Sole Trader, Start Up and SME's
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9 Health and Safety essentials for Sole Trader's, Start Up's and SME's
1. Health and Safety Policy
The law states that every business must have a health and safety policy. It explains how you will manage health and safety in your business. If you have five or more employees, your policy must be written down. If you have fewer than five, you do not need to have a written policy, but it is advisable to do so.
2. Risk Assessment
As an employer, you're required by law to protect your employees, and others, from harm. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, you must carry out an assessment of the health and safety risks associated with your business activities. You must identify the hazards and decide what action is to be taken to eliminate them. Where this is not possible, action must be taken to control the risks. If you employ five or more people, the findings of your risk assessment must be recorded.
3. Appoint Competent Persons
As an employer, you must appoint competent persons to help you meet health and safety legal duties. They should be able to identify hazards & implement controls to protect employees and others affected by your business operations. You can appoint yourself or another competent person within your workforce. If you do not have the competence to manage health and safety in-house, you can get help from an external consultant or advisor such as Alba Health and Safety Consulting.
4. Reporting Accidents and Incidents
Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), employers have a duty to report workplace injuries, near-misses, and work-related diseases to HSE. If your company has more than 10 employees, it is a legal requirement to maintain an accident book to record any incidents or accidents. Keeping records of incidents is important and helps you identify patterns of accidents and injuries, so you can better assess and manage risk in your workplace. Records can also be helpful when dealing with insurance companies and in legal defense.
5. First Aid at Work
Employers must provide immediate assistance to employees in case of illness or injury at work. They should provide a fully stocked first aid kit, appoint a person to oversee first aid arrangements, and inform employees about the arrangements. Employers should evaluate their first aid needs based on factors like the type of work, hazards, and accident history. The appointed person must be responsible for overseeing the first aid equipment and contacting emergency services if necessary. There can be more than one appointed person, and they do not require formal training.
6. Provide Information, Instruction and Training
As an employer, you have a duty to ensure everyone working for you, including contractors and self-employed people, knows how to work safely. You must provide clear instructions, information, and training to all your workers, especially new recruits, those with new responsibilities, young employees, and health and safety representatives. You have a duty to provide relevant and easy-to-understand information on hazards, risks, emergency procedures, and control measures put in place to deal with them. It is important to keep training records and regularly assess if refresher training is needed.
7. Consult Employees
Employers are required to consult with their employees on matters related to health and safety in the workplace. This can be achieved by engaging in communication with them regarding their work, how risks are being managed, and the most effective ways to provide information and training. Consultation is a two-way process that enables employees to raise any concerns and provide input on decisions relating to managing health and safety. As employees are often the ones with the best understanding of the risks in the workplace, involving them in decision-making processes demonstrates that you value their health and safety. Small businesses can consult directly with their workers.
8. Display Health and Safety Poster
​If you have employees, you are required to either display the health and safety law poster in a prominent location where it can be easily read by your workers, or provide each worker with the equivalent health and safety law leaflet. The poster provides an overview of British health and safety laws and outlines the responsibilities of workers and employers. You may also include information about any employee health and safety contacts.
9. Provide Suitable Workplace Facilities
Employers must provide a safe and healthy workplace that includes welfare facilities such as toilets, washbasins, drinking water, and a designated area to rest and eat meals. The workspace must be clean, have good ventilation, appropriate lighting, and enough space and seating. To ensure a safe workplace, maintain the premises and work equipment, ensure good housekeeping and keep floors and traffic routes free from obstructions.
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