This is quote from the HSE website on a recent prosecution: "The directors also failed to comply with an improvement notice, requiring them to carry out an important risk assessment. The risks associated with exposure to flour dust are widely known and advice had been given to the bakery in 2007. The associated health hazards include irritation to the eyes and nose, occupational dermatitis and occupational asthma." Surely it is the hazards associated with exposure that are widely known. The risks are what have to assessed and evaluated for the particular circumstance.

Perhaps they are not widely known, especially if not in that industry?

I think there's two threads at once going on here...to answer Chris's point, I don't think there's anyone much in the baking industry that isn't aware of the potential health hazards in flour dust: Certainly when I was in the industry it was well known and constantly highlighted. And to answer RedKen's point - I agree that if you don't understand the difference between hazard and risk, you're going to struggle to do adequate risk assessments. If I'm talking to non-H&S people I don't worry about terminology unless it's relevant to the subject (e.g. talking about risk assessment!), but I'd expect a technical statement from HSE to get it right.