FSB Article – Why health and safety training is important for small businesses

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 visiting your premises who could be at risk from your work activities should be considered when carrying out risk assessments. 

Under this legislation, you also need to provide relevant information and training to your team to ensure their safety while at work. Your employees should understand your health and safety policy, know how they can put it into practice and be aware of how they can raise any concerns.

As well as being a legal requirement, everyone in your business can benefit from relevant training, especially if you’re working in a high-risk environment. It can help to reduce risks, minimise hazards day-to-day, and make sure your business runs smoothly. This includes you, your team and contractors who may be unfamiliar with your workplace and the measures you’ve put in place. 

Identifying training needs 

There are a number of things you should consider when trying to identify the training needs of your business, such as:

• Any gaps highlighted by your risk assessment, such as new hazards, responsibilities or equipment where more education around safety is necessary. 
• When a new employee starts, training can show them how to work safely in a new environment, such as where the first aid kit is kept or evacuation procedures in the event of a fire. Don’t forget that training should be repeated regularly with existing staff – people forget, and processes and equipment change. 
• Younger employees or those with less experience due to a career change, for instance, may need additional training or supervision in their role. 

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has a wealth of resources and support available to members to help them remain compliant with health and safety legislation and other regulatory responsibilities. This includes free online training, where you’ll gain a greater understanding of your legal responsibilities, how to spot hazards and how you can mitigate risks in the workplace. From food safety basics to first aid at work, you’ll increase your knowledge of the procedures you can put in place to stay safe and compliant with regulations.  

Training should be reviewed on a frequent basis to make sure you and your team are up to date with the latest health and safety requirements. Regular training can help you to operate your business safely, prevent accidents and minimise other risks to health.  

Depending on the nature of your business, you may encounter specific training requirements or legal obligations. For example, if you’re dealing with dangerous chemicals, you’ll need to understand and follow the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations.   

As well as guides, templates and expert advice, FSB members can also access a variety of on-demand online training modules designed by health and safety specialists. If you’re hiring new staff or want to give your team a refresher, you and your employees can access online training, with a quiz to complete for each module, covering: 

• 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 

The online training portal contains a handy learning report to help you keep track of your own and your employees’ training.   

The FSB also enables members to take a legal health check on the FSB Legal and Business Hub, which provides a customised report so you can understand your health and safety compliance and where more training may be needed.

More information can be found here.