Health and Safety Policy for Tradespeople UK — Do You Need One and How to Write It (2026)

A health and safety policy is one of those documents that every tradesperson has heard of but many have never actually written. If you are a sole trader working on your own, you might assume it does not apply to you. If you have a small team, you might have put it off because it sounds complicated. This guide cuts through both assumptions — explaining exactly who needs a written policy, what it must contain, and why even businesses below the legal threshold should have one in 2026.

What is a health and safety policy?

A health and safety policy is a written statement of your organisation's commitment to health and safety and a description of how you manage it in practice. It is not a risk assessment — those are job-specific documents. The policy is an overarching declaration that covers your whole business: who is responsible for what, and what procedures you have in place to protect people.

The HSE describes it as a live document that should reflect how your business actually operates, not an aspirational statement that bears no relation to what happens on site. A policy that says "all workers will be trained before using power tools" but where no training records exist is worse than no policy at all — it demonstrates a gap between what you claim and what you do.

Who is legally required to have one?

The legal requirement comes from section 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It states that every employer with five or more employees must prepare, and as often as may be appropriate revise, a written statement of their general policy with respect to the health and safety at work of their employees, and the organisation and arrangements for the time being in force for carrying out that policy.

In plain terms: if you employ five or more people, a written health and safety policy is a legal requirement. The penalty for not having one when required is an improvement notice from the HSE, and persistent failure to comply can result in prosecution.

Sole traders and businesses with fewer than five employees are exempt from the written requirement — but not from the underlying health and safety duties. You still have obligations under HSWA 1974 to protect employees, subcontractors, clients, and anyone else affected by your work. The exemption is only from writing it down.

Why many sole traders and small firms write one anyway

The legal exemption is not the end of the conversation for most trade businesses, because the commercial reality in 2026 is that a written health and safety policy is effectively mandatory if you want to work for certain clients.

• Main contractors and principal contractors will typically ask for your health and safety policy before issuing you a subcontract or allowing you on site. It is a standard item on most pre-start questionnaires.
• Pre-qualification schemes — Constructionline, CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme), SafeContractor, and similar schemes — all require a written health and safety policy as part of their assessment. Without one, you cannot pass and cannot access the framework contracts those schemes unlock.
• Commercial clients in property management, facilities management, and housing associations routinely include it in their supplier requirements. A one-person business competing for commercial work will encounter this request regularly.
• It forces you to think. Writing a policy is not just bureaucracy. It makes you articulate what your safety arrangements actually are, identify gaps, and put procedures in writing that your workers and subcontractors can follow consistently.

The three parts of a health and safety policy

The HSE specifies that a health and safety policy must contain three distinct sections. Every policy, regardless of business size, should follow this structure.

1. Statement of intent

This is the opening section: a general commitment to health and safety, written in plain language, and signed and dated by the owner, director, or proprietor. It should state what your business does, your commitment to protecting employees and others, your commitment to complying with relevant legislation, and your intention to review the policy regularly.

Keep it short — one page is standard for a small trade business. The statement of intent is a declaration, not a detailed procedure. It should be reviewed and re-signed at least annually. An undated or unsigned statement of intent is not compliant.

2. Organisation

This section names who is responsible for health and safety and defines their roles. For a sole trader working alone, this is simple: the employer or self-employed person is responsible for everything. Write it out explicitly — it demonstrates that you have thought about it.

For businesses with employees, name individuals and their specific responsibilities. This might include who is responsible for risk assessments, who manages PPE issue and checking, who is the designated first aider, who manages COSHH assessments, and who is responsible for checking subcontractor competence. If you use a health and safety consultant or adviser, their role should be noted here too.

3. Arrangements

This is the substantive section — the specific procedures your business has in place for managing health and safety hazards. For a trade business, the arrangements section typically covers:

• Risk assessment process — how you carry out and record risk assessments for each type of work you undertake, and how often you review them.
• Tool and equipment inspection and maintenance — your schedule for inspecting hand tools, power tools, ladders, and plant. Who carries out inspections, how defects are reported and taken out of service.
• PPE provision and checks — what PPE is required for which tasks, how it is issued, how you check its condition, and who replaces worn or damaged items.
• Accident and near-miss reporting — how incidents are reported internally, how you record them, and when RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) reports are submitted to the HSE.
• First aid provision — who holds a first aid kit, where it is kept, who is the trained first aider (if applicable), and awareness of the nearest A&E.
• Emergency contacts and procedures — what to do in an emergency on site, who to contact, and how to evacuate if required.
• COSHH — how you assess and manage hazardous substances, including solvents, adhesives, cleaning chemicals, and dust. Reference to separate COSHH assessments for specific substances.
• Working at height — your approach to planning and supervising work at height in line with the Work at Height Regulations 2005, including the selection and inspection of access equipment.
• Manual handling — how you assess and reduce manual handling risks, including use of mechanical aids and proper lifting techniques.
• Fire prevention — how you manage ignition sources, flammable materials, and hot work on site. Relevant for roofers, gas engineers, and any trade using gas torches or angle grinders near combustible materials.
• Subcontractor management — how you check the competence and credentials of subcontractors before they work with you, and how you ensure they comply with your health and safety requirements on site.

How long should it be?

For a sole trader or small trade firm, the HSE actively discourages unnecessary length. A policy of two to four pages is sufficient for most trade businesses. The HSE's own guidance is explicit on this: a good policy is clear, relevant to your actual business, and usable in practice. A 40-page document that nobody reads and that does not reflect what actually happens on your jobs is worth nothing.

Write it in plain language. Use headings, short paragraphs, and bullet points. Avoid copying legal text verbatim — paraphrase what the law requires in terms that make sense for your specific trade and the type of work you do.

Free resources from the HSE

The HSE provides a free health and safety policy template builder at hse.gov.uk. It walks you through the three sections, asks questions about your business, and generates a draft policy you can adapt. For a small trade business, this is a perfectly legitimate starting point — the HSE has no objection to template-based policies provided you customise them to reflect your actual arrangements.

Do not simply print the template and sign it without reading it. Every line should describe something you actually do or intend to do. If a section does not apply to your trade, say so. If something specific to your work is missing, add it.

Keeping your policy current

A health and safety policy must be a live document. Review and re-sign it at least annually — the date on the signature is what demonstrates it has been kept current. In addition, update your policy whenever:

• You take on new employees or change the size of your workforce
• You start carrying out new types of work or using new equipment
• There is an accident, near-miss, or enforcement action
• Relevant legislation or HSE guidance changes
• Your business structure changes — for example, moving from sole trader to limited company

Keep a record of previous versions. If you are ever subject to enforcement or legal action following an incident, being able to show a history of reviewed and updated policies demonstrates a genuine commitment to managing safety over time.

CHAS, Constructionline, and SafeContractor

If you are pursuing any of the major pre-qualification schemes, your health and safety policy is central to the assessment. These schemes assess your policy against specific criteria, including whether it is signed by the appropriate person, whether it has been reviewed within the past 12 months, and whether it accurately describes the hazards relevant to your trade.

CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme) is widely used in public sector and housing association work. Its assessment requires a current, signed health and safety policy plus evidence that you have active arrangements in place — risk assessments, method statements, accident records.

Constructionline is used across construction supply chains and ties directly into Tier 1 contractor procurement. Gold and Platinum membership levels require progressively more detailed health and safety documentation.

SafeContractor is commonly required by facilities management companies and retail chains for maintenance work. Like CHAS, it assesses the policy alongside your wider safety management evidence.

Passing any of these schemes without a current, accurate health and safety policy is not possible. If you are applying for the first time, prepare your policy before you start the application — auditors will ask for it early in the process.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Policy that does not reflect what you actually do. A policy written for a general building contractor that you have downloaded and printed without reading does not protect you. If it mentions activities you do not carry out, or fails to mention significant hazards in your trade, an assessor or inspector will notice.
• Never reviewed after writing. An out-of-date policy — especially one signed three years ago — signals to clients and assessors that health and safety is not taken seriously. Review and re-sign every year minimum.
• Signed by the wrong person. The statement of intent must be signed by a director, owner, or proprietor — the person with overall accountability for the business. A policy signed by an office manager or site supervisor is not compliant.
• Arrangements that are vague or generic. Saying "we will carry out risk assessments" is insufficient. The arrangements section should explain how, when, and by whom risk assessments are carried out for the specific types of work your business does.
• No version control. If you update your policy, keep the previous version. Label each version with a date. This protects you if questions arise about what your arrangements were at the time of a specific incident.