How to conduct risk assessments for moving activities

To comply with UK health and safety laws and protect your business from costly injury claims, you must identify hazards and implement control measures before every move. Conduct a dynamic risk assessment for each new property to address specific dangers like narrow staircases, heavy lifting, and vehicle safety, ensuring your team stays safe and your customers' belongings remain intact.

Why risk assessments are vital

In the removals industry, you are constantly working in new, uncontrolled environments. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you have a legal duty to assess risks. Beyond the legalities, a good risk assessment prevents the two things that can sink a new moving business: staff injuries and damage to expensive furniture.

The five steps to a removals risk assessment

1. Identify the hazards: Walk through both the pick-up and drop-off locations. Look for anything that could cause harm, such as steep driveways, tight corners, or fragile flooring.
2. Decide who might be harmed: Consider your crew, the customers, and members of the public (especially if you are parking on a busy high street).
3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions: How likely is an accident, and how serious would it be? For example, if a wardrobe is too heavy for one person, the precaution is a mandatory two-person lift or using a piano dolly.
4. Record your findings: If you have five or more employees, you must record your assessments in writing. However, even as a solo trader, having a digital or paper log is best practice for insurance purposes.
5. Review and update: If the weather turns or a customer adds a heavy American-style fridge-freezer at the last minute, you must update your assessment on the spot.

Common removals hazards and controls

Use the table below as a starting point for your own assessment documents:

Hazard	Control Measure
Manual Handling	Use sack barrows and dollies; ensure all staff use correct lifting techniques; break down large items where possible.
Stairs and Level Changes	Check for loose carpets or rugs; ensure lighting is functional; use "stair-climbing" trolleys for heavy appliances.
Trip Hazards	Clear a "sterile path" before starting; keep pets and children in a separate room; ensure walkways are free of packing debris.
Vehicle Loading/Unloading	Always use the tail lift or ramps correctly; wear high-visibility vests when working near the road; secure all items with webbing straps.

Pro Tip: Create a simple digital checklist on your phone or tablet. This allows you to "tick off" hazards as you arrive at a job and even snap photos of existing damage or particularly tricky access points to protect yourself against future claims.

Best practices for the "Dynamic" assessment

While you should have a "Generic Risk Assessment" for your business, removals require a Dynamic Risk Assessment (DRA). This means assessing the situation as it evolves. If you arrive at a property and find the lift is broken or there is ice on the driveway, you must stop, assess the new risk, and adjust your plan—for example, by putting down salt or requesting an extra crew member—before the work begins.

By making risk assessment a natural part of your morning "walkaround" at a customer's house, you demonstrate professionalism and build immediate trust with your clients.