INDG449: Health and Safety Made Simple

What is this document?

INDG449 "Health and Safety Made Simple: The Basics for Your Business" is the HSE's introductory guide designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses. It strips away complexity and explains in plain terms what employers must do to meet their legal duties.

This document is ideal if you are new to health and safety or want to check you have the essentials covered without getting overwhelmed.

Who needs to read this?

Small business owners starting out or reviewing their compliance
New employers taking on staff for the first time
SME managers responsible for health and safety
Self-employed people with employees or working with others
Anyone who wants a clear, jargon-free introduction to workplace health and safety

If health and safety feels confusing or you are not sure where to start, this document is for you.

Key points covered

The guide covers the essential requirements for workplace health and safety:

Appointing a competent person

You must appoint someone competent to help you meet your health and safety duties. This could be:

Yourself, if you have the necessary knowledge
An employee with appropriate training
An external consultant

For most small, low-risk businesses, the owner or a trained manager can handle this.

Written health and safety policy

If you employ 5 or more people, you must have a written health and safety policy. This includes:

A statement of your commitment to health and safety
Who is responsible for what
The arrangements you have in place

Even if you have fewer than 5 employees, writing down your approach is good practice.

Risk assessment

You must assess the risks in your workplace and take sensible steps to control them. The guide directs you to INDG163 for detailed guidance on how to do this.

Consulting employees

You must consult your employees on health and safety matters. In a small business, this can be as simple as talking to your team about risks and what you are doing about them.

First aid and accidents

You must have first aid arrangements in place and record accidents. This means having a first aid kit, trained first aiders where appropriate, and an accident book.

Insurance

You must have employers' liability insurance if you employ anyone. The certificate must be displayed or accessible to employees.

How this applies to you

This document is your starting point for compliance. It tells you the bare minimum you must do without making it complicated.

For most small businesses, the essentials are:

Decide who will manage health and safety (it can be you)
Do a basic risk assessment for your workplace
Write a short health and safety policy if you have 5+ employees
Put up the HSE law poster or give out the leaflet
Get employers' liability insurance
Have basic first aid and accident recording arrangements

That covers the foundations. From there, you can build depending on your specific risks.

Note:

Health and safety does not need to be complicated for small businesses. The HSE designed this guide to show that the basics are straightforward and proportionate to the level of risk.

If you work in a higher-risk sector or have specific hazards (chemicals, machinery, working at height), you will need to go beyond the basics. But this document gives you the framework.

Related guidance

Official HSE document: Health and safety made simple on HSE

Health and Safety Made Simple