Risk Assessment Template for Electricians & Trades in South Africa (HIRA) [2026]
Whatever your trade, South African law expects you to identify hazards and control the risks before work starts. A risk assessment, often called a HIRA (Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment), is how you show that you have done it.
What a trade-specific risk assessment covers
A good trade risk assessment lists, for each main activity:
- The hazards, for example live electrical conductors, working at height or manual handling
- Who could be harmed
- How serious and how likely the harm is
- The controls you will put in place
- Who is responsible for each control
How to generate one
1. Choose Risk Assessment (Trade-Specific)
Open Generate Documents and select the trade-specific option.
2. Pick your trade
Select your trade from the list. The demo uses Electrical, which brings in trade-relevant hazards such as electrical shock, arc flash and working near live equipment.
3. Describe the work
Add the project name, the site address and a short work description, for example: installation of the main distribution board, sub-boards and lighting for a new warehouse section. Enter the number of workers.
4. Generate
Click Generate Document to receive the risk assessment as a PDF, with hazards and control measures laid out for review and sign-off.
Where the risk assessment fits
The risk assessment feeds your wider documents:
- It sits inside your safety file: see How to create a safety file online
- It supports your method statement: see Method statement template South Africa
- For a scored, area-based approach, see OHS risk assessment template South Africa
Tips for a risk assessment that holds up
- Assess the real task on the real site, not a generic one
- Use the hierarchy of controls: eliminate first, PPE last
- Involve the people doing the work
- Review it whenever the method, equipment or site conditions change
- Keep it signed and dated in your safety file
Important
SiteReady documents are templates based on common industry requirements, not legal advice. A competent person who knows the work must review each risk assessment against the actual site conditions.
Frequently asked questions
What is a HIRA?
HIRA stands for Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment. You identify what could cause harm in a task, assess how likely and how severe it is, decide on controls, and review them. In South Africa it underpins the employer duties in the OHS Act.
What is the difference between a baseline risk assessment and a site-specific one?
A baseline risk assessment looks at the hazards of the intended work as a whole, before work starts. A site-specific or task-based risk assessment then drills into the actual activities, conditions and people on one particular site.
Which trades can I generate a risk assessment for?
The trade selector includes construction (building and civil), electrical, plumbing, welding and fabrication, mining, transport and other trades. Choose the one closest to your work and describe the activities in the description box.