Step 4: Record your significant findings and implement a plan

If you have fewer than 5 employees, you don't need to write anything down, but it is useful to keep a written record of what you've done so you can review it at a later date if there is a change.

If you employ 5 or more people, you must keep a written record of the significant hazards and the conclusions that you found in your risk assessment. You must also tell your staff about your findings.

Your records

Your records need to show that:

• You made proper checks
• You considered who might be affected
• You dealt with all the obvious significant hazards, taking into account the number of people who could be involved
• The precautions are reasonable, and the remaining risk is low
• You involved your staff or their representatives in the process

Keep the written record for future reference.

The plan

You should create a plan covering:

1. A few cheap or easy improvements that can be done quickly, perhaps as a temporary solution until more reliable controls are in place

2. Long-term solutions to those risks most likely to cause accidents or ill health

3. Long-term solutions to those risks with the worst potential consequences

4. Arrangements for training employees on the main risks that remain and how they are to be controlled

5. Regular checks to make sure the control measures stay in place

6. Clear responsibilities — who will lead on what action and by when