Health and safety
Most small organisations have a health and safety policy. Rather fewer can show that the arrangements in it were reviewed this year, that the assessments behind it are current, and that the people named in it still work there.
What the law requires
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees and of others affected by the work. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 make that concrete: a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks, arrangements for putting the necessary measures into effect, competent assistance, and information and training for employees. Where five or more people are employed, the significant findings of the assessment and the safety policy must be written down.
Legislation referred to on this page: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 · Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 · Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. Named so you can read the source. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and whether a duty applies to your organisation is a question for you and your adviser.
Who it applies to
- Every employer, and every self-employed person whose work can affect others.
- The written policy and recorded assessments are a duty at five or more employees.
- Some duties attach to whoever controls premises rather than to the employer — which is why the register asks who controls the building, not only who occupies it.
What you have to be able to show
The list an inspector, insurer or auditor actually works through.
- The health and safety policy, dated and signed, with named responsibilities.
- Risk assessments for the significant hazards, reviewed and still recognisable as the work being done.
- Training records for the people doing the work, including refreshers.
- The accident book, and evidence that reportable incidents were reported.
- Records of maintenance and inspection for equipment the assessments rely on.
How DutyHub records it
DutyHub does not carry out any of the work below. It records who did, when, and what they found.
Assessments with a review date
A risk assessment carries the date it was done and the date it is next due. When it lapses, the duty changes colour before anybody is asked about it.
Findings that become work
A finding is not a paragraph in a document. It is an action with an owner, a priority and a date, and it stays visible until somebody other than the person who did it confirms it is done.
Training and refreshers
Training carries an expiry and a refresh cycle. Somebody trained three years ago on a two-year cycle is amber, not green.
Incidents and the reporting decision
An incident record captures what happened, and — separately — the decision about whether it was reportable and why. The reasoning is the part people wish they had written down.
Start with what applies to you
Add your premises and answer a short set of questions about them. DutyHub works out which duties land on which building, and shows you the gaps before anybody else finds them.
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