Health and Safety is a legal requirement, even for small businesses. With the right Health and Safety practices in place, you’ll even find your business is more cost effective, your revenue improves, sick days / staff absences are reduced and you can increase your staff engagement.

1. Know the Law

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, businesses and employers have a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and any other people who come into contact with their business. You need to consider risk assessments, staff training on health and safety and preparing a health and safety policy.

2. Take out Adequate Insurance

Health and Safety law requires all businesses to take out adequate employers’ liability insurance. The policy must come from an authorised insurer and you could be fined £2,500 for every day you are not properly insured. You are also liable to be hit with a £1,000 fine if you do not display your Employers’ Liability Insurance or fail to produce it for an inspector when asked.

3. Appoint a Competent Person

Every business must have a “competent person” who ensures the business complies with health and safety law. A competent person must have the experience and knowledge to recognise workplace hazards and implement preventative policies and procedures. If you have no-one within your business to do this, you can contact us at Hillmont Associates Ltd where we can provide one of our experienced health and safety consultants.

4. Prepare a Health and Safety Policy

Businesses with five or more employees must produce a written health and safety policy. Your policy should outline the company’s approach to health and safety and how this implemented in practice.

5. Complete Workplace Risk Assessments

You need to identify workplace hazards and implement measures to mitigate these risks in different areas in the workplace, especially high-risk activities. Due to the pandemic you must conduct a COVID-19 risk assessment.

Article from – https://hillmontassociates.com