Expanding to the UK: how to navigate strict health and safety law and protect your UK staff from common workplace risks

No matter whether your staff in the UK will be working in an office or a factory, health and safety commitments are a vital element of your business operation. While the hazards themselves may look similar to those your staff face in the US, there are key differences in your legal requirements and obligations as a UK business. 

In this article in our Expanding to the UK series, our Managing Director of Health and Safety in the UK, Jon Williams, simplifies the key health and safety legislation in the UK and helps you understand the steps you need to take to help properly safeguard your UK employees from the unexpected.

Key takeaways

1. The fundamental health and safety legislation that governs UK businesses
2. The 7 legally required workplace additions and processes in the UK
3. How to support the mental as well as physical health of your UK people

Health and Safety at Work Act

The primary piece of legislation protecting workplace health in the UK is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (also referred to as HSWA, the HSW Act, the 1974 Act or HASAWA), which sets out the duties you have towards your employees and the public, as well as the duties your employees have to each other.

Once your UK headcount reaches 5 or more people, UK law states that you must:

1. Have a written health and safety policy
   A health and safety policy sets out your general approach to health and safety. It should clearly say who does what, when and how, and explain how you, as an employer, will honour the commitment to managing health and safety in your business.
2. Identify workplace hazards and take action to mitigate or prevent the risks
   As an employer, you’re naturally required by law to protect employees and others from harm to the best of your ability. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the minimum you must do is identify workplace hazards, assess the risk level, and take actions to reduce or eliminate the risk wherever possible.
3. Report and record workplace injuries and accidents
   This duty is under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, known as RIDDOR. You must also appoint a competent person with the skills, knowledge and experience to enforce this. This person can be yourself, one or more of your staff, or even an external champion.
4. Provide the right information, training and supervision to your people
   Everyone who works for you needs to know how to work safely and without risk to their health, including external ‘staff’ such as contractors and self-employed people.
5. Provide adequate welfare facilities
   You must provide welfare facilities (e.g enough toilets and places to eat meals) and a working environment that's healthy and safe for everyone in the workplace, including those with disabilities.
6. Have a suitably stocked first aid kit
   Ensure your have all necessary items as dictated by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), and that your kit is checked regularly for any items that are defective or have expired.
7. Clearly display the correct signage
   Clearly display necessary warnings and notices, as well as the British health and safety poster, which outlines UK health and safety laws and lists what workers and their employers should do.¹

Mental health

While it isn’t legally enforced, we believe that offering mental health support falls just as much within your responsibility as supplying safety equipment and training.
Our top tips for providing mental health support at work, are:

1. Put people through mental health first aid training
2. Encourage open conversations between your people
3. Supply mental health support resources
4. Frequently conduct and document mental health risk assessments