Hierarchy of Controls
By the Riskora Editorial Team · Last reviewed
The hierarchy of controls is the prioritised list — eliminate, substitute, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE — that risk assessments must work through in order.
The principle is built into UK law via Schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. PPE is the last line of defence, not the first.
Every reasonable elimination, substitution or engineering control must be considered before relying on procedures or personal protective equipment.
A risk assessment that jumps straight to 'wear PPE' for a hazard that could have been engineered out is one of the most common reasons documents are rejected by an experienced H&S reviewer.
Why it matters
If you cannot point to where each control sits in the hierarchy, the assessment is incomplete. This is what 'suitable and sufficient' means in practice.