Risk Assessment and Safety Statement
The legal basis
Section 19 of the 2005 Act requires a risk assessment; section 20 requires a written safety statement based on it. The statement must set out how safety is managed, be brought to employees' attention, and be reviewed when there is a change or at least annually. For manual handling, the assessment must be task-specific, not a generic 'take care when lifting' statement.
TILE
Use Task, Individual, Load, Environment:
- Task: frequency, duration, distance, twisting, bending, carrying up stairs.
- Individual: capability, pregnancy, prior injury, age, fitness, clothing.
- Load: weight, size, shape, grip, stability, sharp edges, temperature.
- Environment: floor, lighting, space, doors, steps, temperature, obstructions.
Worked example
A cleaner moves 15 kg boxes from a delivery bay to a cupboard 30 m away. The generic assessment says 'manual handling training provided'. The task-specific assessment finds a heavy door, a step and repeated trips. Controls include a trolley, a door wedge, storage at waist height and a two-person lift for the heaviest box. The residual risk is recorded and the assessment is reviewed when the delivery size changes.
Traps
A safety statement is not a shelf document; it must be implemented and communicated. Annual review is a minimum, not a reason to ignore a new task. Do not write the assessment around the worker's strength; design the task first. Record who is affected and which controls were chosen.