Recurring concern

Inadequate competence of personnel conducting formal safety risk assessments

First to latest report 20 Jul 2015 — 1 Jun 2026

Reports that mention this concern
13
Times this concern has been raised
15
Stated actions linked to this concern
24

What this concern includes

Includes deficiencies in training or competence assurance for personnel whose assigned function is to conduct or document a formal assessment of safety hazards and determine the safeguards required.

What is not included
  • Excludes general staff safety training, emergency-response knowledge and process competence when the source does not identify an assigned formal safety risk-assessment function.
  • Excludes clinical assessment, Mental Health Act assessment, mental-capacity assessment and diagnostic or scoring processes merely because they consider risk.
  • Excludes failure of the underlying risk assessment or safeguard when no training or competence deficiency among its responsible assessors is identified.

Reports and published responses 13 reports

See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response

  1. Manchester City

    AI-generated summary

    Stephen Alan HUNT · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Stephen Alan Hunt, a firefighter, died after entering a fire at Paul's Hair and Beauty World in Manchester on 13 July 2013. He was found inside the premises after suffering heat exhaustion and hypoxia. The principal concerns included failures in communication and handover, misinterpretation of instructions, loss of telemetry and radio communications, inadequate fire risk assessments and fire safety measures, and decisions affecting firefighter safety.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of means for responsible persons to verify fire risk assessor competence

    Wider context from the report

    “(9) It is suggested that the Secretary of State for the Home Department considers measures to ensure that: fire risk assessors are adequately trained and qualified so as to be competent in the role, and the responsible person has the means to verify the competence of any person holding themselves out to be a fire risk assessor. ”

    Source location

    Stephen Alan HUNT · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 10 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Inadequate training and qualification of fire risk assessors

    Wider context from the report

    “(9) It is suggested that the Secretary of State for the Home Department considers measures to ensure that: fire risk assessors are adequately trained and qualified so as to be competent in the role, and the responsible person has the means to verify the competence of any person holding themselves out to be a fire risk assessor. ”

    Source location

    Stephen Alan HUNT · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 10 · concerns

    Open source report

  2. Norfolk

    AI-generated summary

    ARTHUR CAXTON MASON · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    On 9 July 2014, Arthur Caxton Mason, aged 21, died after being buried beneath moving grain while cleaning inside a grain bin at Hall Farm. The principal concerns were inadequate staff training in risk assessment, failure to recognise hazards in grain-bin cleaning procedures, and the absence of an emergency plan for hazardous areas on the farm.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of training for staff carrying out risk assessments

    Wider context from the report

    “(1) As at July 2014 no member of staff had undergone training in respect of assessing risks and carrying out Risk Assessments. Following Mr Mason's death, one member of staff involved in risk assessments has undergone training. This member of staff is involved in the administration side of documents. Other, senior, members of staff involved in carrying out risk assessments have not undergone any such training and from the evidence did not appear to fully accept risks as set out in Health & Safety Executive documentation, preferring to rely on their own “experience and common sense”. ”

    Source location

    ARTHUR CAXTON MASON · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 1 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Complete the booked IOSH Directing Safely, IOSH Managing Safely and first-aid training for designated managers.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “To broaden MML’s understanding of Health and Safety and to strengthen our ability to ensure that staff who are responsible for health and safety understand the issues and risks involved, further formal training has been booked as set out below. In particular:-”

    Source location

    2016-0128-Response-by-Maurice-Mason-Ltd
    Page 2 · response
    Published 1 April 2016

    Open published response

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Provide further focused safety training for staff with CSML’s advice and input.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “There will be further training for staff members in more focused areas to strengthen staff involvement and understanding. It is not possible at this time to give details but it will be on the advice and with input from CSML.”

    Source location

    2016-0128-Response-by-Maurice-Mason-Ltd
    Page 3 · response
    Published 1 April 2016

    Open published response

  3. Birmingham and Solihull

    AI-generated summary

    Craig Roberts and 2 others · Prevention of Future Deaths report

    This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

    Report summary

    Craig Roberts, James Dunsby and Edward Maher were reserve soldiers taking part in a specialist-unit selection test march in the Brecon Beacons in July 2013. The report identifies concerns about heat-illness guidance, training and risk assessment, communication of weather information, medical planning, emergency response, tracking of slow or static candidates, and the failure to implement lessons from previous incidents.

    Read the report on judiciary.uk

    Source evidence

    How this individual concern was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Lack of risk-assessment training for exercise risk-assessment and delivery staff

    Wider context from the report

    “(5) Senior commanders were unaware that the staff who completed the risk assessment for this exercise and who conducted the exercise had not been trained in the preparation of risk assessments. The risk assessment used simply adopted a risk assessment that had been prepared by the lead regular unit. ”

    Source location

    Craig Roberts and 2 others · Prevention of Future Deaths report
    Page 4 · concerns

    Open source report

    Source evidence

    How this respondent action was interpreted

    PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

    PFD Monitor interpretation

    Train personnel in risk assessment and implement the revised Training Governance and Assurance Policy across subordinate units.

    Verbatim wording from the response

    “Training in the conduct of Risk Assessments was addressed in the immediate aftermath of the incident in 2013 and following the improvement notice issued by the HSE. In addition to this, work is being conducted to review how the organisation can improve training in this area and HQ specialist military units is reviewing and rewriting its Training Governance and Assurance Policy which will lead to further changes in the policy and procedures of subordinate units. The revised Training Governance and Assurance Policy was completed in August and changes by the subordinate units will be in place before the end of the calendar year, prior to the next iteration of the exercise.”

    Source location

    2015-0228-Response-by-MOD
    Page 4 · response
    Published 20 July 2015

    Open published response

Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.

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Data last updated 7 September 2026