Health and Safety Policy Requirements

Health and Safety Policy: What It Must Include and Why It Matters

The legal requirement

Section 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires employers with five or more employees to prepare a written statement of their general policy for health and safety, revise it when appropriate, and bring it to the attention of employees.

Failure to meet this duty can lead to enforcement action and, in serious cases, prosecution.

The three-part structure. A well-structured health and safety policy has three main parts:

Statement of intent

This sets out the employer’s general commitment to health and safety. It should be signed and dated by the most senior person in the organisation — usually the owner, managing director or most senior responsible person.

A statement that says “health and safety is our top priority” without anything behind it is not enough. The commitment needs to be meaningful and supported by proper arrangements.

Organisation

This section explains who is responsible for health and safety across the business.

It should identify who has overall responsibility, who manages day-to-day arrangements, who carries out risk assessments, who checks equipment, who investigates incidents, and who employees should report concerns to.

Where possible, name individuals rather than relying only on job titles. If responsibility is vague, accountability becomes vague.

Arrangements

This is the practical part of the policy. It explains how the business actually manages health and safety.

This may include arrangements for:

risk assessments;
employee consultation;
induction and training;
workplace inspections;
accident and near miss reporting;
contractor control;
fire safety;
first aid;
plant and equipment;
COSHH;
manual handling;
work at height;
personal protective equipment;
emergency arrangements.

This section must reflect what actually happens in the business. A generic arrangements section that could apply to any workplace is unlikely to be useful.

Common gaps that get businesses into trouble

The most common issues include:

no named responsible persons;
arrangements that describe procedures which do not exist in practice;
a statement signed years ago by someone who has since left the business;
no evidence the policy has been communicated to employees;
policy arrangements that describe legislation but do not explain how the business controls risk;
documents copied from templates without being tailored to the workplace.

HSE will not be impressed by a glossy policy document that describes a workplace nothing like yours. They are looking for evidence that health and safety is genuinely managed, not just documented.

What “brought to the attention of employees” means

The law requires the policy, and any revision of it, to be brought to the attention of employees. This does not necessarily mean every employee must sign a copy of the policy, but the employer should be able to show that employees have been made aware of it.

Good practice includes:

issuing the policy during induction;
making it available electronically or in hard copy;
briefing employees when the policy is updated;
recording toolbox talks or briefings where relevant;
ensuring managers understand their responsibilities under the policy.

When to review your policy

Your health and safety policy should be reviewed regularly and whenever there are significant changes to the business.

Examples include:

new premises;
new work activities;
changes in key personnel;
new equipment or substances;
changes in legislation or guidance;
accidents, incidents or enforcement action;
major changes in workforce size or structure.

For most businesses, an annual review is sensible, provided it is a genuine review and not just a date change.

Need support?

North East Health and Safety provides competent person support, risk assessment reviews, policy writing and practical health and safety consultancy for UK businesses.

Last reviewed: June 2026