Risk assessment training
Risk assessment courses online
Learn to spot hazards, judge risk and choose controls people will follow. Online risk assessment training for managers, supervisors and safety coordinators, with a certificate your employer can verify.
- Courses
- 550
- Fee
- $199.99
- Typical length
- ~4 weeks
- Study mode
- 100% online
- Assessment
- Online MCQ
- Start date
- Any day
Independent certificates. A certificate of completion for training and CPD records, not a NEBOSH, IOSH or regulated (RQF) qualification.
Your legal dutiesFind your course
Which risk assessment course is right for you?
Start from your role. Each course page lists the modules and assessment before you enrol.
Managers and supervisors
You complete risk assessments for your team and keep them up to date.
Safety coordinators
You support managers with methods, matrices and checking controls.
Responsible persons for fire
You must make sure a suitable fire risk assessment is in place.
The method
The 5 steps to risk assessment
The approach set out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the structure our courses follow.
- Identify the hazardsLook for anything that could cause harm: tasks, equipment, substances, layout and working patterns.
- Decide who might be harmed and howInclude staff, visitors, contractors and people at higher risk, such as new or young workers.
- Evaluate the risks and decide on precautionsCompare what you already do with good practice and add controls where needed.
- Record your significant findingsWrite down the hazards, who is at risk and the controls. Required if you have five or more employees.
- Review and updateRevisit after changes, incidents or near misses, and at regular intervals.
The hierarchy of control
Work down the list. Use the most effective control that is reasonably practicable.
- EliminationRemove the hazard completely
- SubstitutionReplace it with something less harmful
- Engineering controlsIsolate people from the hazard
- Administrative controlsChange the way people work
- PPEProtect the worker, as a last resort
UK law
Risk assessment and the law
Every employer in Great Britain must assess the risks to workers and anyone affected by their work.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999Regulation 3 requires a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks. Employers with five or more employees must record the significant findings.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974Sets the general duty to protect employees and others, so far as is reasonably practicable.
- Topic-specific regulationsCOSHH, manual handling, fire safety and work at height rules each require their own risk assessment.
How often should risk assessments be reviewed?
There is no fixed legal interval. Review a risk assessment when something significant changes, such as new equipment, a new process or new staff, after an accident or near miss, and at regular intervals. Many organisations review at least once a year.
Do I need a qualification to carry out a risk assessment?
No specific qualification is required by law. The person doing it must be competent, meaning they have the skills, knowledge and experience to identify hazards and choose sensible controls. A course helps you build and evidence that competence.
Is a generic risk assessment template enough?
A template is a useful starting point, but the assessment must reflect your actual workplace, people and tasks. A generic form that has not been adapted is unlikely to be suitable and sufficient.
Do I have to write my risk assessment down?
If you employ five or more people, you must record the significant findings. Smaller employers are still required to assess risks, and writing them down is good practice.
Are these risk assessment courses NEBOSH or IOSH accredited?
No. They are independent professional development courses with a certificate of completion from healthsafetycourses.org, a brand of UK School of Management. They are not NEBOSH, IOSH or Ofqual-regulated qualifications.
How long does a risk assessment course take?
Most learners finish in about four weeks, studying 3–4 hours a week. You have six months of access and can start any day.
Free resources
Risk assessment guides
How to write a simple workplace risk assessment
A worked example you can adapt for your own workplace.
GlossaryWhat is a risk assessment?
Hazard, risk, control and other key terms in plain English.
Q&AWhat makes a risk assessment suitable and sufficient?
What inspectors look for, and the most common gaps.
Keep learning