Rank: New forum user 
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I'm relatively new to the H&S world and was just wondering if a SSoW and RA are basically the same thing? I have been asked to review my companies current RA's and see if we have any gaps and just wondered if we could be caught out by not having SSoW to compliment the RA's?
Thanks
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Rank: Super forum user
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They are closely related but not the same thing... Risk Assessment (RA) - What it is: A formal process to identify hazards, evaluate risks, and determine control measures.
- Focus: It’s about understanding the risks and deciding what controls are necessary.
- Output: A documented assessment (often with a risk matrix) listing hazards, who may be harmed, existing controls, and any additional controls required.
- Legal basis: Required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in the UK.
Safe System of Work (SSoW) - What it is: A documented method of carrying out a task safely, using the controls identified in the RA.
- Focus: It’s about doing the work safely in practice.
- Output: Usually a procedure, method statement, or set of instructions (sometimes linked to training).
- Legal basis: Required under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and regs like PUWER, LOLER, COSHH etc., which require safe working methods.
How they fit together - The RA comes first: you assess the hazards and risks.
- The SSoW comes second: you describe how the work must actually be done safely, based on the RA’s findings.
Think of it like this: - RA = What could go wrong and how to control it.
- SSoW = Step-by-step instructions to make sure the controls are actually applied.
Could you be caught out without SSoWs? Yes, potentially. If you only have RAs, you may not be demonstrating that workers have clear, practical instructions for carrying out the job safely. Inspectors (HSE, auditors, etc.) often expect to see both: - The RA to show you’ve considered the risks.
- The SSoW (or method statement, SOP, permit-to-work, etc.) to show how the job is actually done safely.
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Rank: Super forum user
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No they are not but they can be combined as a RAMS(Risk Assessment Method Statement) A risk assessment is NOT a document. It is a process that that you carry out to establish if a work procedure or process is being carried it in a safe way, so far as reasonably practical. You need by law to carry out this process but you only need to record ie write down the findings of this process ie what controls you will be applying. The expression a Safe System of Work comes for an old court case (Clyde vs Wilson) which established that an employer was responsible for the safety of their employees and that they needed to create the Safe System of Work to ensure their safety. The court case did not specify the process(ie risk assessment) that they need to follow to create the Safe System of Work . So, in most situations what practically happens is that you decide on a process or procedure. You describe the process or procedure in a document which you can call the Safe System of Work, SOP(Standard Operating procedure) or Method Statement. There is no legal requirement to produce this written document but it is difficult to see how you can do the risk assessment, without defining what you are risk assessing. You then apply the risk assessment to the documented process or procedure, and you assesses if the controls are adequate .The findings of the risk assessment, which you must record, will consist of deciding if the documented process/procedure is safe enough or if you require additional controls. You then have to communicate the findings to the workforce typical. I am not sure who might try to catch you out. The HSE d not go around “marking” risk assessments. They are interested in if the controls selected are adequate. That’s when you get into trouble when controls are not adequate and an accident happens.
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