Health and safety basics for UK employers
Reviewed by Mellow Editorial Team, HR & payroll content team
Every UK employer has a legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their workers. That duty is not optional, not scalable by company size, and not satisfied by good intentions alone — it requires documented action.
The core legal framework
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the foundation. It places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 build on this by requiring employers to carry out formal risk assessments and act on the findings.
"Reasonably practicable" is a legal standard, not a vague aspiration. It means you must weigh the risk against the cost and effort of controlling it. If a control measure is proportionate to the hazard, you are expected to implement it.
Risk assessments: what you must do
Every employer must carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. For employers with five or more employees, the significant findings must be written down. Smaller employers are still legally required to conduct the assessment — they just have slightly more flexibility on the format of the record.
A risk assessment should:
- Identify hazards in the workplace (anything that could cause harm)
- Decide who might be harmed and how
- Evaluate the existing controls and decide whether more is needed
- Record the findings (mandatory in writing if you have five or more staff)
- Review and update the assessment when circumstances change
A hazard is anything with potential to cause harm — slippery floors, heavy lifting, lone working, screen glare, chemical exposure. The assessment does not need to be complex, but it does need to be real and acted upon.
Appointing a competent person
The Management Regulations require you to appoint one or more "competent persons" to help you meet your health and safety duties. A competent person has sufficient training, experience and knowledge to implement the measures needed. That can be you, an employee, or an external consultant — but someone must formally hold this role. If you have multiple sites or higher-risk activities, a single part-time appointment is unlikely to be sufficient.
Employer obligations you cannot delegate away
Several specific duties sit with the employer regardless of how work is structured:
Employers' liability insurance. Most employers are legally required to hold employers' liability compulsory insurance (ELCI) for at least £5 million per claim. The certificate must be displayed or made available to employees.
Health and safety law poster. You must either display the approved "Health and Safety Law" poster in a prominent place or provide each worker with the equivalent pocket card or leaflet. Using an outdated version of the poster is a common compliance gap — check it is the current approved edition.
First aid provision. You must provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and personnel. For small, low-risk offices this may mean a stocked first aid box and a designated first-aider or appointed person. Higher-risk environments require trained first-aiders. The exact provision depends on a specific first aid needs assessment.
Accident records. Certain workplace injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences must be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR). You must also keep a record of accidents. Many employers use an accident book, but any format that captures the required information is acceptable.
Consulting workers. You are required to consult employees on health and safety matters. Where there is a recognised trade union with safety representatives, consultation must go through them. Where there is not, you can consult employees directly or through elected representatives.
Homeworkers and remote staff
The duty of care extends to employees working from home. You cannot inspect a home office in the same way you can a shared workplace, but you remain responsible for the work activity itself. A home workstation assessment — often a self-assessment questionnaire reviewed by a manager — is a proportionate way to meet this obligation for desk-based workers. Remote working arrangements have increased significantly, and the Employment Rights Act 2025 reinforces day-one rights for workers, making clear that employment protections apply regardless of where the work is performed.
Enforcement and penalties
The HSE and local authorities share enforcement responsibility depending on the type of workplace. Inspectors can issue improvement notices, prohibition notices (stopping work immediately), and prosecute for criminal offences. Fines for health and safety offences are unlimited in the Crown Court; the courts also consider turnover when sentencing organisations, meaning larger businesses face substantially higher penalties for the same breach.
Directors and senior managers can be personally liable where a failure is attributable to their neglect or consent. Health and safety compliance is therefore a board-level responsibility, not something that can be wholly delegated to an HR coordinator or an office manager.
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