Download the risk assessment
One A4 page for one job, laid out the way HSE suggests: each hazard and who might be harmed, what you're already doing about it, what else you need to do, and who does it by when. Free, no signup, yours to change.
- Word (.docx): fill in your usual hazards once, then save a copy for each job and add what's different.
- PDF to print: fill it in on the first visit.
- Excel (.xlsx): add rows on a bigger job.
Do you need one?
HSE says employers are required by law to protect employees and others from harm, and the minimum is to identify the hazards, decide how likely and how serious the harm could be, and get rid of the hazard or control the risk.
- Self-employed: HSE says health and safety law applies to you if you employ anyone, even temporarily, if your work could put other people at risk (dust, noise, fumes, chemicals, equipment), or if you work in construction, which it says covers domestic premises as well as commercial sites.
- Writing it down: HSE says that if you employ 5 or more people, you must record your significant findings. With fewer, a written record is still the easiest way to show a contractor or customer you've thought it through, if they ask.
This page is a starting point, not health and safety advice for your job. Read HSE's guide to managing risks and, for the self-employed, does the law apply to me?
HSE's steps, on one page
- Identify hazards: what on this job could cause injury or illness.
- Assess the risks: for each one, who might be harmed (you, your workers, the customer, other trades, passers-by) and how likely and serious it is.
- Control the risks: what you already do, and anything more you need to do.
- Record your findings: the template's table.
- Review the controls: HSE says you must check they're working. The template has a review date.
A made-up example
One line from a gutter replacement on a two-storey house, to show how a row reads. Your own job needs its own hazards and controls.
| Hazard, and who might be harmed and how | Tools or old guttering falling on the customer, neighbours or passers-by below |
|---|---|
| What you're already doing | Area under the work coned off; old gutter lowered, not dropped |
| What else you need to do | Tell the customer which door to use while work is on |
| Who and by when | Me, on arrival |
The other papers on a job
A quote or estimate before you start, a job sheet on the day, a snagging list at the end, then the invoice.
The rest of the job, on your phone
Knockround keeps the quotes, the day's jobs and the invoices, and each invoice goes with a Pay button for Apple Pay, Google Pay or card. It doesn't do risk assessments, so keep this template with the job. Try it on the jobs board demo with made-up customers. It's free for 7 days with no card needed, then £19.99 a month.
Written by the Knockround team, 29 October 2026, from HSE pages read the same day. A starting point, not health and safety advice.