How to complete a health and safety risk assessment

A health and safety risk assessment is a legal requirement for every UK business; it involves identifying what could cause harm in your workplace and taking reasonable steps to prevent it. While you only need to document your findings in writing if you have five or more employees, keeping a record regardless is the best way to prove you are meeting your duty of care to yourself, your clients, and any staff.

What is a Risk Assessment?

A risk assessment is not about creating piles of paperwork; it’s about identifying "hazards" (things that could cause harm) and "risks" (the chance that someone will be harmed by those hazards). In a salon or studio environment, this means looking at your workspace through a safety lens to ensure your passion doesn't lead to an accident.

Steps to Complete Your Assessment

1. Identify the hazards: Walk around your workspace. Look for things that could realistically cause an accident. Common examples include:
   • Trailing cables from hair dryers or clippers (trip hazards).
   • Wet floors near wash basins (slip hazards).
   • Electrical equipment that hasn't been checked for safety.
2. Decide who might be harmed and how: For each hazard, think about who is at risk. Is it just you? Is it your clients? What about vulnerable people, like children or elderly clients? For example, a trailing cable is a trip hazard for everyone, but particularly dangerous for someone with limited mobility.
3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions: You don't need to eliminate every risk, but you must do what is 'reasonably practicable' to protect people. Ask yourself:
   • Can I get rid of the hazard altogether?
   • If not, how can I control the risk so that harm is unlikely?
   Example: Using cable tidies or floor covers for wires, or ensuring spills are mopped up immediately with a "wet floor" sign displayed.
4. Record your significant findings: If you have five or more employees, you must record your assessment. Even if you work alone, a simple table (often called a Risk Register) is helpful. It should list the hazard, who is at risk, and what you are doing to control that risk.
5. Review your assessment: Workplaces change. If you buy new equipment or move your layout, your old assessment might be out of date. Review it at least once a year.

Electrical Safety and PAT Testing

Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) is a key part of your risk assessment. It involves a competent person checking your electrical tools—like straighteners, dryers, and clippers—to ensure they are safe to use. While the law doesn't specify how often this should happen, an annual check is the industry standard for hairdressing equipment to prevent electric shocks or fires.

"The goal is to be sensible, not bureaucratic. Focus on the risks that are most likely to happen and could cause the most harm."

Top Tips for Success

• Use HSE Templates: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website provides free, simple templates specifically for small businesses.
• Don't overcomplicate it: You are not expected to anticipate every possible freak accident—only those that are foreseeable.
• Separate your assessments: Remember that physical risks (slips/trips) are covered here, but specific risks like chemicals, fire, and water safety require their own dedicated assessments as per UK regulations.