A risk assessment is a process, not a document - a document entitled "risk assessment for X" merely records the findings of the risk assessment and there is no legal requirement for it to be signed. The only legal requirement for recording risk assessments is to record the significant findings - there is no prescribed format.

Once again I ask "What do you mean by legal document?"

Kate is correct. However I would always advise that such documents are always adequately dated and it is clearly indetified as to who has undertaken the exercise via names and signatures

Such documents may never be 'whole' purley because of the nature of such documents but good quality exercises [specific & adequate depth etc] will demonstrate that management have done their best and in my experience if you get to court without your risk assessments etc adequately signed and dated you are on the 'back foot' before you try to defend yourself

Hi Carl,

Which post were you quoting?

Kate is bang on, RA is a process, not a document, and there is no such document as Risk Assessment. There is such a thing a record of the significant findings of the assessment, which has to be recorded where there are five or more employees, this does not have to be a document (see para 23 & 24 of the ACOP to the Management regs). I am at a bit of a loss as to how you might sign an audio recording (except by actually signing the medium, problem if it's a mp3 file) although in some senses an electronic record can be 'signed' by reference to the person who was logged on while it was compiled.

In other words, it's a complete red herring in my view. You identify your hazard, you evaluate your risks, you decide on control measures, and you record your significant findings (the previous three things). The process is legally binding, employers are required to do it. Any evidence that they have followed this process would be admissable in defence, even if it had been chewed by the manager's cocker spaniel rather than being signed,

John