English template is for US OSHA-style and UK HSE-style risk assessments instead. Use it to document hazards and controls for American or British sites; consult local specialists for regulated substances or construction rules.
Who can create a risk assessment?
The employer or a competent person they appoint—such as a safety coordinator or external consultant. High-hazard work may need certified expertise under OSHA or UK regulations. Most SMEs can start with the structured Ordio template and escalate when legal or insurer requirements demand it.
What is the cost of creating a risk assessment?
The Ordio Excel template is free to download so you can document assessments in-house. External safety consultants Download by scope and industry. Many US and UK small businesses begin with a spreadsheet, then invest in advice for complex sites.
How do I create a risk assessment template?
List work areas, identify hazards, rate likelihood and severity, assign controls and owners, and set review dates. The Ordio template provides ready-made sheets—download and adapt for your US or UK operation.