Healthcare Health & Safety Risk Assessments
Healthcare health and safety risk assessments are a legal requirement for nursing homes, residential care facilities, and designated centres in Ireland. Our comprehensive risk assessments identify hazards, evaluate risks, and recommend control measures to protect residents and staff. Fully compliant with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and HIQA requirements. Professional indemnity insured.
Healthcare Health and Safety Risk Assessments Ireland
Comprehensive healthcare health and safety risk assessments tailored to the unique hazards found in nursing homes and designated centres. At Phoenix STS, we understand that conducting rigorous risk assessments in healthcare environments is not merely about meeting legal requirements – it is a profound commitment to the well-being of vulnerable residents and staff. Our assessments align with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, the General Application Regulations 2007, and HIQA requirements.
⚕️ HIQA Requirements: Risk Assessments for Designated Centres
HIQA requires that designated centres maintain robust governance and management systems including documented risk assessment processes. Healthcare health and safety risk assessments demonstrate your commitment to identifying hazards, evaluating risks, and implementing control measures to protect residents and staff.
Phoenix STS develops risk assessments that directly support your HIQA compliance, providing the documented evidence inspectors require during registration and inspection visits.
2005 Act
Fully Compliant
HIQA
Standards Aligned
CMIOSH
Qualified Consultants
PI Insurance
Full Cover
Healthcare Risk Assessment Enquiries
Why Healthcare Facilities Need Health and Safety Risk Assessments
📋 Legal Requirement
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires every employer to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement control measures. Risk assessments must be documented and form the basis of your safety statement.
🛡️ Resident Protection
Healthcare risk assessments identify hazards affecting vulnerable residents who may have limited mobility, cognitive impairments, or complex care needs. Control measures protect those who cannot protect themselves.
✅ HIQA Inspections
HIQA inspectors expect to see documented risk assessments as part of your governance and management systems. Comprehensive assessments demonstrate due diligence and regulatory compliance.
👥 Staff Safety
Healthcare workers face unique hazards including manual handling injuries, biological agents, violence and aggression, and workplace stress. Risk assessments protect your staff and reduce absence rates.
💰 Insurance Requirements
Insurers often require documented evidence of proactive risk management including regular risk assessments. Demonstrating commitment to safety can lead to more favourable insurance terms and premiums.
📊 Continuous Improvement
Regular risk assessments establish a baseline for monitoring and improvement, enabling your facility to track progress, learn from incidents, and continuously enhance safety standards.
Healthcare-Specific Risk Assessments
Healthcare environments present unique hazards not found in typical workplaces. Our risk assessments cover all healthcare-specific areas required by the General Application Regulations 2007 and HIQA expectations:
🏋️ Manual Handling Risk Assessments
Comprehensive assessment of all manual handling activities including resident transfers, repositioning, equipment handling, and general lifting tasks. Includes individual resident assessments where required, equipment recommendations, and training requirements. Compliant with Chapter 4 of the General Application Regulations 2007.
🦠 Biological Agents Risk Assessments
Assessment of exposure to biological agents including bloodborne pathogens, respiratory infections, and other communicable diseases. Covers infection prevention and control measures, personal protective equipment requirements, and vaccination programmes. Compliant with the Biological Agents Regulations 2013.
⚠️ Violence and Aggression Risk Assessments
Assessment of risks from residents who may exhibit challenging behaviours, verbal abuse, or physical aggression. Includes de-escalation strategies, staffing levels, environmental design, and lone working considerations.
💊 Medication and Clinical Risk Assessments
Assessment of risks associated with medication management, clinical procedures, and medical devices. Covers storage, administration, disposal, and emergency procedures for medication incidents.
🏢 Premises and Environmental Risk Assessments
Assessment of physical hazards including slips and trips, work at height, electrical safety, temperature extremes, and legionella. Covers all areas of your facility including resident rooms, communal areas, kitchens, and external grounds.
😰 Psychosocial Risk Assessments
Assessment of work-related stress, workload, shift patterns, and organisational factors affecting staff wellbeing. Addresses the unique pressures of healthcare work including emotional demands, end-of-life care, and staff support requirements.
Our Healthcare Risk Assessment Process
Initial Consultation and Scope Definition
We discuss your facility, current safety arrangements, any incidents or concerns, HIQA findings, and specific requirements to scope the risk assessment appropriately.
Site Visit and Hazard Identification
A qualified health and safety consultant visits your premises to identify hazards, observe work activities, review existing documentation, and consult with staff about safety concerns.
Risk Evaluation
We evaluate the likelihood and severity of each identified hazard, considering the vulnerability of residents and the specific circumstances of your facility.
Control Measures and Recommendations
We recommend appropriate control measures following the hierarchy of controls, with prioritised action plans and realistic timescales for implementation.
Report Delivery and Implementation Support
Comprehensive risk assessment report delivered with clear recommendations. We provide guidance on implementation and can support ongoing review and monitoring.
Legislative Framework for Healthcare Risk Assessments
- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (Section 19): Requires every employer to identify hazards, assess risks, and prepare a written assessment of the risks to safety, health, and welfare at work.
- General Application Regulations 2007: Provides detailed requirements for specific risk assessments including manual handling, display screen equipment, personal protective equipment, and workplace design.
- Biological Agents Regulations 2013: Specific requirements for risk assessment of exposure to biological agents in healthcare settings.
- Chemical Agents Regulations 2001: Requirements for risk assessment of hazardous substances including cleaning chemicals and medications.
- HIQA National Standards: Requires designated centres to have documented risk management processes as part of governance and management systems.
- Health Act 2007: Establishes the regulatory framework for designated centres including requirements for safe environments.
⚠️ Risk Assessment Professional Indemnity Insurance
Given the importance of risk assessments in protecting residents and staff, it is essential that your provider carries comprehensive professional indemnity insurance. Phoenix STS maintains comprehensive PI insurance specifically covering health and safety consultancy services for healthcare facilities, protecting your organisation should any deficiency in our work contribute to loss or regulatory action.
Benefits of Phoenix STS Healthcare Risk Assessments
- Healthcare Expertise: Our consultants possess extensive knowledge of healthcare-specific hazards, HIQA expectations, and best practices for nursing homes and designated centres.
- Comprehensive Approach: We assess all relevant hazards including manual handling, biological agents, violence and aggression, and psychosocial risks specific to healthcare environments.
- Qualified Consultants: All risk assessments conducted by consultants holding relevant qualifications (CMIOSH, NEBOSH, or equivalent) with healthcare sector experience.
- Integrated Service: Risk assessments integrate with your safety statement, health and safety policies, and fire risk assessments.
- Actionable Recommendations: Clear, prioritised recommendations with realistic timescales, not generic advice that cannot be implemented.
- Staff Training: Our comprehensive range of on-site and online courses supports implementation of risk assessment recommendations with CPD-certified training.
Healthcare Health and Safety Risk Assessment FAQs
What is a health and safety risk assessment?
A health and safety risk assessment is a systematic process of identifying hazards in your workplace, evaluating the risks they present, and determining appropriate control measures to eliminate or reduce those risks. Under Section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, every employer must conduct risk assessments and document them in writing.
Is a risk assessment a legal requirement?
Yes. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires every employer to identify hazards, assess risks, and prepare a written assessment. The risk assessment forms the basis of your safety statement. For designated centres, HIQA expects to see documented risk assessments as part of governance and management systems.
How often should risk assessments be reviewed?
Risk assessments should be reviewed whenever there are significant changes to your premises, equipment, work activities, or workforce. They should also be reviewed following any incident, near miss, or changes in legislation. As a minimum, annual review is recommended. Following a HIQA inspection with findings, immediate review may be required.
What hazards are specific to healthcare environments?
Healthcare environments present unique hazards including: manual handling of residents, exposure to biological agents and infections, violence and aggression from residents with challenging behaviours, medication risks, sharps injuries, work-related stress and emotional demands, slips and trips, and working with vulnerable people who cannot protect themselves.
Do we need individual risk assessments for each resident?
For certain hazards, yes. Manual handling risk assessments should include individual resident assessments where residents require assistance with transfers or repositioning. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) are also individual assessments. Care plans should integrate with risk assessments to ensure a coordinated approach to resident safety.
How do risk assessments link to the safety statement?
The safety statement must be based on hazard identification and risk assessment. Risk assessments identify the hazards and evaluate the risks, while the safety statement documents how you will manage those risks through policies, procedures, and control measures. The two documents work together as part of your safety management system.
Do you provide risk assessments for nursing home groups?
Yes. For nursing home groups, we can develop a consistent risk assessment methodology across all facilities while ensuring each site-specific assessment reflects the unique hazards of that location. This approach ensures quality and consistency while meeting the requirement for facility-specific documentation.
What documentation will I receive?
You will receive a comprehensive risk assessment report including: identified hazards, risk evaluation, existing control measures, recommended additional controls, prioritised action plan with timescales, and review schedule. Reports are provided in editable format allowing you to update assessments as circumstances change.
Related Healthcare Safety Services
Protect Your Residents and Staff with Comprehensive Risk Assessments
Contact Phoenix STS to discuss your healthcare health and safety risk assessment requirements and discover how our comprehensive assessments can support your regulatory compliance and protect residents and staff.
Page last updated: January 2026
