Making information simple

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has developed a suite of resources to make it easier for small businesses to meet their health and safety obligations.

Health and Safety Made Simple

Health and Safety Made Simple takes you quickly through your basic health and safety duties. It provides straightforward, step-by-step guidance describing in plain English what to do and how to do it to achieve a basic level of compliance. It also provides helpful signposts to further resources and information including guidance on topics such as risk assessment.

Risk Assessment tools

Many people assume that risk assessments need to be long, formal documents covering every hazard, no matter how minor or unlikely to occur. That's not the case. HSE has developed online risk assessment tools for offices and shops which make it clear that this can be done quickly and easily. Complying with the law in a low risk business can be done with common sense by anyone.

HSE also provides example risk assessments for over 30 workplaces, including estate agents, hairdressers and motor vehicle repair shops. They help you get to grips with the sort of risks you will need to manage.

External advice

You probably manage most aspects of your business yourself, or with the help of your employees. But if you are not confident of your ability to manage all health and safety in-house, you may need some external help or advice.

The Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register (OSHCR) has been established by a number of professional bodies with support from HSE. The register provides you with easy access to trusted advice on general health and safety matters from consultants qualified to a professional standard recognised by the participating bodies in the registration scheme.

Challenge Panel

You may feel that you've been told to do more than you need to by a health and safety regulator. A new Independent Regulatory Challenge Panel has been established to allow you to refer advice given to you by HSE or Local Authority inspectors about health and safety which you think is incorrect or goes beyond what is required to control the risk adequately.

Find out more

HSE will do more to reduce burdens on business. For details of forthcoming changes subscribe to our e-bulletins.