Example risk assessment for a motor vehicle showroom

Important reminder

This example risk assessment shows the kind of approach a small business might take. Use it as a guide to think through some of the hazards in your business and the steps you need to take to control the risks. Please note that it is not a generic risk assessment that you can just put your company name on and adopt wholesale without any thought. This would not satisfy the law - and would not be effective in protecting people.

Every business is different - you need to think through the hazards and controls required in your business for yourself.

Setting the scene

The owner carried out the risk assessment at this company, which sells motor vehicles from a small showroom and forecourt on a high street. Opening hours are 10.00 am to 6.00 pm, 7 days a week.

Ten staff work at the company, five full-time and five part-time. Apart from the showroom and forecourt, there are two offices (one for closing sales and completing documentation, one for the manager and the company secretary), a designated car wash/valet area behind the showroom, a small kitchen and toilet and washing facilities. Vehicle servicing and repair is done off-site, by a different company.

The premises are cleaned every day, between 5.30 pm and 6.30 pm, by staff from a contract cleaning company. The same company also cleans the showroom and office windows, and supplies staff for car valeting and washing.

The premises were built in 2003 and do not contain any asbestos.

How was the risk assessment done?

The manager followed the guidance in Five steps to risk assessment.

To identify the hazards, the manager:
- looked at HSE’s web pages for small businesses, to learn where hazards can occur.
- walked around the premises, inside and out, noting things that might pose a risk, and taking into consideration what was learnt from HSE’s guidance;
- talked to staff to learn from their knowledge and experience of areas and activities, and to get their concerns and opinions about health and safety issues in the workplace;
- talked to the cleaning staff, and the manager of the contract cleaning company, to ensure that their work did not pose a risk to others, and vice-versa; and
- looked at the accident book, to gain an understanding of what has previously resulted in incidents.
The manager then wrote down who could be harmed by the hazards and how.
For each hazard, the manager wrote down what controls, if any, were in place to manage these hazards. He then compared these controls to the guidance provided on HSE’s web site. Where he did not consider existing controls to be good enough, the manager wrote down what else needed to be done.
Putting the risk assessment into practice, the manager decided and wrote down who was responsible for implementing the actions identified and when they should be done. When each action was completed, it was ticked off and the date recorded. He discussed the findings of the risk assessment with staff, put a copy up in the staff kitchen for all staff to see and made it part of the induction process for new staff.
The manager decided to review and update the risk assessment every year, or straightaway if any major changes in the workplace happened.