Journey
Health and safety management for new employers
A learning path introducing new employers to the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR). Understand your legal duties for risk assessment, appointing competent help, and establishing emergency procedures - the foundations of workplace health and safety management.
Who this journey is for
This learning path is for employers who are new to health and safety management. If you have recently taken on your first employee, or are about to, you need to understand your legal duties.
Even if you have employed people before, this journey will help you understand the legal framework that underpins everything you must do to keep your workers safe.
Understanding MHSWR 1999: Your management framework
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA) is the overarching law that requires you to ensure the health, safety and welfare of your employees. But HASAWA does not tell you how to do this.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) fills this gap. These regulations set out the practical duties you must fulfil to manage health and safety properly. They apply to every employer from day one, regardless of size or sector.
- What HASAWA 1974 says
- Employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees
- What MHSWR 1999 requires
- Assess risks, appoint competent help, establish emergency procedures, provide information and training
- When these duties start
- From your first employee - there is no grace period or minimum size threshold
The three pillars of MHSWR
MHSWR covers several duties, but three form the foundation of your health and safety management system:
- Risk assessment (Regulation 3) - Identify hazards, evaluate risks, implement controls
- Competent assistance (Regulation 7) - Appoint someone to help you meet your duties
- Emergency procedures (Regulations 8-9) - Plan for serious and imminent danger
This journey takes you through each of these duties in turn, linking to detailed guides for implementation.
Assess your situation
Before diving into the requirements, consider your starting point. Your compliance effort should be proportionate to your actual risks.
- Low-risk workplace (office, small shop)
- Basic compliance achievable in a few hours. You can often manage without external help.
- Medium-risk workplace (warehouse, catering, retail with manual handling)
- More detailed assessment needed. Consider basic health and safety training.
- Higher-risk workplace (construction, manufacturing, chemicals)
- Specialist knowledge typically required. External competent person advice likely needed.
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Conduct risk assessments
Risk assessment is the foundation of everything else. Until you know what hazards exist in your workplace and who might be harmed, you cannot properly manage health and safety.
Manage workplace risk assessments under MHSWR 1999
Understand your legal duties for risk assessment, the nine principles of prevention, when to review assessments, and the threshold for recording findings in writing.
Key points for new employers
- Risk assessment applies from day one - before your first employee starts work
- It does not need to be complicated - for low-risk workplaces, HSE templates are sufficient
- Focus on significant risks, not every conceivable hazard
- Involve your employees - they often know where the real dangers are
- Review it when it may no longer be valid, for example when things change or after an incident
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Appoint a competent person
You do not have to be a health and safety expert yourself. Regulation 7 requires you to appoint one or more competent persons to help you meet your duties. In many cases, this can be you.
Appoint a competent person for health and safety
Understand what competence means, when you can be your own competent person, when to use external consultants, and how to check consultant credentials.
Key points for new employers
- The law prefers you to use someone from your own organisation rather than an external consultant
- For low-risk workplaces, you can often be the competent person yourself after completing HSE guidance
- You must give your competent person adequate time, information and resources
- If you use an external consultant, check their qualifications and insurance
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Establish emergency procedures
Once you have assessed your risks and have competent help in place, you must establish procedures for dealing with serious and imminent danger. This goes beyond fire evacuation to cover all emergencies that could threaten your workers.
Establish emergency procedures for your workplace
Understand your duties under MHSWR Regulations 8-9 for emergency planning, worker protection rights, restricting access to danger areas, and contacts with external services.
Key points for new employers
- Emergency procedures must cover all serious dangers, not just fire
- You must nominate sufficient competent persons to coordinate evacuation
- Workers have a legal right to stop work and reach safety - you cannot penalise them for evacuating
- You must arrange contacts with emergency services and ensure workers know how to summon help
- Test your procedures regularly and review after any incident
Check your compliance
Use this checklist to verify you have met your core MHSWR duties. Review this periodically and whenever your business changes.
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Risk assessment completed
You have walked through your workplace, identified significant hazards, considered who might be harmed, and decided what controls are needed.
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Risk assessment recorded (if 5+ employees)
Your significant findings and any groups especially at risk are documented in writing.
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Competent person appointed
You have identified who assists with health and safety - either yourself (with adequate knowledge) or someone else (internal or external).
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Competent person has adequate resources
Your competent person has the time, information and support needed to fulfil their role.
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Emergency procedures established
You have procedures for serious and imminent danger, covering all reasonably foreseeable emergency scenarios.
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Competent persons nominated for evacuation
Named individuals can coordinate evacuation during all working hours, with cover for absences.
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External service contacts arranged
Emergency contact numbers are displayed, workers know how to summon help, and location details are available for emergency services.
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Workers informed
Employees know the hazards they face, the controls in place, what to do in an emergency, and who the competent person is.
Summary and next steps
You now understand the three core duties under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999:
- Risk assessment - Identify and control workplace hazards
- Competent assistance - Have someone to help you meet your duties
- Emergency procedures - Plan for serious and imminent danger
For most small, low-risk businesses, establishing these foundations takes hours, not days. The key is to start - a basic system you actually use is better than a perfect system that never gets implemented.
Beyond MHSWR: Other health and safety duties
MHSWR provides your management framework, but other regulations create specific duties. As a new employer, you should also ensure you have:
- Employers' liability insurance - A legal requirement from your first employee (minimum £5 million cover)
- First aid provision - At minimum, an appointed person and first aid kit
- Fire safety arrangements - Covered by the Fire Safety Order 2005 (separate from MHSWR)
- Display Screen Equipment assessment - If workers use computers regularly
Official guidance
HSE - Simple health and safety (main page) (opens in a new tab)
HSE · Great Britain
HSE - Risk assessment templates and examples (opens in a new tab)
Form or Template · HSE
HSE L21 - Management of health and safety at work (Approved Code of Practice) (opens in a new tab)
HSE · Great Britain
GOV.UK - Employers' liability insurance (opens in a new tab)
GOV.UK
MHSWR 1999 - Full text on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
legislation.gov.uk