3 ways to automate a coffee machine risk assessment

#1 - Simple assessment

Who it's for: Single-site cafes and venues recording the coffee machine risk assessment themselves, where you know the machine and just need a clear, structured record.

What it is: A coffee machine risk assessment records each hazard of the machine, the people it could harm, the controls in place, and any further action. This version is structured around the 15 areas a competent assessor needs to cover for a piece of pressurised equipment: the people who use it and who else is nearby, how it was selected and kept suitable, its servicing and pressure system examination, daily checks and training, the physical controls, isolation, stability, lighting and signage, PPE, and any outstanding action. Each area is a small group of three prompts written for that area. Machine identification asks you to record the make, model and service history; Pressure system examination asks whether the machine needs a written scheme of examination and whether one is in place; and so on through all 15, so every question tells you exactly what it's about. Under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, the written scheme of examination is a legal requirement wherever the boiler holds pressurised steam, and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 sets further duties on training, maintenance and the safe use of the machine itself.

In practice: A single-site cafe owner works down the 15 areas. Under Authorised users: the baristas and supervisors who use the machine, steam burns and electrical injury as the harm, and barista training as the precaution. Under Pressure system examination: the boiler runs above 0.5 bar, so the written scheme of examination is booked with an independent engineer next month. Three short answers per area, and the whole machine gets covered, not just the parts that come to mind first.

Why it works: The 15 areas are the structure a competent assessor or inspector expects to see, so nothing gets missed: the assessment covers who is at risk AND the equipment's controls, not just the hazards someone happened to think of. And splitting each area into three prompts means nobody has to remember what a good answer contains; the structure asks for hazards, people, and precautions separately, which is what makes the record defensible.

Steps included:

• 15 assessment areas: from who uses the machine and who else is nearby, through selection, servicing and the pressure system examination, to daily controls, PPE and outstanding actions
• Each area is a group of 3 prompts written for it: identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risks and decide on precautions

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Venues where a manager, not a pressure systems specialist, completes the assessment and needs the method in front of them.

What it is: The same 15 areas and three prompts, but each area's group now carries its own written guidance: why that area matters and what to check before you answer. The pressure system examination group carries the 0.5 bar threshold and the difference between a routine service and a written scheme of examination; the isolation group carries the water, steam and electricity shut-off points; the PPE group carries which gloves suit descaling versus general cleaning.

What it adds to the simple assessment:

1. Guidance for every area, on screen exactly where you answer it
2. What to check before answering, not just a blank box
3. An assessment that's consistent whoever completes it

Why it works: Generic guidance at the top of a form gets skimmed once and forgotten by area 10. Guidance attached to each area gets read at the moment it's needed, so a manager who isn't a pressure systems specialist still asks the right questions about the written scheme of examination, isolation points, and descaling PPE.

Steps included:

• The 15 assessment areas, each a group of 3 prompts
• 15 guidance notes, one per area: why it matters and what to check

#3 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Venues that want visual proof of each area's condition alongside the written record.

What it is: The same 15 areas and three prompts, but each area's group now carries a photo step. As you assess each area you photograph it: the data plate, the isolation switch, the pressure gauge, the descaling PPE, the warning labels. The record shows the condition of each area at the time, not just a description of it.

In practice: A restaurant manager works through the assessment with their phone. At Machine identification they photograph the data plate; at Isolation from power, the wall-mounted switch and its label; at Warning signs and markings, the hot surface stickers above the steam wand. Every answer now has a picture next to it.

What it adds to the simple assessment:

1. A photo per area, captured as you assess it
2. Proof of conditions that holds up to an inspector, not just a written claim
3. A visual baseline to compare against at the next review

Why it works: A written assessment says the isolation switch is labelled and accessible; a photo shows it. When the assessment is reviewed next year, the photos also show what changed. And because the photo step sits with its area, the evidence files itself against the right risk instead of landing in a camera roll.

Steps included:

• The 15 assessment areas, each a group of 3 prompts
• 15 photo steps, one per area: the hazard or the control in place, captured at the time

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the same 15-area assessment; the additions change who can run it and what the record proves.

Do other people run the assessment?

If you run it yourself and know the machine, the plain steps are enough: #1. The moment a manager who isn't a pressure systems specialist does it, the guidance needs to be on screen next to each area: #2.

Do you need photo proof?

A written assessment meets the duty; photos show the actual condition of each area. If a written record is enough, #1 or #2. If you want the data plate, the isolation switch, and the warning labels on camera next to their answers, #3.

Need both? Open the version that matters most in the playground and add the other's steps. That is how the product works anyway: every option here is the same assessment with steps added.

Related workflows

• COSHH risk assessment - the descaling chemicals in COSHH terms
• Work equipment risk assessment - the machine as work equipment
• Dishwasher temperature check - another hot, recurring back-bar check

Conclusion

A coffee machine holds pressurised steam, and the written scheme of examination that comes with it is a legal requirement, not just good practice. Every version above is the same 15 areas a competent assessor expects to see addressed, each a group of three prompts; the additions put guidance or a photo inside every area's group. Pick the one your business needs and build on it in the playground.

→ Build your own coffee machine risk assessment on Pilla.