No, it doesn't say "we don't know". It says "Its up to you to make the judgement, (and if necessary be prepared to justify it)".
That's the way the system works now, and there is no way (I believe) that HSE will make the specific recommendation you hoped for, as that could then be used in law to absolve you of the reponsibility of that judgement.
This is why we now see "risk assessment" used to justify unreasonably prohibitive rules, often by local councils, etc, to eliminate the most minimal of dangers.
As example, during the football finals my local council prohibited the attachment of flags to lampposts near a local pub "because of the danger they could become detached and cause an accident by obscuring the vision of a cyclist or motor-bike rider". Obviously a severe danger that !!
Having said that my only meeting, in an industrial environment, with an HSE inspector allowed a normal and sensible exchange of opinions, and their advice was completely reasonable. The responsibility for subsequent events however remained firmly mine.
