Request Risk Assessment Letter: Free Template and What to Include

If you need to formally request your employer carries out or shares a risk assessment for your role, a written letter is the recommended first step — it creates a clear record and shows you're pursuing the matter formally. Below is what a strong request risk assessment should include.

What this letter needs to cover

• Identify the specific risk or activity requiring assessment
• Reference the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 duty to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments
• Request a written copy of the assessment
• Request confirmation of any control measures put in place

Your right to a proper risk assessment

Employers are legally required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to carry out suitable risk assessments for work activities, and to share relevant findings with employees whose work is affected. If you're being asked to do a task without any apparent risk assessment having taken place, you're entitled to ask for one.

What to include before you send it

• The specific task, role, or workplace area you believe needs a risk assessment
• Why you believe an assessment hasn't been properly carried out, or shared with you
• Any specific hazards you're aware of that should be considered
• A request to see the assessment findings and any resulting control measures

What a genuine risk assessment should actually cover

A proper risk assessment identifies hazards, evaluates who might be harmed and how, and sets out specific control measures — not just a generic, one-size-fits-all document, but one that genuinely reflects your specific workplace and tasks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have a right to see the risk assessment for my role?
Yes — employers must make relevant risk assessment findings available to employees whose work is covered by them.

What if my employer says a risk assessment exists but won't show it to me?
This is worth pursuing formally, and if unresolved, can be raised with the Health and Safety Executive.

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Your Postcode]
[Name of Manager / HR Contact]
[Company Name]
[Company Address]
[Company Postcode]
[Date]

Dear [Name],

Subject: Request for a risk assessment

I am asking for [a risk assessment / a copy of the current risk assessment] for my work as [Job Title], specifically [the task, role or area].

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 [Northern Ireland: the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000], employers must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to their employees.

I am asking because:
• [e.g. my duties now include heavy lifting / I am returning after an injury / I am pregnant.]
• [e.g. I am worried about the strain of moving the new machinery.]

Please send me a written copy of the assessment and confirm what control measures are in place. If no assessment has been done, please tell me when it will be.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]