Health & safety policy

This subtopic sets out the regulatory requirements for a health and safety policy and contains guidance and precedents to help you formulate a health and safety policy for your organisation. It covers health and safety requirements in an office-based workplace. Other industry/workplace-specific requirements may apply in different working environments.

What is a health and safety policy?

A health and safety policy is a document that sets out an organisation’s principles and objectives for ensuring the health and safety of staff and visitors. It can outline the overall goal or goals of an organisation in relation to health and safety and:

  1. demonstrate your commitment to health and safety

  2. help ensure your procedures meet your organisation’s overriding goals

  3. assist in recruitment and retention of staff

  4. reduce the risk of incidents

Regulatory requirements

Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

The Health and

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

Powered by Lexis+®
Latest Risk & Compliance News

ICO publishes letter on progress against economic growth commitments and work planned for 2026

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a letter to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade setting out a one-year update on its five economic growth commitments made in January 2025. These commitments are to: (1) give businesses regulatory certainty on artificial intelligence (AI); (2) cut costs for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); (3) enable greater innovation through its Regulatory Sandbox and Innovation Advice services; (4) unlock privacy-preserving online advertising; and (5) make it quicker and easier to transfer data internationally. The letter confirms that the ICO is working with the government on legislation to introduce a statutory code of practice on AI and automated decision-making, and that its expanded data essentials platform for SMEs is due to launch in spring 2026. It also states that the ICO has secured funding to design an experimentation regime to support the testing of emerging technologies, with research findings due by mid-February 2026. In addition, the ICO says it is assessing low-risk online advertising activities that could operate without consent under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and will provide evidence to the government in the spring. The letter also highlights that the ICO published updated guidance on international data transfers in January 2026, aimed at simplifying requirements and supporting cross-border data flows, which underpin around 40% of UK exports. The ICO adds that it will continue to issue further guidance and improve regulatory clarity throughout 2026.

View Risk & Compliance by content type :

Popular documents