Health and safety guide · Sources checked 10 October 2026
How often should a risk assessment be reviewed?
There is no fixed legal interval for reviewing a risk assessment: the law requires a review when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change, and HSE says to review it when controls may no longer be effective, when the workplace changes, or after problems, accidents or near misses. The duty is in regulation 3(3) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; HSE’s guidance adds that you must review your controls to make sure they are working. Checked 10 October 2026.
Last updated .
The answer, sourced
What the law and HSE say about review frequency
On smaller screens, scroll the table sideways to see every column.
| Point | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed interval | None set. Neither the regulation nor HSE’s risk guidance gives a number of months | MHSWR reg 3; HSE: managing risk, checked October 2026 |
| Legal review duty | Review if there is reason to suspect the assessment is no longer valid, or there has been a significant change in the matters it relates to, and make any changes the review shows are needed | MHSWR reg 3(3), checked October 2026 |
| Controls | You must review the controls you have put in place to make sure they are working | HSE: managing risk, checked October 2026 |
| Recording | With five or more employees, record the significant findings; update the record with any changes you make | MHSWR reg 3(6); HSE: managing risk, checked October 2026 |
Sources checked 10 October 2026. Guidance and legislation change: open the linked source before relying on any row.
Risk assessment review triggers
When to review a risk assessment
Each trigger below comes from the regulation or HSE’s guidance.
Many organisations also set their own review date as a backstop, so an assessment is looked at even when nothing obvious has changed. That is a choice for your own policy, not a legal interval, and it does not replace reviewing when a trigger occurs.
- There is reason to suspect the assessment is no longer valid (MHSWR reg 3(3)(a)).
- There has been a significant change in the matters it relates to (MHSWR reg 3(3)(b)).
- The controls may no longer be effective (HSE).
- Changes in the workplace could lead to new risks, such as changes to staff, processes, or the substances or equipment used (HSE).
- Workers have spotted problems (HSE).
- There have been accidents or near misses (HSE).
Who is responsible
Who reviews a risk assessment
The duty sits with the employer, or the self-employed person, who made the assessment.
Sources: MHSWR reg 3, HSE: managing risk and CDM 2015 reg 12, checked 10 October 2026. For what to check during the review itself, use the RAMS review checklist.
- Regulation 3(3) places the review on the employer or relevant self-employed person who made the assessment.
- HSE says you can carry out risk management yourself or appoint a competent person to help.
- On notifiable construction projects, the principal contractor must keep the construction phase plan appropriately reviewed throughout the project (CDM 2015, reg 12(4)).
Worked example (fictional)
Two reviews in one year, for two different reasons
Fictional workshop, for illustration only.
1
A near miss
At Sample Fabrications (fictional), a pallet slips from a forklift. The near miss is a trigger, so the manager reviews the material-handling assessment that week and records the change made.
2
New equipment
Months later, a new cutting machine is installed. A change in equipment is a significant change, so the assessment for that area is reviewed before the machine is used.
3
Own backstop date
The workshop also sets its own review date on each assessment. Neither review above waited for it.
What Soteriaa does and does not do
Soteriaa’s free risk assessment generator includes a review and actions section where you record your own review date. You supply the hazards and controls; Soteriaa does not choose them, does not assess whether they are adequate and does not judge the work safe. RAMS review-date tracking (sites, assessments, review dates, evidence and actions) is built and coming soon, but it is not on sale yet; the documents are free now. See the health and safety area. This page is general information, not health and safety advice for your work.
FAQ
Common questions
Is there a legal requirement to review a risk assessment every year?
No fixed interval is set in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 or HSE’s risk guidance. The regulation requires a review when the assessment may no longer be valid or there has been a significant change.
When should a risk assessment be reviewed?
When there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid, after a significant change, when controls may no longer be effective, when workers report problems, and after accidents or near misses.
Who is responsible for reviewing a risk assessment?
The employer or self-employed person who made it. HSE says you can appoint a competent person to help.
Create your risk assessment free
Record the hazards and controls you have identified, and your own review date, in an editable document.