Small Business Health and Safety FAQs

In the UK, health and safety law requires employers to protect people from harm at work. The main legislation is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, supported by key regulations enforced by the Health and Safety Executive and local authorities.

These include the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require employers to carry out risk assessments and put suitable control measures in place, along with other regulations covering areas such as hazardous substances, equipment safety, PPE, and fire safety.

For a small business in the UK, health and safety requirements are the same in principle as for larger organisations but applied in a proportionate way.

The main duty comes from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, supported by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require employers to identify risks and put sensible control measures in place.

Small businesses must provide a safe workplace and equipment, ensure employees receive appropriate information, instruction, training, and supervision, and manage fire safety in line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Certain accidents and incidents must be reported under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.

If a business has five or more employees, it must have a written health and safety policy. Employees also have legal duties to work safely and report hazards or incidents.

No, there is no specific legal requirement to have a formal health and safety management system in the UK.

However, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers must have effective arrangements in place to manage health and safety risks.

Using a structured health and safety management system is a recognised way of demonstrating that risks are being identified, controlled, and reviewed, particularly in higher-risk or more complex organisations, but it is not legally mandated.

In the UK, a small business must have a written health and safety policy if it employs five or more people, as required by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Small businesses are also expected to have risk assessments in place under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and fire safety arrangements based on a fire risk assessment in line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Other policies may be needed depending on the business activities, such as first aid, accident reporting, display screen equipment (DSE), lone working, or data protection.

Yes. You still need to carry out a risk assessment even if you have fewer than five employees.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require all employers to assess health and safety risks. However, if you have fewer than five employees, you are not legally required to record the risk assessment in writing, although doing so is considered good practice.

There is no fixed legal review period, but risk assessments must be kept up to date.

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you must review your risk assessments whenever there is reason to believe they are no longer valid or when there has been a significant change. This includes changes to work activities, equipment, staffing, working locations, or after an accident, near miss, or reported concern.

As good practice, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) expects risk assessments to be reviewed at least annually, even if nothing has changed, to confirm they are still suitable and sufficient.

There is no single set of “lone working rules”, but employers have clear legal duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

You must carry out a risk assessment that specifically considers lone working and put suitable controls in place. This includes identifying who works alone, assessing risks such as violence, medical emergencies, or lack of immediate help, and reducing those risks so far as is reasonably practicable.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) expects employers to provide appropriate training, clear procedures, and effective communication or monitoring arrangements, such as regular check-ins or lone worker devices.

Lone workers must not be put at greater risk because they work alone, and some tasks may require additional safeguards or may not be suitable for lone working at all.

Yes. If you employ anyone, even in a very small business, you must appoint a competent person under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

In a small business, this can be you, as the owner or manager, as long as you have sufficient knowledge, experience, and training to manage health and safety effectively. If you are not competent, or do not have the time or expertise, you must get help from someone else, such as an external health and safety consultant.

If you do not have any employees, you are not required to appoint a competent person, but you still have duties to ensure your work does not put others at risk.

There is no fixed legal number of first aiders or fire wardens you must have.

The law requires you to provide adequate and appropriate first aid and fire safety arrangements, based on your risk assessment. This duty comes from the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 for first aid, and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for fire safety.

The number you need depends on factors such as the size of your workplace, the type of work being carried out, the level of risk, how many people are on site at any one time, and whether people work shifts, alone, or across multiple locations. You should also allow cover for holidays and sickness.

Your risk assessments determine the number of trained first aiders and fire wardens required, rather than a set legal ratio.

No. Health and safety training is not a one-off event.

Employers must provide training that is adequate, appropriate, and kept up to date, as required by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. This means training should be refreshed when risks change, when new equipment or processes are introduced, after incidents or near misses, and periodically to reinforce knowledge.

Yes. You are legally responsible for protecting your employees’ mental health in the same way as their physical health.

This duty comes from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require employers to assess and control risks to health, including work-related stress.

In most cases, you are legally required to have Employers’ Liability Insurance.

Under the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, any business that employs staff must hold this insurance, with a minimum cover of £5 million. It protects you if an employee is injured or becomes ill because of their work.

You must display the insurance certificate (physically or electronically).