Creating a health and safety policy for your UK startup: a practical guide

Why your startup needs a health and safety policy

Talking about health and safety can feel a bit old-fashioned when you are building a startup. Your team probably works in a co-working space or from kitchen tables, and the most dangerous object in the office is the hot water tap. But the law does not take size as an excuse. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, every employer has a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees and anyone else affected by the business. For startups with five or more employees, this duty includes putting a written health and safety policy in place.

It does not have to be complicated. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) expects your policy to be proportionate and practical. A few clear pages can satisfy your legal obligations, help you spot real risks and show your team you take their wellbeing seriously. This guide walks through what you need to include, how to structure it and how to keep it current. Remember, this is not legal advice. If you have particular hazards, such as home visits or dangerous equipment, consult a solicitor or health and safety professional.

When is a written policy required?

If you employ five or more people, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 say you must have a written health and safety policy. The count includes part-time and full-time staff, even those on fixed-term contracts. It excludes contractors who are not employees. If you have fewer than five, a written policy is still good practice, but you do not legally have to document it.

Once you have a written policy, you must bring it to the attention of all employees. It should be easily accessible, whether that is on your intranet, in a shared drive or pinned to the noticeboard.

The three key ingredients

Most health and safety policies follow a simple structure with three parts:

1. Statement of intent: your commitment to managing health and safety.
2. Responsibilities: who is responsible for what.
3. Arrangements: the practical steps you take to manage risks.

Each section can be brief, but together they form a complete picture of how your startup controls hazards.

Writing the statement of intent

This is usually a one-page declaration signed by a founder or CEO. It sets out your general aims, such as:

• providing a safe working environment
• complying with health and safety law
• assessing and controlling risks
• consulting employees on health and safety matters
• reviewing the policy regularly

Keep it sincere and specific to your business. Avoid generic jargon. For example: “We treat the health, safety and wellbeing of our team as a priority. This policy explains how we do that.” Then date it, sign it and plan to review it at least once a year.

Setting out responsibilities

Make it clear who does what. In a small startup, the founding team usually holds overall responsibility. You might then delegate day-to-day tasks to an operations manager or office lead. List names or job titles and their duties. For instance:

• CEO: overall accountability for health and safety.
• Operations lead: carrying out risk assessments, arranging training, reporting incidents.
• All employees: following safety procedures, reporting hazards, looking after their own safety and that of others.

If you have line managers, note their role in monitoring their team’s setup. Even if a few people wear many hats, there is value in writing this down. When someone is off sick, the next person can step in without gaps.

Arrangements: the practical stuff

This is the longest section but should still be concise. It describes what you actually do to manage the risks in your startup. Base it on your own risk assessment and common sense. Typical topics include:

Fire safety: who checks the fire alarms and extinguishers (often the building manager if you rent), where the muster point is, and how often you run drills.

First aid: who your appointed first aider is (if you have one) and where to find the first-aid kit.

Display screen equipment: describe how you do workstation assessments for staff who use computers for more than an hour a day. The HSE provides a simple online checklist you can use.

Manual handling: if your team ever lifts boxes or equipment, a few lines about safe lifting technique and when to ask for help.

Mental health and stress: acknowledging that startup life can be intense and pointing to your employee assistance programme or a trusted internal contact.

Reporting accidents and near misses: the process for logging incidents internally and, if serious, reporting under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). Most minor incidents do not need reporting to authorities.

Working from home: basic expectations about a safe home workspace, taking breaks and maintaining communication.

If your startup has more unusual risks, for example laboratory work or off-site visits, add specific controls. Keep the language clear and avoid listing things you do not actually do. A policy stuffed with irrelevant content is a sign you have not thought about your own workplace.

Keeping it alive

A policy that sits unread in a drawer has little value. Once you write it:

• Share it with the team during onboarding and keep it accessible.
• Review it annually and after any major change, such as moving into a new office or introducing new equipment.
• Encourage employees to flag issues. A line in the policy saying “talk to [name]” makes it feel real.

What to avoid

Cutting and pasting a big corporate template. It will include hazards you do not face, and employees will tune out. Write something directly relevant.

Forgetting to update it. If you move from a serviced office to your own space, your policy needs to reflect new responsibilities for things like alarm testing and fire warden duties.

Ignoring display screen equipment. Even in a startup, simple workstation assessments can prevent back and wrist problems. The law requires you to do them.

Setting unrealistic promises. Do not claim you will run a fire drill every quarter if you will not. Be honest about what you can commit to.

Further resources

The HSE website has a free policy template and risk assessment examples for small businesses. This is a solid starting point. If your work involves hazardous substances, heavy machinery or home visits by lone workers, consider speaking to a health and safety consultant.

At StartupDocs, we have built a practical health and safety policy template that you can adapt for your startup in under an hour. It covers the essentials without the fluff, and you can export it as a PDF or DOCX. Getting this document in place takes a modest effort now, but it means you have one fewer compliance gap to worry about as your team grows.