The complete guide to risk assessment for electrical work in the UK. Legal requirements, the HSE five-step process, electrical-specific hazards, risk matrix scoring, control measures, dynamic risk assessment on site, and how RAMS packs bring it all together.
Free for 7 days · No charge until day 8 · Cancel anytime · Used by 1,000+ UK electricians
Written and reviewed by Andrew Moore, founder of Elec-Mate, against BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, IET Guidance Note 3 and the IET On-Site Guide.
1,000+
UK electricians
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer — DP Electrical
A risk assessment is a systematic process of identifying the hazards associated with a work activity, evaluating the likelihood and severity of harm from each hazard, and determining the control measures needed to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. It is the foundation of workplace health and safety management and the primary means by which employers demonstrate that they have thought about the dangers before work begins.
For electricians, risk assessment is not just a legal formality — it is a practical process that can save your life. Electrical work involves inherently dangerous hazards including electric shock, arc flash, and burns, as well as associated hazards such as working at height, manual handling, and exposure to hazardous substances. A thorough risk assessment identifies these hazards before you encounter them on site and ensures that you have the right precautions in place.
The risk assessment process produces a written record that serves multiple purposes: it demonstrates legal compliance, it communicates the hazards and precautions to everyone involved in the work, it provides evidence for clients and principal contractors that you take safety seriously, and it creates a baseline for continuous improvement. When combined with a method statement, it forms a RAMS pack (Risk Assessment and Method Statement) — the standard safety document package required on virtually every commercial and managed residential site.
Every key change in the 2026 amendment on one page. AFDDs, TN-C-S protection, new schedule columns, model forms. Pinned on your van dash.
Risk assessment is a legal requirement under multiple pieces of UK health and safety legislation. The duty applies to all employers, the self-employed, and anyone who has control over work activities. Non-compliance can result in criminal prosecution, unlimited fines, and imprisonment.
In practice, even sole traders who are technically exempt from the written recording requirement (having fewer than five employees) will need written risk assessments because commercial clients and principal contractors universally require them. A verbal assessment that exists only in the electrician's head provides no evidence of compliance and will not satisfy any client, contractor, or HSE inspector.
For working safely on live and isolated systems, the Health and Safety Executive publication HSG85 Electricity at Work: Safe Working Practices is the definitive statutory-aligned practical guide, explicitly recommended by the On-Site Guide (OSG Reg 12.5) and referenced in GN3. HSG85 is available as a free download from the HSE website and provides the safe working procedures that underpin any compliant risk assessment for electrical work.
The A4:2026 amendment introduced new protection requirements that directly affect how risk assessments for domestic consumer unit upgrades and rewires must be prepared.
Elec-Mate's AI Health and Safety agent produces risk assessments that address all relevant legislation — MHSWR 1999, EAWR 1989, CDM 2015, COSHH 2002…
Try it free for 7 days
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommends a five-step approach to risk assessment that provides a clear, structured framework applicable to all work activities. This is the standard methodology used across UK industry and the approach that HSE inspectors expect to see.
Walk the work area, observe the tasks to be carried out, check manufacturer instructions, review accident and near-miss data, and consult with the people doing the work. For electrical work, consider: electric shock, arc flash, burns, working at height, manual handling, asbestos, dust, noise, lone working, confined spaces, and any site-specific hazards.
Consider everyone who could be affected: electricians, other trades on site, building occupants, members of the public, visitors, and maintenance personnel. Think about how they could be harmed: direct contact with live parts, indirect contact through a fault, falling objects, trips and slips, dust inhalation, and noise exposure.
Rate each hazard using the risk matrix (likelihood x severity). Apply the hierarchy of controls: eliminate, substitute, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE. Record the risk score before and after controls to demonstrate how you are managing the risk down to an acceptable level.
Document the hazards, who is at risk, the existing controls, the risk scores, any additional controls needed, and who is responsible. The record must be specific to the work and site — generic template assessments that list every possible hazard regardless of relevance are not "suitable and sufficient."
Review before every new job, whenever conditions change, following incidents, and at regular intervals on longer projects. Risk assessment is a living process, not a one-off document.
Electrical work involves a specific set of hazards that must be addressed in every risk assessment. These fall into two categories: primary electrical hazards (caused directly by electricity) and associated hazards (other dangers commonly encountered during electrical work).
Contact with live conductors at mains voltage (230 V single-phase, 400 V three-phase) can cause cardiac arrest, respiratory failure, severe burns, and death. The current path through the body determines the severity — hand-to-hand or hand-to-foot paths through the heart are the most dangerous. Even voltages as low as 50 V AC can be fatal in wet conditions. Control measures include safe isolation, insulated tools, and appropriate PPE.
An arc flash is an explosive release of energy caused by a short circuit through the air. It produces temperatures exceeding 10,000 degrees Celsius, an intense pressure wave, molten metal spray, and blinding light. Arc flash injuries include severe burns, blast injuries, hearing damage, and eye injuries. Arc flash risk is highest when working in or near consumer units and distribution boards, particularly during live fault-finding or when the covers are removed from energised equipment.
Electricians frequently work at height when accessing distribution boards mounted high on walls, running cables through ceiling voids, installing lighting, and working on cable tray at high level. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require that work at height is avoided where possible, and where it cannot be avoided, appropriate access equipment is used (step platforms, podium steps, tower scaffolds, MEWPs) and operatives are trained in its use.
Buildings constructed before 2000 may contain asbestos in flash guards behind consumer units, in textured coatings (Artex), in cable routes through asbestos cement sheets, and in floor tiles. Disturbing asbestos releases fibres that cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, and lung cancer — diseases that are fatal and have no cure. Before any work that involves drilling, chasing, or disturbing building fabric in pre-2000 buildings, the asbestos register must be checked and a refurbishment and demolition (R&D) survey may be required.
Cable drums can exceed 40 kg for larger sizes, consumer units and distribution boards are heavy and awkward to manoeuvre, and tools and materials must be carried up ladders and through restricted access routes. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require avoidance of manual handling where possible and proper assessment where it cannot be avoided. Mechanical aids (drum stands, cable trolleys, sack trucks) should be used wherever practicable.
Chasing walls and cutting channels in masonry generates silica dust, which is a serious respiratory hazard. The Workplace Exposure Limit for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m3 (8-hour TWA). Dust extraction at source and RPE (FFP3 mask minimum) are required. Drilling and chasing also generate noise levels that can exceed the upper exposure action value of 85 dB(A), requiring hearing protection and noise assessments under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.
Solar PV systems present a specific and frequently underestimated fatal risk during domestic surveys, loft rewires, and consumer unit work. Under BS 7671 Reg 712.410.101, electrical equipment on the DC side of a PV installation shall be considered to be energised even when the AC side is disconnected from the grid — including when the inverter is isolated. PV strings continue to generate hazardous DC voltage whenever the array is exposed to daylight, regardless of the AC isolator position. Safe isolation of a PV system requires DC-side isolation at the array, not just opening the AC incomer. Risk assessments for any work in buildings with rooftop PV or battery storage must identify all DC conductors as live until proven dead by a suitable DC voltage indicator, and the method statement must specify DC-side isolation as a separate, mandatory step before work begins in the roof space or at the consumer unit.
A risk matrix is the standard tool for evaluating and communicating risk levels. It multiplies the likelihood of harm occurring by the severity of the potential harm to produce a numerical risk score. This score is calculated before control measures are applied (the initial risk) and again after controls are in place (the residual risk), demonstrating how the control measures reduce the risk to an acceptable level.
For electrical work, hazards such as electric shock and arc flash typically have a high severity score (4 or 5) because the potential consequences include death or permanent injury. The likelihood score depends on the controls in place — with proper safe isolation the likelihood of shock is reduced to 1 (rare), but without isolation it could be 4 or 5. This demonstrates why control measures are so important: they do not change the severity of the hazard, but they dramatically reduce the likelihood of it causing harm.
Site-specific risk assessments and method statements, written to CDM 2015 expectations and ready to send. From £6.99/mo.
Try the safety tools freeControl measures must follow the hierarchy of controls, which prioritises the most effective types of control. The hierarchy exists because some controls are inherently more reliable than others — eliminating a hazard is always better than relying on PPE to protect against it.
Remove the hazard entirely. For electrical work: design out the need for live working by planning work during shutdowns; avoid working at height by using floor-standing equipment where possible; avoid manual handling by specifying smaller cable drums or mechanical handling aids.
Replace with something less hazardous. Use low-voltage tools (110 V via a CTE transformer) instead of 230 V tools on construction sites. Use cordless power tools to eliminate trailing lead hazards. Specify prefabricated cable assemblies to reduce on-site termination work.
Isolate people from the hazard using physical measures. Safe isolation and lock-off. Barriers and screens around live equipment. RCD protection for construction site supplies. Insulated tools to BS EN 60900. Guarding on rotating machinery.
Procedures, training, and safe systems of work. Permits to work. Method statements. Competent person appointments. Training and assessment. Supervision. Warning signs and labels. Job rotation to reduce exposure duration.
Personal protective equipment: insulated gloves, safety boots, hard hats, hi-vis, eye protection, hearing protection, RPE. PPE is the last line of defence, not the first. It protects only the wearer, it can fail, and it relies on the individual using it correctly every time.
Elec-Mate's AI Health and Safety agent identifies hazards and applies the hierarchy of controls to each one.
Try it free for 7 daysBefore isolating any circuit in an occupied or part-occupied building, the risk assessment must establish whether the circuit — or any circuits fed from the same distribution board — supplies a safety-critical system. Cutting power to these systems without prior notification and alternative arrangements can create a life-safety emergency in its own right, entirely separate from the electrical hazards of the work itself.
Before any planned isolation, confirm the status of the following. If any are affected, obtain written consent from the responsible person and arrange a temporary supply or standby provision before work begins.
Practical Work Intelligence records show that the most common RAMS preparation failures are: failing to consult site users and stakeholders, not identifying temporary supply requirements, and failing to identify critical loads before isolation. A dedicated continuity checklist in your risk assessment demonstrates competence and protects you if a safety system failure occurs during your work.
A dynamic risk assessment is the continuous, real-time process of assessing hazards and risks as you encounter them during the work. It supplements the written risk assessment by addressing conditions that could not have been foreseen before arriving on site.
Electricians encounter unexpected situations regularly: the ceiling void contains asbestos insulating board that was not identified in the pre-start information; the consumer unit is located behind stored items that restrict access; there is water ingress near the distribution board; a previously unknown circuit is supplying the area being worked on; or site conditions have changed since the original risk assessment was prepared.
The dynamic risk assessment process involves continuously observing your surroundings, identifying new or changed hazards, assessing whether your existing controls are still adequate, and taking action if they are not. "Taking action" may mean implementing additional controls, modifying your method of work, or stopping work entirely until the new hazard can be properly assessed and controlled. Stopping work when you identify an uncontrolled hazard is not weakness or overcaution — it is professional competence.
Dynamic risk assessment is a competence that develops with experience and training. It requires an electrician to be constantly aware, questioning, and prepared to change plans when conditions demand it. It is one of the key differences between a competent electrician and someone who merely holds the right qualifications.
RAMS is the industry standard abbreviation for Risk Assessment and Method Statement — two separate but complementary documents that together form a comprehensive safety package for any piece of work. In practice, when a principal contractor or client asks for "your RAMS," they are asking for both documents presented together.
The risk assessment identifies the hazards, evaluates the risks, and specifies the control measures. The method statement describes the step-by-step sequence of how the work will be carried out safely, incorporating the control measures identified in the risk assessment. Together, they demonstrate that you have identified what could go wrong, decided how to prevent it, and planned a safe sequence of work that implements those preventive measures.
For electricians, RAMS are required for virtually all commercial and managed residential work. Most principal contractors will not permit work to begin without approved RAMS. The quality of your RAMS directly affects your ability to win and retain work — poorly written, generic RAMS are increasingly being rejected by safety-conscious clients and contractors.
Elec-Mate's RAMS Generator and AI Health and Safety agent create site-specific RAMS packs from a plain-English job description.
Try it free for 7 daysThe HSE-recommended five-step risk assessment process applied to electrical work, from hazard identification through to review.
Walk the site and examine the work area. Identify all hazards that could cause harm — not just the electrical ones but also working at height, manual handling, asbestos, dust, noise, confined spaces, lone working, and any site-specific hazards. Consider the work being done, the equipment being used, the materials involved, and the environment. Check for hidden hazards such as asbestos-containing materials in older buildings, buried cables and services, and alternative supply sources such as solar PV or battery storage. Consult HSE guidance, manufacturer instructions, and trade body publications for hazards specific to the type of electrical work you are doing.
Identify all people who could be affected by the hazards — not just the electrician carrying out the work but also other workers on site, building occupants, members of the public, and anyone else who could be in the vicinity. Consider how they could be harmed: direct contact with live conductors, indirect contact through a fault, arc flash exposure, falling objects from work at height, dust inhalation, noise exposure, or trips and falls from cables and tools. For each hazard, describe the potential injury: electric shock, burns, fractures, respiratory disease, hearing damage, and so on.
For each hazard, assess the likelihood of harm occurring (from 1 for rare to 5 for almost certain) and the severity of the potential harm (from 1 for minor injury to 5 for fatality). Multiply these to get a risk score. Then identify control measures following the hierarchy of controls: eliminate the hazard if possible, substitute with something less hazardous, implement engineering controls (barriers, guards, insulation), use administrative controls (permits, procedures, training), and as a last resort use personal protective equipment (PPE). Recalculate the risk score with controls in place to show the residual risk.
Record the findings of your risk assessment in a written document. This must include: the hazards identified, who might be harmed, the existing controls, the risk score before and after controls, any additional controls needed, and who is responsible for implementing them. For electrical work, the risk assessment is typically combined with a method statement to create a RAMS pack (Risk Assessment and Method Statement). The document must be clear, specific, and proportionate to the risk — a domestic socket change needs less detail than a commercial rewire, but both need a documented assessment.
Risk assessments are not write-once documents. Review them before each new job to check they still cover the relevant hazards and reflect the actual conditions on site. Update them whenever conditions change — new hazards are identified, equipment changes, personnel change, or following an incident or near miss. On longer projects, review the risk assessment at regular intervals (weekly on large sites). Keep records of all reviews and updates. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you must review your assessments when there is reason to suspect they are no longer valid.
Verified reviews from the UK App Store.
Elec-Mate is my go to app for business and electrical work. It's feature rich without feeling cluttered. A true all in one app for quotes, certs, calculations, RAMS, EICRs, and more. I use it every day without fail, and it makes my workflow much smoother since I'm not jumping between apps anymore. The price-to-feature ratio is excellent. Any issues I've had, the developer responds within the hour and usually fixes them the same day. 100% recommend.
I've used the app and the web based version for a while now and it's well worth the investment. If you're an apprentice or experienced Spark give it a go, you won't be disappointed.
I've been using Elec-Mate for a while now, and honestly, it's one of the best apps I've ever downloaded. Every aspect of it feels thoughtfully designed, from the clean and intuitive interface to the powerful features that make everything so easy to manage. It's clear that a lot of care and attention went into building this app, and it shows in every detail.
Real feedback from real sparks
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer
Sole Trader · DP Electrical
“I've won two contracts this month because I could turn quotes around same-day with the AI cost engineer.”
Nathan Perry
Electrician · NP Electrical Services
“The study centre got me through my AM2. Mock exams and flashcards are brilliant.”
Jake Pizey
3rd Year Apprentice · Apprentice
Join 1,000+ UK electricians using Elec-Mate for AI-powered risk assessments, method statements, and complete RAMS packs. 7-day free trial, cancel anytime.
“Replaced three separate apps with Elec-Mate. Certs, quotes, and scheduling all in one place.”
Daniel Palmer, DP Electrical
From £6.99/mo after trial — less than a coffee a week
We use cookies to improve the app and measure what works. Cookie Policy