An office risk assessment is a structured walk through an office looking for what could harm the people who work in it or visit it — trailing cables, a blocked fire exit, a chair that will not adjust, a kettle on a crowded worktop — and deciding what to do about each. This one follows the order you meet things as you walk round and finishes with an action plan. Fill it in here and download the PDF without an account — or speak while you walk, and the document writes itself.
Offices are low risk, not no risk
Most office injuries are ordinary ones: trips over cables and boxes, falls on stairs, strains from lifting deliveries or archive boxes, aches from a badly set-up desk, and the slow damage of stress. None of them is dramatic, which is exactly why they get overlooked.
In Great Britain, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 expect every employer to assess the risks to their people, and an employer with five or more employees to write down the significant findings. The HSE describes the job in five steps: find the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risk and decide on precautions, record what you found and act on it, and review it. This form walks you through those steps for an office.
Workstations and screens
The Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992 apply to people who use screens daily for an hour or more at a time. They expect workstations to be assessed, breaks or changes of activity to be planned, and eye tests to be provided when users ask for them. The workstation section here is a walk-round view of whether the basics are in place; each regular screen user should also complete their own workstation self-assessment, and the form asks whether they have.
Home and hybrid workers count too. If people work from home regularly, record how their set-up is assessed in the notes.
Fire is its own assessment
The fire section checks what you can see on the day — exits clear, fire doors shut, extinguishers in place, the alarm tested. It is not a fire risk assessment. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, and equivalent law in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the responsible person needs a separate, suitable fire risk assessment; this form asks whether one exists and is in date.
From findings to actions
Every check answered No becomes a finding in the report. For each one, add an action: what will be done, who owns it, and by when. Prefer fixes that remove the risk — a cable rerouted, a box moved to a low shelf — over notices asking people to be careful. Then set a review date, and review sooner if the office changes: a refit, a move, more people, or an accident.
Common questions
Do offices legally need a risk assessment?
In Great Britain, yes — every employer must assess the risks to employees and others affected by their work, and with five or more employees must record the significant findings. Offices are included. This form helps you record it; it does not by itself make you compliant.
How often should an office risk assessment be reviewed?
There is no fixed interval in law. Most organisations review annually, and sooner after a significant change — new layout, new equipment, a move, more staff — or after an accident or near miss.
Is a DSE assessment the same as an office risk assessment?
No. A DSE assessment looks at one person's workstation and how they use it. An office risk assessment looks at the whole office. You need both, and this form records whether DSE assessments have been done.
Who should carry out an office risk assessment?
A competent person — someone who knows the office and the work and has had some risk assessment training. In a small office that is often the office manager. Involve the people who work there; they know where the problems are.
Does this cover the fire risk assessment?
No. It checks the visible fire precautions on the day and asks whether a fire risk assessment exists. The fire risk assessment is a separate document required under fire safety law.
What temperature should an office be?
The approved code of practice for the Workplace Regulations suggests at least 16°C for sedentary work such as office work. There is no legal maximum; the requirement is that the temperature is reasonable, so record complaints about heat as well as cold.