Hazard Assessment Step by Step, with Risk Matrix and Example
Digital Airways·
A hazard assessment, in Switzerland called Gefährdungsermittlung, is the systematic identification of all hazards to the safety and health of your employees, based on activities, work equipment and work substances. You proceed in five steps. You divide the business into areas, identify the hazards, rate the risk from likelihood and severity, define measures according to the STOP principle and check their effectiveness. In Switzerland it is mandatory for every employer, based on the Accident Insurance Act (UVG), the Ordinance on Accident Prevention (VUV) and EKAS guideline 6508. In Germany the same thing is called Gefährdungsbeurteilung.
This article shows the procedure, a risk matrix you can adopt and a worked example from a workshop with a warehouse.
Legal basis in Switzerland
The starting point is Art. 82 UVG. To prevent occupational accidents and diseases, the employer must take all measures that experience shows to be necessary, that the state of the art allows and that are appropriate to the circumstances. Employees are to be involved in this.
The VUV makes this concrete. Under Art. 3 VUV the employer takes all necessary protective measures and checks their effectiveness at appropriate intervals. Art. 6 VUV requires that employees are informed and instructed about the hazards of their work and the protective measures, when they start the job and whenever working conditions change significantly.
EKAS guideline 6508, also called the ASA guideline, states it explicitly in its version of 23 October 2025. As part of the general duties under Art. 3 to 10 VUV and Art. 3 to 9 ArGV 3, all employers identify the hazards in their business and take the necessary protective measures. The guideline also governs when occupational physicians and other workplace safety specialists (ASA) must be called in. How the ASA system as a whole works day to day is described on our page EKAS 6508 and ASA.
What the evidence must cover depends on company size and special hazards.
| Business | What EKAS 6508 requires |
|---|---|
| Special hazards, 10 or more employees | Provide evidence of measures, define and document responsibilities and processes |
| Special hazards, fewer than 10 employees | Provide evidence of measures by simple means |
| No special hazards, 50 or more employees | Define and document responsibilities and processes |
| No special hazards, fewer than 50 employees | Fulfil the general duties under Art. 3 to 10 VUV |
Special hazards are listed in Annex 1 of the guideline, for example fall hazards from 2 m, noise harmful to hearing from a daily noise exposure level of 85 dB(A), or work in areas with vehicle traffic. Many SMEs therefore fall into the first row without knowing it.
Hazard assessment in five steps
Step 1. Divide the business
Divide the business into work areas, processes and groups of people. For each area, list the activities, work equipment and work substances. Do not forget activities outside normal operation, such as cleaning, maintenance, troubleshooting and work by contractors.
Step 2. Identify hazards
Walk through each area on site, ideally together with the employees who work there. According to EKAS, a hazard is a potential source of harm. Useful aids are the Suva checklists, hazard tables, the documents of your industry solution, operating instructions and your own accident statistics. Near misses are especially valuable because they show where something almost happened.
Step 3. Rate the risk
According to EKAS, risk is the combination of the likelihood and the severity of an undesired event. You estimate both values on a scale and read the risk from the matrix. The result sets the priority, not gut feeling.
Step 4. Define measures according to STOP
Measures follow a fixed order, the STOP principle, as also described by SECO.
- S, substitution. Remove the hazard or replace it with a less dangerous solution.
- T, technical measures. Guards, barriers, extraction, enclosures.
- O, organisational measures. Processes, responsibilities, access rules, instruction.
- P, personal measures. Personal protective equipment and behaviour.
Personal protective equipment only comes into play when the levels before it are not enough. Every measure gets a responsible person and a deadline.
Step 5. Check effectiveness
After implementation you rate the residual risk again using the same matrix. Only when it lies in the accepted range is the item closed. At the same time you instruct the employees concerned about the new rule, as Art. 6 VUV requires. How to organise this with evidence is shown on the page on safety instruction.
The risk matrix
The following matrix with five levels each is a widely used scheme. Risk is likelihood times severity.
Likelihood (L). 1 practically impossible, 2 unlikely, 3 possible, 4 likely, 5 frequent.
Severity (S). 1 trivial with no time off, 2 minor injury with a few days off, 3 moderate injury with weeks off, 4 serious injury or lasting health damage, 5 disability or death.
| S \ L | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
| 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
You divide the values into three zones.
- 1 to 4, low risk. Accepted, look at it again at the next review.
- 5 to 12, medium risk. Plan measures and implement them within a reasonable period.
- 15 to 25, high risk. Act immediately, if necessary stop the activity until the measure is in place.
What matters is less the exact scale than consistency. Define the levels once in writing and use them the same way in every area, otherwise the results cannot be compared.
Example from an SME, workshop with warehouse
A metalworking company with 24 employees has a workshop with grinding and welding stations and a warehouse with a forklift. Noise above 85 dB(A) at the grinding station and forklift traffic are special hazards under Annex 1 of EKAS 6508. With 24 employees the strictest row of the table above applies, so the company must provide evidence of its measures and its safety organisation. The contact person for workplace safety (KOPAS) walks through both areas with the workshop manager and records four hazards.
| Hazard | L | S | Risk | Measures according to STOP | Residual risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forklift crosses walkway in the warehouse | 4 | 4 | 16 high | T fenced walkway, mirror at the crossing. O main aisle closed to pedestrians during loading and unloading, trained drivers only. P high-visibility vest in the warehouse | 1 x 4 = 4 low |
| Noise at the grinding station above 85 dB(A) | 4 | 4 | 16 high | T noise barrier and extraction. O grinding work limited in time and rotated. P mandatory hearing protection, instruction | 2 x 4 = 8 medium |
| Leaning ladder at the high rack, storage at 3 m | 3 | 4 | 12 medium | S leaning ladder replaced by a platform ladder with handrail. O heavy parts only on the lower shelves | 1 x 3 = 3 low |
| Cut injuries when deburring | 4 | 2 | 8 medium | T deburring tool instead of a file. P cut-resistant gloves | 2 x 2 = 4 low |
The example shows three things. First, the matrix sets the order, forklift and noise come before the ladder. Second, a single measure is rarely enough, effective solutions combine several STOP levels. Third, a medium residual risk remains for noise, because protection ultimately depends on hearing protection actually being worn. This item therefore goes on the list for spot checks and is rated again at the next inspection.
Aids, Suva checklists and methods
Suva offers around 180 checklists for hazard identification and action planning, with an overview in publication 67000. They can also be completed online in the mySuva customer portal. For businesses with fewer than 10 employees there is the guide «Gefährdungsermittlung für Kleinbetriebe» (Suva 66089). For an in-depth risk analysis by workplace safety professionals, the «Methode Suva» (Suva 66099) is available. If your business belongs to an industry solution, it usually provides its own checklists tailored to the sector.
The checklists help with identification. Rating, tracking measures and providing evidence you still have to organise yourself, and that is exactly where hazard assessment gets stuck in many businesses.
How often to review?
The law does not set a fixed interval. Art. 3 VUV requires review at appropriate intervals, EKAS 6508 regularly and especially when operations change. You should in any case reassess when there are new machines, workplaces or processes, after alterations, after an accident or near miss and when new groups of people join, such as apprentices. In between, an annual inspection of each area has proven itself in practice.
Documentation and evidence
During an inspection by Suva or the cantonal labour inspectorate you must be able to show that hazards have been identified, measures implemented and employees instructed. A hazard assessment is well documented when, for each area, it contains the date, the people involved, the hazards identified, the rating, measures with owners and deadlines, and the residual risk. Under EKAS 6508, very small businesses may provide evidence by simple means, such as completed checklists, photos, minutes and training documents.
Digital instead of Excel
The steps stay the same, on paper or digitally. The difference lies in follow-up. In the Safety App by Digital Airways the Suva checklists are built in as content, inspections run on the phone with photos, and likelihood and severity give the risk class and priority. Every finding becomes an action with an owner, a deadline and its origin, and after implementation you rate the residual risk. Reminders run in three stages up to escalation to managers. The Safety App is not the Suva app and has not been reviewed or certified by Suva. More on the pages on hazard assessment and on the work of safety officers.
Frequently asked questions
Is hazard assessment mandatory in Switzerland?
Yes, for every employer. The duty follows from Art. 82 UVG and the general duties under Art. 3 to 10 VUV, and EKAS guideline 6508 states it explicitly. How extensive the evidence must be depends on special hazards and the number of employees.
What is the difference between Gefährdungsermittlung and Gefährdungsbeurteilung?
In substance, none. In Switzerland EKAS and Suva speak of Gefährdungsermittlung or Gefahrenermittlung together with risk assessment. In Germany the same is called Gefährdungsbeurteilung, based on the Occupational Safety and Health Act. It always means identifying hazards, rating the risk and defining measures.
Is there a template for a hazard assessment?
Yes. Suva provides checklists and a guide for small businesses, and industry solutions have their own templates. As a basic framework, a table with the columns from the example above and a defined risk matrix are enough.
Who carries out the hazard assessment?
The employer is always responsible. It is usually carried out by the KOPAS or the safety officers together with the supervisors and employees of each area. If the necessary expertise is lacking for special hazards, ASA specialists must be called in, often through the industry solution.
Do businesses with fewer than 10 employees need a hazard assessment?
Yes. The duty applies regardless of size. Only the evidence is simplified, very small businesses with special hazards may provide it by simple means such as completed checklists and photos.
How long does a hazard assessment take?
That depends on the number of areas and hazards. The first assessment is the biggest effort, after that it is about updating when things change and carrying out the regular inspections.
Would you like to see what an inspection with a risk matrix and action tracking looks like in the Safety App? In a 30-minute demo we walk through it using your own areas.
