A Workplace Safety Assessment is a systematic process for identifying workplace hazards, evaluating the risks they pose to employees, assessing the adequacy of existing control measures, and recommending additional actions to reduce risks to acceptable levels. The assessment documents the hazards, the persons at risk, the existing and recommended controls, and the overall risk rating for each identified hazard.

In the United States, workplace safety is regulated primarily by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.). The OSHA General Duty Clause (Section 5(a)(1)) requires every employer to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm. OSHA standards for general industry (29 CFR 1910) and construction (29 CFR 1926) establish specific requirements for addressing particular workplace hazards.

OSHA's Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs (2016) identify hazard identification and assessment as a core element of an effective workplace safety program. The recommended approach includes conducting initial and periodic workplace inspections, identifying hazards associated with specific jobs and tasks, investigating incidents and near misses, and tracking trends in injury and illness data.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) have published ANSI/ASSP Z10-2019, which establishes a framework for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. This standard provides a structured approach to hazard identification, risk assessment, and the implementation of controls based on the hierarchy of controls.

Twenty-two states and jurisdictions operate their own OSHA-approved State Plans that may impose additional or more stringent requirements than federal OSHA. Employers must comply with both federal OSHA requirements and any applicable state-specific requirements.

A Workplace Safety Assessment is needed by every employer in the United States. Under the OSHA General Duty Clause, all employers have a legal obligation to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards. Conducting documented safety assessments is the primary mechanism for meeting this obligation.

Specific OSHA standards require hazard assessments for certain activities. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.132(d) requires employers to conduct a hazard assessment to determine the need for personal protective equipment (PPE). OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 requires permit-required confined space hazard evaluations. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.119 requires process hazard analyses for facilities covered by the Process Safety Management standard.

A workplace safety assessment should be conducted before operations begin at a new facility, whenever new equipment, materials, or processes are introduced, following any workplace accident or near-miss incident, when employees report new hazards, after any OSHA inspection or citation, and at least annually for ongoing operations.

OSHA inspections typically examine whether the employer has conducted adequate hazard assessments and implemented appropriate controls. Having documented assessments demonstrates due diligence and can serve as evidence of good faith compliance efforts. OSHA's penalty reduction policies consider the existence of an effective safety program, including documented hazard assessments, as a mitigating factor.

The assessment is particularly important for high-hazard industries such as construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, healthcare, and warehousing, where the risk of serious injury or death is elevated.

A comprehensive Workplace Safety Assessment must address several essential elements to comply with OSHA requirements and protect employees from recognized hazards.

The business and assessment details section should identify the employer, the workplace location, the specific area or activity being assessed, the assessor's name and qualifications, and the date of the assessment.

Hazard identification is the core of the assessment. Each identified hazard should be described in detail, including the source of harm, the circumstances under which harm could occur, and the specific OSHA standard that applies. Common hazard categories include machine guarding (29 CFR 1910.212), electrical (29 CFR 1910.301-399), fall protection (29 CFR 1910.28-29 and 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M), hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200), and lockout/tagout (29 CFR 1910.147).

For each hazard, the assessment must identify who is at risk, including employees, contractors, visitors, and members of the public. Groups at particular risk, such as new employees, temporary workers, and employees with disabilities, should be specifically identified.

Existing control measures should be documented and evaluated against the hierarchy of controls: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE. The risk level should be assessed with existing controls in place.

Additional actions required to further reduce risks should be identified, with specific assignments of responsibility and target completion dates. The review schedule should specify triggers for reassessment and the next scheduled review date.