24/7 Workplace Health and Safety Advice

Take the risk out of protecting your business

Working at heights in the construction industry? Dealing with food safety regulations as a catering business? Running your business from home? Whatever your sector, we're taking the stress out of health and safety compliance for your small business

Scroll through the banners below to discover how FSB Health and safety Advice can support your business

Trusted advice

From slips and trips to electrical hazards, industry experts are just a phone call away* to answer your questions. We’ll guide you every step of the way so you know you’re on the right path.

_{*Specialist advice on Health and Safety is available 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.}

COVID-19 support

Safety standards have never been more important to reassure your customers. Access the latest guidance on working safely during COVID-19, including COVID-secure risk assessments, PPE and social distancing.

Compliance made easy

Search a regularly updated library of health and safety templates, documents and guidance, all written and checked by professionals, including:

Fire safety
Food safety
Hazardous substances
Policies
Risk assessments
Safe working practices

Protection during inspections

Experienced advisors are on hand to recommend the right actions if you're facing an inspection, so you can continue to trade during the process.

DIY documents

Our easy to customise templates include policies, risk assessment forms and checklists, making it simple for your small business to stay compliant with health and safety paperwork.

On-demand training

Keep compliant and support your team with a suite of training modules covering key areas of health and safety law. Access them online when you need them, wherever you are.

Built for your business

Whether it’s the safety of your home workers or your lone workers, we’ve got you covered. Download template accident reports, get advice on policies and procedures, or take a training session on risk assessments.

Stay in the know

We’ll keep you up to date with regular health and safety news and help you understand the changes that matter to you, so you can get back to business.

Ready to get started?

Who is responsible for workplace health and safety?

As the business owner, you’re legally responsible for maintaining a safe work environment and complying with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. This is regulated by the Health and Safety Executive or your local authority. Staff, customers, clients and anyone who visits your premises who could be at risk from your work activities should be considered when carrying out risk assessments.

What is a health and safety policy and why do I need one?

By law, you’re required to have a health and safety policy, and it should be in writing if you have five or more employees. You have a legal obligation to ensure your policy is up to date, appropriate for your business sector, and meets all legal regulations to help keep your staff safe and prevent accidents from happening. If your policy is out of date, it won’t comply with legal requirements.

It is recommended that you carry out a policy review each year to make sure it is effective and complies with current business laws. It also needs to be reviewed if there’s been an incident or you’ve made changes to your business or the work your staff do.

Our members can access a free health and safety policy template on the FSB Legal Hub.

What training can I access?

If you’re hiring new staff or want to give your team a refresher, you and your employees can access on-demand online training across a range of topics. Call the legal advice line and they can help you with staff access.

Construction industry and working at heights
Emergency planning
Fire safety and risk assessments
First aid at work
Food safety basics
Food safety rating and prosecutions
Gas and electricity
Health and safety policies
Risk assessments
Health and safety signs

What is occupational health?

Occupational health involves supporting employees or employers with physical and mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. Occupational health advice is useful if you have an employee off sick or returning from an absence, to see what accommodations can be made.

Some organisations may choose to use an external occupational health advisor to carry out staff occupational health assessments. As a small business, you may not have an occupational health policy or scheme. In this case, you should take the advice of both the employee and the employee's doctor on any occupational health adjustments required in the workplace where necessary.

For guidance and template documents, FSB members can access the health and safety resources on the FSB Legal Hub, or phone our experts for advice.

This benefit is available to FSB members as part of your membership. Simply log into your member dashboard or FSB member app to access this benefit.

Want this benefit for your business? Find out more about FSB membership.

Latest resources from FSB Health and Safety Advice

Article Mon, 08 November 2021

How to manage workplace health and safety during winter

From slips and trips on frozen pathways to unseen hazards in poorly lit spaces, learn how you can stay safe in the workplace during the colder months.