The moment your firm employs its fifth person, Section 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires you to have a written health and safety policy. It's one of the first documents an HSE inspector, CHAS assessor or main contractor will ask to see — and one of the easiest to get right if you follow the structure the HSE expects.
(Under five employees? You still need a policy — it just doesn't have to be written down. Most small firms write one anyway, because clients ask for it. Sole trader? See do sole traders need a health & safety policy.)
The three-part structure
Every UK health and safety policy has three sections. Assessors look for all three by name.
Part 1: Statement of intent
A one-page declaration of your commitment to managing health and safety, what you aim to achieve, and that resources will be provided to do it. It must be signed and dated by the most senior person in the business — the owner or managing director — and reviewed at least annually. An unsigned or undated statement is the most common assessor snag.
Part 2: Organisation — who is responsible for what
Name names. For a small firm this might be:
- Owner / director — overall responsibility, resources, reviewing the policy
- Site supervisor / foreman — day-to-day site safety, inductions, toolbox talks, stopping unsafe work
- All employees — following safe systems of work, using PPE, reporting hazards and accidents
- External competent person (if you use a consultant) — what they're retained for
If one person wears several hats — normal in a five-person firm — say so explicitly.
Part 3: Arrangements — how you actually manage it
This is the longest section: the practical arrangements for the risks in your work. For a typical trades firm, cover:
- Risk assessments and method statements — when they're done and by whom (risk assessments explained)
- Training and competence — CSCS, first aid, task-specific tickets, induction of new starters
- Toolbox talks and how safety information reaches the workforce
- Accident reporting — the accident book, first aid provision, and RIDDOR
- COSHH — hazardous substances and dusts
- Work at height, manual handling, electricity, asbestos — as relevant to your trade
- PPE — what you must provide and how it's issued
- Equipment inspection and maintenance
- Subcontractor management — competence and insurance checks
- Consultation with employees and welfare arrangements
Only include arrangements you actually operate. A policy that promises monthly audits you never do is worse than one that promises quarterly audits you actually deliver — inspectors check the policy against reality.
Common mistakes
- Downloaded templates left generic — another firm's name, irrelevant sections about fork-lift fleets, no mention of your actual trade
- No signature or review date on the statement of intent
- Responsibilities assigned to job titles that don't exist in your firm
- Never reviewed — the policy says 2019 and three of the named people have left
Keeping it alive
A policy is evidence of a system, not a one-off document. Set an annual review date, update it when people or work changes, and keep the current signed version where you can produce it on request.
Site Safety UK's policy builder walks you through all three parts with trade-specific arrangements to adapt, produces a branded signed PDF, and tracks the review date alongside your RAMS, training records and toolbox talks. Start a free trial — no card needed.
