Health and Safety Policy
The law says that every business must have a policy for managing health and safety. A health and safety policy sets out your general approach to health and safety. It explains how you, as an employer, will manage health and safety in your business. It should clearly say who does what, when and how. If you have five or more employees, you must write your policy down. If you have fewer than five employees you do not have to write anything down, but it is useful to do so. You must share the policy, and any changes to it, with your employees. The HSE website provides takes you through the steps to write a Health & Safety Policy for your business.
First Aid at Work
Employers must make sure employees get immediate help if taken ill or injured at work. The law applies to every workplace and to the self-employed. You must have:
- a suitably stocked first aid kit
- an appointed person or people to take charge of first aid arrangements
- information for all employees telling them about first aid arrangement
Risk Assessment
As an employer, you must make a ‘suitable and sufficient assessment’ of risks to your employees’ health and safety, and risks to others not in your employment that are created because of your work.
Consult your Workers
You have to consult all your employees on health and safety. This does not need to be complicated. You can do this by listening and talking to them about:
- health and safety and the work they do
- how risks are controlled
- the best ways of providing information and training*
Provide Information and training
Everyone who works for you needs to know how to work safely and without risks to health. You must provide clear instructions and information, and adequate training, for your employees.
HSE Training Information ESSA e-learning
Have the Right Workplace Facilities
You must Have the right workplace facilities for everyone in your workplace, including people with disabilities. However this doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.
Report Accident and Illness
In law, you must report certain workplace injuries, near-misses and cases of work-related disease to HSE. This duty is under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, known as RIDDOR.
Get the right insurance
If your business has employees you will probably need employers' liability insurance. If an employee is injured or becomes ill as a result of the work they do for you, they can claim compensation from you.
Display the Health and Safety Poster
If you employ anyone, you must display the health and safety law poster, or provide each worker with a copy of the equivalent pocket card.. You must display the poster where your workers can easily read it.
The Health and Safety Executive website can provide you with all the information that you need to ensure that you are compliant with the law.
