Health and safety information
There’s lots of health and safety risks, hazards and legislation to consider for a hospitality, retail or leisure business.
On this page you’ll find a series of frequently asked questions and answers to get you started. If your question isn’t on the list, reach out to us.
Legislation and documentation
What is the Health and Safety at Work Act?
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation which deals with workplace health and safety in Great Britain. Sometimes referred to as HSW, HASAW 1974 or HASAWA, it is an act of Parliament that sets out the framework for managing workplace health and safety in the UK.
What is employers liability insurance?
This insurance is compulsory for most businesses. It protects the employee by ensuring your business has the resources to meet the cost of compensation, should it be paid to the employee for injuries or illness.
How to write a health and safety policy?
When a health and safety policy you should use simple, clear and concise language. Remembering that your policy is being drawn together to share with everybody and so it should be easily read and understood.
There are three parts to an effective health and safety policy.
– A general statement of intent
– Responsibility or organisation (people and their duties)
– Arrangement (systems and procedures)
What is the health and safety poster?
Employers are required, by law, to either display the HSE-approved law poster or to provide each of their workers with the equivalent leaflet.
The posters should be displayed in all business sites in a location that can be accessed by all employees.
Risk assessments
What's the difference between a risk and a hazard?
A Hazard is something with potential to cause harm, injury or illness. This could be machinery, chemical or fire for example., However, just because something has potential, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will cause harm, that depends on many factors.
Risk refers to the likelihood or chances of harm being caused by the hazard, so for example we talk about things or situations being high risk, low risk and everything in between. In other words how likely would it be that something could happen.
How to carry out a risk assessment.
Determing the level of risk is one of the of the most important parts of health and safety and is completed by a risk assessment exercise. There’s no fixed rule on how to do a risk assessment but the simplest way to do it, and the most commonly used method, is to break down the task into these distinct five steps below.
Step 1 – What are the hazards?
Step 2 – Who could be harmed?
Step 3 – What control measures are needed?
Step 4 – Record it
Step 5 – Review it
First aid
How many first aiders do I need?
There’s no definitive answer here. Your business needs to ensure that your staff and visitors have access to medical attention in an emergency. You should carry out a risk assessment to determine how many first aider are required. But, a good starting point to ensure that you always have one on site.
Long form information about health and safety.
How many first aiders do I need?
7 min read
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981) say employers must make sure there are ‘adequate and appropriate’ first aid plans.
Guidance when switching to a takeaway
7 min read
A lot of restaurants are now switching from operating as a restaurant to a takeaway only. Consider these additional food safety/food hygiene measures.
How to offer a takeaway or delivery service during lockdown v2.0
9 min read
Lockdown 2.0 is here and hospitality must close to the public, but you can offer food and drink using takeaway or delivery methods.
How to wash your hands properly
6 min read
How to wash your hands properly. The first step to protecting yourself against Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other infections.
Are dogs allowed in restaurants, bars and coffee shops?
7 min read
It’s international dog day on 26th August, so let’s ask – what are the rules on taking dogs into hospitality venues in the UK?
Face masks mandatory from 24th July in shops and takeaways
2 min read
From 24th July 2020, customers must wear a face covering when inside a takeaway or shop.
What’s the difference between a risk and a hazard?
6 min read
These two terms are often misunderstood and used in the wrong circumstance. A hazard and risk are two separate things, let’s take a look.
7 most common hazards in hospitality
9 min read
When assessing the hazards that exist in your workplace, you can give yourself a head start by understanding the most common ones that appear in your type of workplace.
How will Brexit affect Health and Safety in the UK?
3 min read
What’s going to happen after Brexit? Which UK health and safety legislation will be affected and how?
What is employers liability insurance?
6 min read
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees while they are at work. This means you must put in place reasonable steps to prevent them getting injured or ill, but you must also put steps in place for them to to be protected if they do sustain an injury or illness – an injury or illness which is the liability of work they’ve undertaken for your business.
How to write a health and safety policy
5 min read
Policy writing doesn’t sound fun and sounds like a huge task when first considered by employers. But it’s absolutely critical to your business health and safety, it’s step 1 in your plan to improving health and safety.
5 steps of a Risk Assessment
7 min read
A large part of managing the health and safety of your business is controlling the risks in your workplace. This is one the activities which is a must-do – health and safety law does require it and it does by way of a risk assessment.
9 things your business must do to be health and safety compliant
10 min read
For a small-medium sized business owner, who might be juggling a collection of plates and managing several departments, it can be quite a daunting and confusing task to understand what health and safety actions are required of them.
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
14 min read
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation which deals with workplace health and safety in Great Britain.