In short
Health and safety is about stopping people being hurt or made ill by their work. HSE estimates that workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health cost Great Britain £22.9 billion in 2023/24. Practical advice helps a small firm control the risks that matter, meet its legal duties and show clients it works safely, without paperwork for its own sake.
Example
the binder on the shelf
Lee runs a fit-out firm with 15 staff. He bought a pack of template policies and RAMS and filed it in the office. Then a principal contractor rejected his RAMS as generic, and a joiner had a near miss on a mobile tower built without its outriggers. Lee brought in an adviser, who walked two of his sites, cut the paperwork down to what the teams actually used, and wrote task-specific RAMS with the supervisors. Toolbox talks now take ten minutes on a Monday morning, and towers are checked before anyone climbs them.
An illustrative example, not a real case.
The human cost
- 126 workers were killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain in 2025/26, 25 of them in construction. Falls from height were the most common cause.
- 1.9 million working people were suffering from a work-related illness in 2024/25.
- 680,000 working people were injured at work in 2024/25.
Note: Figures from HSE's health and safety statistics for Great Britain.
The business case
- Cost: of the £22.9 billion in 2023/24, HSE estimates about £4.3 billion fell on employers.
- Insurance: most employers must hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million (Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969). If your failings led to a claim, your insurer may be able to recover the cost from you.
- Winning work: under regulation 8 of CDM 2015, anyone appointing a contractor must take reasonable steps to check it has the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability for the job. Clients may also ask for CHAS or another SSIP scheme, and whether you have had enforcement notices or convictions in the last 3 years.
- Keeping good people: HSE lists lower absence and staff turnover among the benefits of good health and safety.
Practical advice versus template paperwork
Specific to the risks in your workplace
- Template paperwork
- Generic text that often misses key risks
Concentrates on significant risks
- Template paperwork
- Over-responds to trivial risks
Recommends reasonably practicable controls
- Template paperwork
- Creates paperwork for its own sake
Ends with a proper handover, so you can manage it
- Template paperwork
- Leaves you relying on the document
Note: Based on HSE's guidance on getting the right help from a consultant or adviser.
Where outside help fits
HSE says managing health and safety is usually not complicated, and you can often do it yourself with the help of your workers. Outside help makes sense when the work is complex or high risk, or the knowledge is not in-house. The other guides in this series cover directors' duties, fines, corporate manslaughter and inspections.
- Everyday questions, policies and risk assessments: health and safety advice.
- Knowing where you stand: an audit of your sites and systems.
- Planning the work: site-specific RAMS and construction phase plans.
- Tendering: preparing for CHAS.
- Project roles: CDM training for your team.
- After an accident or near miss: an investigation to find the causes.
Common questions
Do small businesses need a health and safety consultant?
Not always. Every employer must have competent help under regulation 7 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, but that can be you or one of your workers. HSE suggests outside help where the work is complex or high risk.
Is CHAS a legal requirement?
No. HSE says the law does not require third-party assessment such as CHAS, but clients may ask for it when you prequalify. It shows your arrangements have been assessed; you still need to plan each job safely.
Is employers' liability insurance compulsory?
Yes, for most employers, under the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969. You must be insured for at least £5 million and display the certificate where employees can read it, which can be done electronically.
How much does poor health and safety cost?
HSE estimates workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health cost Great Britain £22.9 billion in 2023/24. About £4.3 billion of that fell on employers.
How NXT-HSE can help
NXT-HSE offers practical advice, audits, site-specific RAMS, construction phase plans, CHAS preparation, online CDM training and accident investigations, scoped to what your business needs. Your legal duties stay with you.
Sources
- HSE: key figures for Great Britain
- HSE: costs to Britain of workplace injuries and ill health
- HSE: using a consultant, get the right help
- HSE: health and safety conformity assessment schemes
- HSE: employers' liability insurance, a brief guide (HSE40)
- HSE: benefits of good health and safety
Sources checked 27 September 2026 against current Health and Safety Executive guidance and legislation. This guide is general information, not legal advice; your legal duties stay with your business.