Health and safety basics for your business

If you are a small low-risk business, these basic steps may be all you need to comply with health and safety law.

Our introduction to managing health and safety^[1] will help you decide where you need to do more and ensure you plan, monitor and review your control measures.

Guidance

Prepare a health and safety policy^[2]

What a policy is and how it helps you manage health and safety
Managing risks and risk assessment at work^[3]

How to identify hazards and assess risks at work
Report accidents and illness^[4]

You must report certain injuries, near-misses and work-related illnesses to HSE
Provide information and training^[5]

Tell your workers what their health and safety duties are
Consult your workers^[6]

Involve your workers and inform them about health and safety
Have the right workplace facilities^[7]

Have toilets, washbasins and other welfare facilities workers need
First aid in work^[8]

Advice on your first aid kit, training workers and appointing first aiders
Display the law poster^[9]

You must display the poster or give workers the equivalent leaflet
Appoint a competent person^[10]

Choose who will help you manage health and safety in your business

introduction to managing health and safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/managing/introduction/index.htm
Prepare a health and safety policyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/policy/index.htm
Managing risks and risk assessment at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm
Report accidents and illnesshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/reporting-accidents-ill-health.htm
Provide information and traininghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/training/index.htm
Consult your workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/consult.htm
Have the right workplace facilitieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/workplace-facilities/index.htm
First aid in workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/firstaid/index.htm
Display the law posterhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/display.htm
Appoint a competent personhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/gettinghelp/index.htm