Journey
Health and safety for new employers
A comprehensive learning path to help first-time employers understand and meet their health and safety duties. Takes you from understanding the law to putting compliance systems in place, with practical timelines for your first week, month, and beyond.
Welcome to your health and safety responsibilities
Congratulations on hiring your first employee. Along with the benefits of growing your team comes an important responsibility: keeping your people safe at work.
Health and safety law applies from your very first employee, whether they work full-time, part-time, or casually. This learning path will guide you through what you need to know and do, step by step.
The good news: for most small businesses, H&S compliance is straightforward and does not require expensive consultants or complicated systems.
Your first week, first month, and ongoing
Here is a realistic timeline for getting your H&S compliance in place:
- Before first employee starts
- Employers' liability insurance (legal requirement)
- Week 1
- Walk-through risk assessment, set up first aid provision
- Month 1
- Written H&S policy (if 5+ employees), accident book, employee induction
- Ongoing
- Review assessments, training updates, incident reporting when needed
Phase 1: Understand your legal duties
Before taking any action, it is important to understand the legal framework. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) is the foundation of UK workplace safety law. It has applied to employers since 1974.
The key principle is that you must protect your employees and others "so far as is reasonably practicable". This means taking sensible, proportionate steps based on your actual risks - not gold-plating everything regardless of cost.
Your duties as an employer under health and safety law
Understand your core legal duties under HASAWA 1974, including what 'reasonably practicable' means and when you need a written policy
Phase 2: Assess your situation
Now you understand the legal framework, the next step is to understand what applies to your specific business. Not all requirements are the same for all employers - some depend on your workplace, activities, and number of employees.
Key questions to answer
- How many employees will you have? Written policy and recorded risk assessments are only mandatory with 5+ employees, but the underlying duties apply from employee one.
- What are your workplace hazards? An office has different risks from a construction site or restaurant kitchen.
- Do you control the premises? If you work from client sites or shared spaces, responsibilities may be shared.
Phase 3: Set up your compliance foundations
Now it is time to put systems in place. These are the foundational actions that establish your H&S compliance. Do these before your first employee starts work, or as soon as possible if they have already started.
-
Get employers' liability insurance
This is your first legal requirement and must be in place before your first employee starts.
- Minimum cover
- £5 million
- Penalty for no cover
- £2,500 for every day without insurance
- Display requirement
- Certificate must be displayed or available on request
-
Conduct your first risk assessment
Risk assessment is the foundation of everything else. It tells you what hazards exist in your workplace and what you need to do about them.
For most small businesses, a basic risk assessment takes 30-60 minutes. You do not need to be an expert - you know your workplace better than anyone.
Manage workplace risk assessments under MHSW 1999
Detailed guide to conducting and recording risk assessments, including the nine principles of prevention and when to review
-
Walk through your workplace
Look for anything that could cause harm. Think about slips, trips, falls, equipment, substances, manual handling, electricity, fire, and stress.
-
Think about who could be harmed
Consider employees, visitors, contractors, and members of the public. Note anyone with particular vulnerabilities.
-
Decide what controls you need
What are you already doing? What more should you do? Focus on significant risks, not trivial ones.
-
Record your findings (5+ employees)
Write down the significant hazards, who is at risk, and what controls are in place. HSE provides free templates.
-
Review regularly
Risk assessment is not a one-off task. Review when things change, after incidents, or if you think it may no longer be valid.
hse.gov.uk
HSE risk assessment templates (opens in a new tab)
Free downloadable templates for common workplace types - offices, shops, warehouses, and more
-
-
Set up first aid provision
Every workplace needs first aid arrangements. What you need depends on your workplace hazards and number of employees.
Provide first aid at work
How to assess your first aid needs, what equipment to provide, and what training your first aiders need
For small, low-risk workplaces (offices, shops):
- Appointed person: Someone who takes charge in an emergency and calls for help. No formal training required, but first aid awareness is recommended.
- First aid kit: A basic kit with plasters, bandages, sterile dressings, and disposable gloves.
- Information: Tell employees where the kit is and who the appointed person is.
For higher-risk workplaces: You may need trained first aiders even with few employees. Use the HSE needs assessment to determine your requirements.
HSE first aid needs assessment tool (opens in a new tab)
Work out what first aid provision you need based on your workplace size and risks
Phase 4: Meet your ongoing obligations
Once the foundations are in place, you have ongoing duties to maintain compliance. These are not one-off tasks but continuing responsibilities.
Accident recording and reporting
You must keep records of work-related accidents and ill health. Serious incidents must be reported to HSE under RIDDOR.
- What to record
- All work-related accidents and cases of work-related ill health
- How to record
- An accident book or your own recording system
- Record retention
- Keep records for at least 3 years
- Reportable incidents
- Deaths, specified injuries, over-7-day incapacity, dangerous occurrences, occupational diseases
Report a workplace injury, disease or dangerous occurrence under RIDDOR
What incidents you must report to HSE, when to report, and how - includes the over-7-day incapacity rule explained clearly
Information, instruction, and training
You must ensure employees understand the risks they face and how to work safely.
-
Induction training for new starters
Cover fire safety, first aid locations, hazards in their work area, emergency procedures, and who to report concerns to.
-
Task-specific training
Provide training before employees use equipment or carry out activities with specific risks.
-
Refresher training
Update training when procedures change, after incidents, or periodically to reinforce safe practices.
-
Supervision
Provide supervision appropriate to the experience of the worker and the risk of the task.
Consultation with employees
You must consult employees on health and safety matters. This means discussing risks, proposed changes to procedures, and how safety arrangements are working.
For small businesses without trade union representatives, this can be as simple as regular conversations with your team. Employees often know where the real risks are - listening to them improves safety and shows you take their welfare seriously.
Phase 5: Check your compliance
Use this checklist to verify you have met your key health and safety duties. Review this periodically and whenever your business changes.
Week 1 checklist
-
Employers' liability insurance in place
Certificate available to display or show employees on request
-
Basic risk assessment completed
Walked through workplace, identified significant hazards, decided on controls
-
First aid provision arranged
First aid kit purchased, appointed person identified, location communicated
-
Accident book obtained
Ready to record any work-related injuries or illness
-
Fire safety basics
Fire escape routes clear, employees know what to do in case of fire
Month 1 checklist
-
Written H&S policy (if 5+ employees)
Statement of intent, organisation, and arrangements documented and communicated
-
Risk assessment recorded (if 5+ employees)
Significant findings and groups especially at risk documented
-
Employee induction completed
New starters trained on workplace hazards, emergency procedures, first aid
-
Safe systems of work established
Procedures in place for any significant risks identified in assessment
Ongoing compliance checklist
-
Risk assessments reviewed
Review after incidents, when work changes, or if you think it may no longer be valid
-
Accident records maintained
All work-related incidents recorded, RIDDOR reports made where required
-
Training records kept
Record of induction and any specific training provided
-
Equipment maintained
Regular checks on equipment safety, maintenance records where applicable
-
Employee consultation happening
Regular discussions about safety, feedback acted upon
Summary: Your next steps
You now have a clear path to health and safety compliance. Here is your priority order:
- Immediately: Get employers' liability insurance before your first employee starts
- Week 1: Walk through your workplace and complete a basic risk assessment. Set up first aid and get an accident book.
- Month 1: Write your H&S policy (if 5+ employees), complete employee induction training, and establish safe working procedures.
- Ongoing: Review assessments regularly, record accidents, keep training up to date, and consult with your team.
HSE Simple Health and Safety (opens in a new tab)
Free guidance, templates, and tools designed specifically for small businesses
Official guidance
HSE - Simple health and safety (main page) (opens in a new tab)
HSE · Great Britain
HSE - Risk assessment templates (opens in a new tab)
Form or Template · HSE
HSE - Health and safety policy guidance (opens in a new tab)
HSE · Great Britain
GOV.UK - Employers' liability insurance (opens in a new tab)
GOV.UK
HSE - RIDDOR online reporting (opens in a new tab)
HSE · Great Britain