Office Relocation Risk Assessment and Safety Procedure

Assessment Date: [DATE]

Assessor: [ASSESSOR NAME]

Department/Area: [DEPARTMENT/AREA]

Review Date: [REVIEW DATE]

1. Assessment Scope

This risk assessment covers the planned relocation of an office from one location to another, including pre-move planning, packing, lifting and carrying, dismantling and reassembly of workstations, movement of office furniture and equipment, loading and unloading, transport between sites, and set-up at the destination. It applies to employees, supervisors, contractors, movers, delivery personnel, and any other persons involved in or affected by the relocation activities. The assessment includes manual handling, slips, trips and falls, fire safety, electrical safety, transport-related risks, and emergency arrangements. It excludes specialist building works, asbestos removal, major electrical installation work, and any hazardous material disposal that requires separate permits or specialist contractors unless such work is specifically added to the relocation plan.

2. Risk Assessment Methodology

This assessment uses a task-based job hazard analysis approach supported by a baseline survey of the workplace and relocation activities. Each task is broken into steps, hazards are identified, and the likelihood and severity of harm are evaluated to determine an initial risk rating. Controls are selected using the hierarchy of controls, with priority given to elimination, substitution, engineering controls, and administrative controls before relying on personal protective equipment. The assessment should be documented, communicated to all parties, and re-evaluated whenever the relocation plan, equipment, layout, contractors, or work conditions change.

3. Risk Matrix Reference

The following matrix is used to evaluate risk levels based on likelihood and severity:

		Likelihood
Rare	Unlikely	Possible	Likely	Almost Certain
Severity	Catastrophic	Low	Low	Low	Medium	Medium
Major	Low	Low	Medium	Medium	High
Moderate	Low	Medium	Medium	High	High
Minor	Medium	Medium	High	High	Extreme
Negligible	Medium	High	High	Extreme	Extreme

4. Hazard Identification and Risk Evaluation

1. Manual handling of boxes, files, office supplies, and small equipment during packing, carrying, and unpacking.

Potential Consequences: Musculoskeletal strains and sprains, back injuries, crushed fingers, dropped items, fatigue-related errors, and reduced ability to respond safely to changing conditions.

Affected Persons: Employees, contractors, movers, and any person assisting with packing or carrying.

Initial Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Likely	Moderate	High

Control Measures

• Eliminate unnecessary moves by disposing of redundant items before relocation and consolidating tasks to reduce handling frequency.
• Substitute heavy boxes with smaller containers and use wheeled totes or carts for repetitive loads.
• Use engineering controls such as dollies, pallet jacks, lift tables, and trolleys to reduce lifting and carrying distances.
• Apply administrative controls including manual handling limits, team lifts for awkward or heavy items, route planning, and staged packing schedules.
• Provide PPE such as safety footwear and task-appropriate gloves where there is risk of dropped objects, cuts, or abrasions.

Residual Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Unlikely	Minor	Low

2. Lifting, lowering, and carrying bulky office furniture such as desks, cabinets, shelving, and printers.

Potential Consequences: Crush injuries, strains, sprains, trapped fingers, foot injuries, and damage to property or equipment.

Affected Persons: Employees, movers, contractors, and nearby persons in the work area.

Initial Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Possible	Major	High

Control Measures

• Eliminate manual lifting where possible by using dismantling, mechanical aids, or contractor handling services.
• Substitute large one-piece items with modular or lighter-weight alternatives where procurement or replacement is feasible.
• Use engineering controls such as furniture sliders, stair climbers, dollies, and adequate access space for movement.
• Use administrative controls including pre-move surveys, lift planning, team lifting, clear communication, and exclusion zones around moving operations.
• Provide PPE including safety footwear with impact protection and gloves suitable for grip and abrasion resistance.

Residual Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Unlikely	Moderate	Low

3. Slips, trips, and falls caused by trailing cables, uneven surfaces, cluttered walkways, wet floors, packaging materials, and temporary changes to the layout.

Potential Consequences: Sprains, fractures, head injuries, bruising, lost work time, and secondary injuries from falling objects.

Affected Persons: Employees, contractors, visitors, and delivery personnel.

Initial Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Likely	Moderate	High

Control Measures

• Eliminate trip hazards by removing unnecessary items from walkways and keeping routes clear before moving begins.
• Substitute loose packing materials with closed containers and cable management systems where practical.
• Use engineering controls such as cable covers, floor protection, barriers, and adequate lighting.
• Apply administrative controls including housekeeping inspections, designated walk routes, spill response, and restricting access to active move areas.
• Provide slip-resistant safety footwear where floors may be wet or slippery.

Residual Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Unlikely	Minor	Low

4. Electrical hazards associated with disconnecting, moving, reconnecting, and testing computers, monitors, printers, chargers, extension leads, and other powered equipment.

Potential Consequences: Electric shock, burns, equipment damage, fire, data loss, and interruption to business operations.

Affected Persons: Employees, IT staff, contractors, movers, and maintenance personnel.

Initial Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Possible	Major	High

Control Measures

• Eliminate live work by isolating equipment before disconnection and ensuring power is off before handling electrical connections.
• Substitute damaged or outdated leads and adapters with compliant, inspected replacements.
• Use engineering controls such as residual current protection where available, adequate socket capacity, and proper cable routing.
• Apply administrative controls including pre-move shutdown procedures, equipment tagging, competent person checks, and prohibition on unauthorized electrical work.
• Provide PPE such as insulated or task-appropriate gloves only where justified by the task and compatible with the equipment being handled.

Residual Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Unlikely	Major	Medium

5. Fire safety risks during packing, temporary storage, loading, and transport, including blocked exits, overloaded power boards, accumulation of combustible packaging, and poor control of ignition sources.

Potential Consequences: Fire, smoke inhalation, burns, evacuation delays, property loss, and disruption to business continuity.

Affected Persons: Employees, contractors, visitors, and emergency responders.

Initial Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Possible	Catastrophic	Extreme

Control Measures

• Eliminate combustible waste accumulation by removing packaging and waste promptly from work areas.
• Substitute temporary storage arrangements that do not obstruct exits or fire equipment.
• Use engineering controls such as maintaining clear access to extinguishers, alarms, and exits, and ensuring safe electrical loading.
• Apply administrative controls including fire wardens, no-smoking controls, hot-work prohibition unless separately authorized, and pre-move checks of evacuation routes.
• Provide fire response training and ensure suitable extinguishers are available and accessible; use PPE only as part of emergency response arrangements where required.

Residual Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Rare	Major	Medium

6. Transport risks during loading, unloading, and movement between sites, including vehicle movement, reversing, unsecured loads, and interaction with pedestrians.

Potential Consequences: Struck-by injuries, crush injuries, collisions, dropped loads, property damage, and delays to the relocation schedule.

Affected Persons: Drivers, movers, employees, contractors, pedestrians, and members of the public.

Initial Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Possible	Major	High

Control Measures

• Eliminate unnecessary vehicle movements by consolidating loads and reducing trips.
• Substitute smaller vehicles or dedicated transport arrangements where they reduce handling and congestion.
• Use engineering controls such as load restraints, tail lifts, reversing aids, and segregated loading zones.
• Apply administrative controls including traffic management, competent drivers, banksman use where needed, route planning, and exclusion of pedestrians from loading areas.
• Provide high-visibility garments when working near moving vehicles and safety footwear for loading activities.

Residual Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Unlikely	Major	Medium

7. Workstation dismantling, reassembly, and adjustment of desks, chairs, monitors, and storage units, including use of hand tools and handling of sharp edges or broken components.

Potential Consequences: Cuts, punctures, pinch injuries, eye injuries from flying particles, ergonomic strain, and incorrect reassembly leading to equipment instability.

Affected Persons: Employees, IT staff, facilities staff, and contractors.

Initial Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Possible	Moderate	Medium

Control Measures

• Eliminate unnecessary dismantling by moving items intact where safe and feasible.
• Substitute damaged components before reassembly rather than forcing repairs during the move.
• Use engineering controls such as proper tools, stable work surfaces, and secure storage for removed parts and fasteners.
• Apply administrative controls including manufacturer instructions, competent assembly, and verification that furniture is stable before use.
• Provide PPE such as safety glasses and cut-resistant or general-purpose gloves where sharp edges or tools present a hazard.

Residual Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Unlikely	Minor	Low

8. Contractor and employee interface hazards, including poor coordination, overlapping work activities, unauthorized access, and unclear responsibilities during the move.

Potential Consequences: Collisions, missed safety steps, inconsistent control implementation, delays, and increased likelihood of injury or property damage.

Affected Persons: Employees, contractors, supervisors, visitors, and delivery personnel.

Initial Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Likely	Moderate	High

Control Measures

• Eliminate overlap by sequencing work so that only necessary teams are present in active move zones.
• Substitute informal coordination with a single move plan, named responsible persons, and controlled access arrangements.
• Use engineering controls such as barriers, signage, and designated staging areas.
• Apply administrative controls including pre-start briefings, permit or authorization checks where needed, contractor induction, and clear communication protocols.
• Provide PPE appropriate to the task and enforce consistent site rules for all parties.

Residual Risk Assessment

Likelihood	Severity	Risk Rating
Unlikely	Minor	Low

5. General Control Measures

• Complete a pre-move baseline survey and task-based hazard assessment for the old site, transport phase, and new site before work begins.

Review the layout, access routes, equipment, utilities, storage areas, and any special hazards so that controls are planned before the move starts.

• Use the hierarchy of controls to reduce reliance on PPE and prioritize safer methods of work.

Where possible, redesign tasks, use mechanical aids, improve layout, and apply administrative controls before selecting PPE.

• Maintain effective housekeeping and clear access/egress throughout the relocation.

Keep walkways, exits, fire equipment, and electrical access points free from boxes, cables, wrapping materials, and stored items.

• Ensure all workers and contractors are inducted into the relocation plan and understand their responsibilities.

Brief personnel on hazards, communication methods, emergency arrangements, exclusion zones, and reporting requirements before they start work.

• Inspect tools, trolleys, lifting aids, vehicles, and PPE before use and remove defective items from service.

Use pre-use checks at the start of each shift and after any incident or equipment change.

6. Emergency Preparedness

• Establish a clear evacuation plan for both the vacated and occupied premises, including assembly points, fire wardens, and procedures for accounting for all personnel during the move.
• Ensure emergency exits, fire alarms, extinguishers, and first aid equipment remain accessible at all times and are not blocked by furniture, boxes, or vehicles.
• Provide a procedure for electrical incidents, including immediate isolation of power, prohibition on touching damaged live equipment, and escalation to a competent person or emergency services if needed.
• Prepare for manual handling injuries, slips, and dropped-load incidents by ensuring first aiders are available, incident reporting is immediate, and moving operations stop until the area is made safe.
• Define transport emergency actions for vehicle breakdown, collision, or load shift, including securing the area, contacting emergency services if required, and preventing further movement until the load is stable.

7. Training Requirements

• Manual Handling and Ergonomics Training: Workers involved in packing, lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling must be trained to assess load weight, use team lifts, maintain safe postures, and recognize when mechanical aids are required. Training should emphasize avoiding twisting, keeping loads close to the body, and stopping work when a load is too heavy or awkward.
  • Safe lifting and lowering techniques
  • Use of trolleys, dollies, and other mechanical aids
  • Recognition of fatigue and overexertion
  • Reporting of pain, strain, or near misses
• Electrical Safety and Equipment Shutdown Training: Personnel handling computers, printers, monitors, and other powered equipment must understand safe shutdown, isolation, cable management, and the limits of their competence. Only authorized persons should perform electrical work beyond simple disconnection and reconnection of plug-in equipment.
  • Pre-move shutdown and isolation steps
  • Inspection of plugs, leads, and adapters
  • Prohibition on damaged equipment use
  • Escalation for faults or exposed conductors
• Fire Safety and Evacuation Training: All personnel must know the evacuation routes, alarm signals, assembly points, and responsibilities for maintaining clear exits during the move. Training should also cover safe storage of packaging materials and the prohibition of obstructing fire protection equipment.
  • Alarm response and evacuation
  • Keeping exits and fire equipment clear
  • Waste and combustible material control
  • Fire warden responsibilities
• Transport and Loading Safety Training: Drivers, movers, and banksmen must be trained in load restraint, safe loading and unloading, vehicle-pedestrian segregation, reversing controls, and communication signals. Training should also cover the risks of unsecured loads and the need to stop work if conditions become unsafe.
  • Load securing and restraint checks
  • Safe loading zones and exclusion areas
  • Reversing and spotter communication
  • Incident response during transit
• PPE Selection, Use, and Care Training: Workers must be trained to select PPE that matches the hazard, wear it correctly, inspect it before use, and replace damaged items. PPE should be treated as a supplementary control and not as a substitute for safer work methods.
  • Appropriate footwear selection
  • Glove selection for cuts, abrasion, or grip
  • High-visibility garment use near vehicles
  • Inspection, cleaning, and replacement of PPE

8. Monitoring and Review

Review Frequency: Review before each relocation project, after any incident or near miss, and at least annually if the relocation process is recurring.

Monitoring Type	Frequency	Responsible Party	Description
Pre-Start Inspection	Before each move shift	Supervisor or move coordinator	Check routes, exits, lighting, floor conditions, equipment condition, vehicle access, and the availability of lifting aids and PPE before work begins.
Active Work Observation	Continuously during relocation activities	Supervisors and team leaders	Monitor manual handling technique, housekeeping, contractor coordination, exclusion zones, and compliance with safe work procedures. Stop work if unsafe conditions develop.
PPE and Equipment Inspection	Daily and before use	Each worker, with supervisor verification	Inspect gloves, safety footwear, high-visibility garments, trolleys, straps, cables, and tools for damage, wear, or defects and remove defective items from service.
Safety Walkthrough and Housekeeping Check	At least once per shift and after major move stages	Supervisor, facilities lead, or designated safety representative	Verify that walkways remain clear, waste is removed, cables are managed, fire exits are unobstructed, and staging areas are orderly.
Post-Move Review	After completion of the relocation and after any incident or near miss	Management, supervisor, and safety representative	Review incidents, near misses, control effectiveness, contractor performance, and any changes needed for future relocations. Update procedures where gaps are identified.

9. Special Circumstances

• Night work or reduced-light conditions increase the likelihood of slips, trips, vehicle interface incidents, and poor visibility. Provide additional lighting, high-visibility garments, and tighter supervision when work occurs outside normal daylight hours.
• Wet weather, snow, ice, or strong winds can increase transport risk, slip hazards, and manual handling difficulty. Delay non-essential moves or apply additional controls such as weather monitoring, covered loading areas, and anti-slip footwear.
• Lone work should be avoided during heavy lifting, loading, or transport activities. If lone work cannot be avoided, implement check-in procedures, communication devices, and task restrictions.
• Public access areas, shared corridors, and multi-tenant buildings require stronger segregation, signage, and traffic control to protect visitors and members of the public.
• Fatigue, time pressure, and compressed move schedules can significantly increase error rates. Plan realistic timelines, rotate tasks, and provide rest breaks to maintain safe performance.

Approval and Sign-off

This risk assessment has been reviewed and approved by:

Assessor: _________________________ Date: __________

Manager/Supervisor: _________________________ Date: __________

Safety Representative: _________________________ Date: __________

This risk assessment must be reviewed review before each relocation project, after any incident or near miss, and at least annually if the relocation process is recurring. or when significant changes occur.

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