ISO 45001

ISO 45001 Risk Assessment Examples for Manufacturing, Construction and Offices

Risk assessment is one of the core implementation requirements within an ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management system. Organizations are expected to identify hazards, assess OH&S risks, implement controls, and continually improve workplace safety performance.

Effective risk assessments help organizations prevent injuries, improve operational controls, strengthen legal compliance, and support proactive occupational health and safety management.

11 min read Practical OH&S implementation guide

Key Takeaways

ISO 45001 requires organizations to identify hazards and assess OH&S risks.
Risk assessments should consider routine, non-routine, contractor, and emergency activities.
Controls should follow the hierarchy of controls approach where applicable.
Organizations should regularly review and update risk assessments.
Risk assessments should reflect actual operational activities, not generic templates only.

What Is ISO 45001 Risk Assessment?

ISO 45001 requires organizations to establish processes for hazard identification and assessment of OH&S risks arising from organizational activities, workplaces, equipment, workers, contractors, and operational conditions.

Risk assessment helps organizations evaluate:

What hazards exist
Who may be affected
Potential consequences
Likelihood of occurrence
Existing controls
Additional control requirements

Risk assessments should be practical, site-specific, and aligned with actual operational activities.

Key Risk Assessment Elements

Hazard Identification

Physical hazards
Chemical hazards
Ergonomic hazards
Psychosocial hazards
Environmental conditions

Risk Evaluation

Likelihood assessment
Severity assessment
Existing controls
Residual risks
Priority ranking

Control Measures

Elimination
Substitution
Engineering controls
Administrative controls
PPE controls

Review & Monitoring

Periodic review
Incident follow-up
Operational changes
Worker consultation
Control effectiveness

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Manufacturing Risk Assessment Example

Activity	Hazard	Potential Risk	Example Controls
Machine Operation	Moving machinery parts	Cuts, entanglement, amputation	Machine guarding, SOPs, lockout-tagout, competency training.
Manual Handling	Heavy lifting	Musculoskeletal injuries	Trolley usage, lifting training, ergonomic improvements.
Chemical Handling	Chemical exposure	Skin irritation, inhalation risks	PPE, SDS availability, ventilation controls, spill kits.
Noise Exposure	High noise levels	Hearing damage	Noise monitoring, hearing protection, engineering controls.

Construction Risk Assessment Example

Activity	Hazard	Potential Risk	Example Controls
Working at Height	Fall from height	Serious injury or fatality	Full body harness, scaffolding inspection, permit control.
Excavation Work	Ground collapse	Entrapment and injury	Shoring, barricading, competent supervision.
Electrical Activities	Live electrical exposure	Electric shock or burns	Isolation procedures, lockout-tagout, insulated tools.
Vehicle Movement	Mobile equipment collision	Struck-by incidents	Traffic management, spotters, designated walkways.

Office Risk Assessment Example

Activity	Hazard	Potential Risk	Example Controls
Computer Work	Poor ergonomics	Neck, shoulder, back strain	Ergonomic workstation setup, posture awareness.
Electrical Equipment	Damaged cables	Electric shock	Routine inspection, cable management, maintenance.
Emergency Situations	Fire incidents	Injury during evacuation	Emergency drills, fire extinguishers, evacuation plans.
Workload Pressure	Stress and fatigue	Reduced wellbeing and concentration	Workload planning, communication, wellbeing support.

Common Risk Assessment Mistakes

Using generic copy-paste risk assessments without site-specific evaluation.
Failing to review assessments after incidents or operational changes.
Ignoring contractor and visitor activities.
Focusing only on physical hazards while excluding psychosocial risks.
Weak worker consultation during hazard identification.
Implementing controls without monitoring effectiveness.
Over-reliance on PPE instead of higher-level controls.

One of the most common audit findings is that organizations maintain risk assessment documents that do not reflect actual workplace conditions, operational practices, or current activities.

Implementation Tips for ISO 45001 Risk Assessments

Implementation Area	Recommended Practice
Worker Participation	Involve workers performing the activities during risk assessment discussions.
Operational Changes	Review risk assessments when introducing new processes, equipment, or work methods.
Contractor Activities	Include outsourced and contractor-related risks within assessments.
Emergency Situations	Assess abnormal and emergency operational scenarios.
Control Effectiveness	Verify whether implemented controls actually reduce risk exposure.
Review Frequency	Conduct periodic review and update assessments where necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Organizations are expected to maintain documented information necessary to support hazard identification and OH&S risk management processes.

Risk assessments should be reviewed periodically and whenever incidents, operational changes, or new hazards arise.

Yes. Organizations should increasingly consider psychosocial hazards such as stress, fatigue, workload pressure, and communication issues.

Templates may be used as references, but risk assessments should always reflect actual workplace activities and operational conditions.

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