Health and Safety Policy Template for Small Trade Businesses (Free)

Written for the UK scenario, but the principles apply in most English-speaking nations.

Sooner or later, someone will ask a small trade business for its health and safety policy. It might be a main contractor, a council tender, a letting agent or a commercial client. If you can’t produce one, you don’t get the work.

A good policy does not need to be long. For a sole trader or a small firm, two or three pages is usually enough, as long as it is true to how you actually work. This guide explains when you need one, what goes in it, and gives you a free template to copy and fill in.

Do you legally need a health and safety policy?

Your business	Written policy legally required?	Should you have one anyway?
Sole trader, no employees	No	Yes, if you want commercial, contractor or council work
1 to 4 employees	No, but you must still manage health and safety	Yes
5 or more employees	Yes, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974	Required

Even if the law doesn’t require a written policy, your customers often will. Main contractors, councils and housing associations ask for one before they put you on their approved list. Accreditation schemes such as CHAS, SafeContractor and Constructionline will ask for it too.

Having no employees doesn’t remove your duties either. As a self-employed person, you must still manage the risks your work creates for your customers and members of the public.

The three parts of a health and safety policy

Every health and safety policy, from a sole trader’s to a large contractor’s, has the same three parts. The HSE sets out this same structure.

1. Statement of intent. A short statement, signed by the owner, saying you are committed to managing health and safety and what you aim to achieve.
2. Who is responsible for what. In a one-person business, that is you for everything. In a small firm, name who does risk assessments, first aid, checking equipment and training.
3. How you actually manage the risks in your work: risk assessments, method statements, working at height, hazardous substances, tools and equipment, first aid, accidents, training and so on.

The arrangements section is where most of the detail goes, and where most template policies go wrong. A contractor reading it wants to see that you have thought about the risks of your trade, not that you have copied a generic document.

Health and safety policy template free

Copy the template below into a document and replace everything in [square brackets]. Delete any arrangement that doesn’t apply to your work, and add any that do.

Health and Safety Policy — [Business name]

Part 1: Statement of intent

[Business name] is committed to providing safe working conditions for everyone affected by our work, including [our employees,] customers, members of the public and other contractors on site. We will:

• assess the risks of our work and put sensible controls in place
• provide and maintain safe tools, equipment and vehicles
• make sure anyone working for us is trained and competent for the job
• consult [employees] on health and safety matters
• review this policy at least once a year, and after any accident or significant change.

Signed: [Name], [Owner / Director] Date: [Date] Review date: [Date one year on]

Part 2: Responsibilities

Responsibility	Person
Overall responsibility for health and safety	[Name]
Carrying out and reviewing risk assessments	[Name]
Checking tools, equipment and vehicles	[Name]
First aid and accident reporting	[Name]
Training and induction	[Name]

Everyone working for [Business name] must follow this policy, use the equipment and protective clothing provided, and report any hazard, accident or near miss straight away.

Part 3: Arrangements

• Risk assessments. We carry out a risk assessment for each type of work we do, and a site-specific assessment where needed. [We record them in writing.] They are reviewed yearly or when the work changes.
• Method statements. For higher-risk jobs, we prepare a method statement setting out how the work will be done safely, and share it with the customer or main contractor when asked.
• Working at height. We avoid working at height where we can. Where we can’t, we use suitable access equipment, inspect it before use, and make sure users are trained. [Ladders are used only for short, low-risk work.]
• Hazardous substances (COSHH). We keep safety data sheets for the products we use, follow the manufacturer’s instructions, store products safely and provide suitable protective equipment.
• Tools and equipment. Tools and equipment are checked before use and maintained. Faulty equipment is taken out of use immediately. [Portable electrical equipment is inspected and tested at suitable intervals.]
• Personal protective equipment. We provide [list: e.g. safety boots, gloves, eye protection, hi-vis, hearing protection] and make sure it is used.
• Manual handling. We avoid heavy lifting where possible, use lifting aids, and plan loads.
• Vehicles are roadworthy, insured for business use and loaded safely.
• First aid. A first aid kit is kept in [each vehicle / at base]. [Name] is our first aider.
• Accidents and incidents. All accidents and near misses are recorded in our accident book. Reportable incidents are reported to the HSE under RIDDOR.
• Everyone is trained for the work they do. Training records are kept for [each employee].
• Protecting the public. We protect customers and the public by [fencing or signing off work areas, keeping sites tidy, and never leaving tools or materials where they could cause harm].
• Working for other contractors. When we work on another contractor’s site, we follow their site rules and induction.

Mistakes to avoid

• Copying a big company’s policy. A 30-page policy full of committees and safety officers tells a contractor you have copied it. Write about the business you actually run.
• Promising what you don’t do. If your policy says you test portable equipment yearly, you must be able to show the records. A policy that doesn’t match reality is worse than a short honest one.
• Forgetting your trade’s main risks. A window cleaner’s policy must deal with working at height. A cleaner’s must deal with chemicals. A gardener’s must cover machinery and noise. Put your biggest risks first.
• Not signing and dating it. An unsigned, undated policy looks like a template, because it is one.
• Never reviewing it. Review it at least once a year, and whenever you take on staff, start a new type of work or have an accident. Change the date each time.

The policy is only one document. Tenders and approved-contractor schemes will also ask for your risk assessments, method statements, insurance certificates and training records. Get those together at the same time.

Frequently asked questions

Is this the same as the HSE health and safety policy template?

It follows the same three-part structure the HSE uses: statement of intent, responsibilities and arrangements. This version is written for small trade businesses, with arrangements for the risks tradespeople actually face.

Is a risk assessment the same as a health and safety policy?

No. The policy sets out how you manage health and safety in general. A risk assessment looks at the hazards of a particular task or job and what you do to control them. You need both, and your policy should say how you do your risk assessments.

Do I need a health and safety policy as a sole trader?

Not by law, unless you employ five or more people. But most contractors, councils and commercial clients will ask for one before giving you work, so it is worth having.

How often should I update my policy?

At least once a year, and whenever something changes: new staff, new types of work, new equipment, or after an accident.

Your next step

A health and safety policy is one of the documents you need to win contract and council work. Winning Work: The Tradesman’s Complete Guide to Tendering explains the rest: how to get on approved supplier lists, complete tender documents, write method statements and price the work so you win it at a profit. Free tendering tools are at www.tradeskillshubacademy.com/tendering-tools.

Download our eBook, Winning Work. This title contains full details on tendering to win contracts with Local Government and other bodies.