General risk assessment for an office
- Pre-filled to make it easy
- Customisable to your needs
- Action points to help you fix any problems
This risk assessment for an office will help you comply with your legal health and safety obligations. It provides examples of common hazards present in an office, and gives you ideas of actions you could take to minimise the risks they pose.
Because every office is different, it also includes space to add your own findings for dangers particular to your business.
If you have an office, it is vital you carry out regular risk assessments to stay within the law and protect the people who work there.
Don’t forget to also download and complete our fire safety risk assessment!
Q&A
When should I use this document?
This risk assessment is designed to be used to carry out regular risk assessments in an office.
There are no set rules on how often you should be doing a full office risk assessment - at a minimum it should be annual, but you need to do one whenever something changes in your office that affects safety. It might be a change to the layout or some new office equipment, or it could be prompted by an accident or reports of a near miss.
If customers come to your business premises eg if you have a shop, restaurant, salon etc, you need Risk assessment for a shop or other business open to customers.
What does this document cover?
It follows a standard format to guide you through the process of doing a risk assessment and comprehensively covers all the health and safety problems that most commonly crop up in offices. It covers issues from workstation comfort for your employees to occasional manual handling and stress at work.
Risk assessments are not just a box-ticking exercise, and this one includes:
- guidance notes to help you ask the right questions
- action points so you can easily make a plan and follow up
- reminders to consider commonly overlooked situations
Why do I need this document?
If you employ anyone, you are legally required to do proper risk assessments. It’s also vital that you don’t just carry them out, but you keep proper records of them to prove it.
If you employ five or more people, the law says you have to keep written records of your risk assessments, but it is a good idea to keep a copy even if your business is smaller than that.
This risk assessment, properly filled in and stored, is an easy way to make sure you stay inside the law.
Where can I find out more?
If you’re not sure where to start with health and safety, or want to make sure you are legally compliant, see our Health and safety annual action plan for comprehensive guidance on what you should be doing and when.
For detailed step by step guidance on how to carry out a risk assessment, see Health and safety risk assessments.
To be fully legally compliant, you will also need to complete a Fire safety risk assessment for your office.
We also have a special Risk assessment for remote workers if any of your staff work outside your office.
Related Toolkits
Small claims toolkit
This small claims toolkit guides you through the right process to follow if you want to make a straightforward small claim against someone, and contains a pack of all of the template documents you are likely to need. Use the small claims process to get back money you are owed for amounts less than £10,000 (for example, if a supplier has not sent you the right goods or you have not received payment from a customer). Documents provided in this small claims toolkit include: letter before action (also known as a letter of claim), which must be sent to someone before you sue them to set out what you are claiming; witness statement, which provides a template for any witness statements you are providing to ensure they are legally compliant; and letter of non-attendance for small claims hearing (if you want the court to judge your case on paper evidence rather than you attending a hearing). By using this small claims toolkit you can avoid the need to use a lawyer and maximise your chances of getting back money you are owed. It helps you avoid common mistakes that can reduce your chance of a successful claim.
This small claims toolkit guides you through the right process to follow if you want to make a straightforward small claim against someone, and contains a pack of all of the template documents you are likely to need. Use the small claims process to get back money you are owed for amounts less than £10,000 (for example, if a supplier has not sent you the right goods or you have not received payment from a customer). Documents provided in this small claims toolkit include: letter before action (also known as a letter of claim), which must be sent to someone before you sue them to set out what you are claiming; witness statement, which provides a template for any witness statements you are providing to ensure they are legally compliant; and letter of non-attendance for small claims hearing (if you want the court to judge your case on paper evidence rather than you attending a hearing). By using this small claims toolkit you can avoid the need to use a lawyer and maximise your chances of getting back money you are owed. It helps you avoid common mistakes that can reduce your chance of a successful claim.
- How-to guide: Small claims toolkit
Letter before action- Witness statement
- Letter of non-attendance for small claims hearing
Redundancy toolkit
This redundancy toolkit guides you through the key steps you need to take to make an employee redundant, and provides a pack of the relevant template documents you are likely to need. You will find guidance and a pack of 9 supporting documents, including letters, notices and agendas, for each step of the redundancy process: Initial steps (considering alternatives and reasons for redundancies); Creating a redundancy pool, applying selection criteria and notifying employees; Carrying out a consultation process; and Making a final decision, calculating payments and terminating employment. It also includes a template letter to offer alternative employment to employees who are at risk of being made redundant. By using this redundancy toolkit, you will ensure that your redundancy process is fair and legally compliant, which reduces the chance of any employees suing you. The guidance in this redundancy toolkit also helps you to ensure you do not make redundancies in a discriminatory way. Use this redundancy toolkit to ensure you are legally compliant without the need for a lawyer.
This redundancy toolkit guides you through the key steps you need to take to make an employee redundant, and provides a pack of the relevant template documents you are likely to need. You will find guidance and a pack of 9 supporting documents, including letters, notices and agendas, for each step of the redundancy process: Initial steps (considering alternatives and reasons for redundancies); Creating a redundancy pool, applying selection criteria and notifying employees; Carrying out a consultation process; and Making a final decision, calculating payments and terminating employment. It also includes a template letter to offer alternative employment to employees who are at risk of being made redundant. By using this redundancy toolkit, you will ensure that your redundancy process is fair and legally compliant, which reduces the chance of any employees suing you. The guidance in this redundancy toolkit also helps you to ensure you do not make redundancies in a discriminatory way. Use this redundancy toolkit to ensure you are legally compliant without the need for a lawyer.
- How-to guide: Redundancy toolkit
- Redundancy - Letter warning of proposed redundancies
- Redundancy - Selection criteria form
- Redundancy - Provisional selection for redundancy letter
- Redundancy - First individual consultation meeting agenda
- Redundancy - Outcome of individual consultation meeting
- Redundancy - Invitation to final individual consultation meeting
- Redundancy - Final individual consultation meeting agenda
- Redundancy - Notice of termination of employment
- Redundancy - Offer of alternative employment
Starting an online business toolkit
This toolkit to start an online business includes all the legal documentation and know-how you need to set up a website and change your business to online sales. It comprises 9 key documents, including: separate cookie and privacy policies, and terms of use for your website; a customisable set of terms and conditions to cover you for the supply or goods or services or both; template invoices (VAT and non-VAT) and cancellation form; and a quick guide to customer rights, which are much broader for online sales than face-to-face transactions. Our helpful how-to guide will take you step-by-step through how to use the documents included in this pack, whether you are starting a new business or changing an existing business model to set up your own website and start selling online. Note that if you provide online services in the EEA, you will also need to ensure that you follow the rules of each EEA country you operate in. If you are not sure how this applies to you, you can access a specialist lawyer in a few simple steps using our Ask a Lawyer service.
This toolkit to start an online business includes all the legal documentation and know-how you need to set up a website and change your business to online sales. It comprises 9 key documents, including: separate cookie and privacy policies, and terms of use for your website; a customisable set of terms and conditions to cover you for the supply or goods or services or both; template invoices (VAT and non-VAT) and cancellation form; and a quick guide to customer rights, which are much broader for online sales than face-to-face transactions. Our helpful how-to guide will take you step-by-step through how to use the documents included in this pack, whether you are starting a new business or changing an existing business model to set up your own website and start selling online. Note that if you provide online services in the EEA, you will also need to ensure that you follow the rules of each EEA country you operate in. If you are not sure how this applies to you, you can access a specialist lawyer in a few simple steps using our Ask a Lawyer service.
- How-to guide: Starting an online business toolkit
- Privacy policy
- Cookie policy
- Website terms of use
- Terms and conditions
- Cancellation form
- VAT invoice
- Non-VAT invoice
- Quick guide to customer rights in online sales
- Checklist of information to include to ensure your website is legally compliant
Disciplinary toolkit
This disciplinary toolkit will guide you through the process of handling a disciplinary matter. It includes a how-to guide and a pack of 16 relevant documents you are likely to need. You will find template letters, agendas and other documents which can be used at each key step of the disciplinary process: Investigating the disciplinary matter (including suspension of your staff member if necessary and appropriate); Attending a disciplinary meeting with your staff member; Taking disciplinary action eg written warnings or dismissal; and Providing an opportunity for your staff member to appeal your decision. The toolkit also includes a list of common disabilities, so that you can check whether you need to make any reasonable adjustments at disciplinary meetings. This toolkit will help you to follow a fair and proper disciplinary process, which reduces the risk of your staff member taking legal action against you in future.
This disciplinary toolkit will guide you through the process of handling a disciplinary matter. It includes a how-to guide and a pack of 16 relevant documents you are likely to need. You will find template letters, agendas and other documents which can be used at each key step of the disciplinary process: Investigating the disciplinary matter (including suspension of your staff member if necessary and appropriate); Attending a disciplinary meeting with your staff member; Taking disciplinary action eg written warnings or dismissal; and Providing an opportunity for your staff member to appeal your decision. The toolkit also includes a list of common disabilities, so that you can check whether you need to make any reasonable adjustments at disciplinary meetings. This toolkit will help you to follow a fair and proper disciplinary process, which reduces the risk of your staff member taking legal action against you in future.
- How-to guide: Disciplinary toolkit
- Suspension letter pending investigation
- Disciplinary investigation template
- Invitation to attend a disciplinary hearing
- Invitation to attend meeting to discuss sickness absence
- List of common disabilities
- Note taking template for disciplinary proceedings
- Basic script for conducting a disciplinary hearing
- First written warning for capability
- First written warning for misconduct
- Final written warning for capability
- Final written warning for misconduct
- Sickness absence meeting - outcome letter
- Dismissal letter
- Invitation to attend a disciplinary appeal hearing
- Basic script for conducting a disciplinary appeal hearing
- Letter to confirm outcome of a disciplinary appeal