The next step

To the HSE's Myth Busters Challenge Panel

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No requirement for an annual review

Ruling. The HSE has confirmed that there’s no legal requirement for risk assessments to be reviewed annually. The statement was made in response to a query from an educational visit co-ordinator who had been told that, legally, all school activities would need to be reassessed after twelve months (see The next step ). The HSE’s Myth Busters Challenge Panel clarified, “risk assessments only need to be reviewed if there have been significant changes”.

Put it in the diary. In practice, the task of reviewing risk assessments is likely to be forgotten if you only expect to do it when there are significant changes.

Tip. For your own protection, plan regular reviews. Set a frequency based on how quickly the workplace or activities are likely to change.

Warning. If you submit tender documentation, or join a contractor accreditation scheme such as CHAS, you may have your documents rejected if they’re over a year old. In these circumstances it’s unlikely to be worth arguing: continue with annual reviews for the time being.

For a link to the HSE Myth Busters Challenge Panel website, visit http://tipsandadvice-healthandsafety.co.uk/download (HS 13.10.08).