Building risk assessments
The risk assessment builder is where you actually document hazards, controls, and risk ratings. It is designed to mirror the structure an EHO expects to see: a hazard register on one page, scored, dated, and signed off.
Open the builder by clicking New Assessment on the risk assessments list, or by editing an existing assessment. New assessments open at /safety/risk-assessments/new and existing ones at /safety/risk-assessments/:id.
Step 1: Assessment details
At the top of the builder you set the assessment-level metadata:
- Title - what this assessment covers, e.g. "Kitchen Food Safety Risk Assessment".
- Category - Food Safety, Fire Safety, Slips/Trips & Falls, Manual Handling, General Workplace, or Custom.
- Review frequency (months) - between 1 and 24. SafetyBrik calculates the next review date for you and surfaces it in the list view.
- Notes - any context that does not belong in the hazard register itself.
Six months is a sensible default for most assessments. Higher-risk or fast-changing areas (a new kitchen layout, a new piece of equipment) warrant a shorter cycle.
Step 2: The hazard register
The hazard register is the heart of the assessment. Each row is one hazard, captured against the standard UK risk-assessment columns:
| Column | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Hazard | The thing that could cause harm (e.g. "Hot oil splash from fryer"). |
| Who at risk | The people who could be harmed (e.g. "Kitchen staff, delivery drivers"). Defaults to "Staff and customers" if left blank. |
| Existing controls | What you already have in place (PPE, training, signage, equipment guards). |
| L (1-5) | Likelihood the harm occurs, on a 1-5 scale. |
| S (1-5) | Severity if it does occur, on a 1-5 scale. |
| Rating | Calculated automatically as L x S, colour-coded. |
| Actions | Additional actions still required to reduce the risk. |
Each row also lets you record a responsible person for any outstanding actions.
Risk rating bands
The rating (L x S) is colour-coded so an EHO or a manager can scan the register at a glance:
- 1 - 4 Low (green) - existing controls are likely sufficient.
- 5 - 9 Medium (yellow) - reasonable controls in place, monitor.
- 10 - 14 High (amber) - additional controls or actions required.
- 15 - 25 Extreme (red) - immediate action required.
A rating of 15 or above is not a number to leave on a saved assessment without an action plan. The Actions column exists precisely for this - record what you are doing to reduce the rating, and who owns it.
Adding and removing hazards
- Click Add Hazard to add a row.
- Click the trash icon on a row to remove it. You must keep at least one hazard row.
Step 3: Saving and reviewing
Click Create Assessment (new) or Save Changes (existing) to save. New assessments are created in draft status.
From the list view you can then:
- Mark current - move a draft to the live, EHO-facing current state.
- New version - take a current assessment and clone it into a new draft when something material changes. The previous version stays on file as superseded.
- Review - SafetyBrik tracks the next review date based on your review frequency. When that date approaches, the list flags the assessment for review.
Versioning: why not just edit?
Risk assessments are evidence. If a near-miss happens today and you change the assessment tomorrow, you need to be able to show what the controls actually were at the time of the incident. That is what versioning gives you:
- The current version is what is live now.
- Superseded versions are preserved exactly as they were when they were live.
- The version number is shown on the assessment card (e.g. v1, v2, v3).
This is also why the builder draws a hard line between editing a draft (fine, no audit consequence) and creating a new version of a current assessment (a deliberate, recorded change).
How assessments appear in the audit trail
A live, current risk assessment is one of the strongest pieces of evidence you can show an EHO. SafetyBrik surfaces them in two places beyond the list view itself:
- Prove It - the EHO-facing dashboard collates current risk assessments alongside checks, training, and supplier records. Open it on a tablet, hand it to the inspector.
- Audit reports - export a date-bounded PDF of risk assessments and supporting records when needed.
A risk assessment is only useful if it reflects what actually happens on the floor. Walk the assessment with the team it covers - kitchen porters for manual handling, the head chef for food safety - and update it when their answers do not match what is written down.