Safety, certificates and compliance, 29 October 2026
Health and safety for small firms: consultants, apps and what you actually need
Most small trade firms don't need a health and safety consultant. The law says you must appoint a competent person, and HSE says that's usually you or someone on your team. You need a consultant when the work is high risk, complex, or beyond what you know. Once you employ five or more people, your policy and risk assessment findings must be written down.
Do you legally need a health and safety consultant?
No. Regulation 7 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 says every employer must appoint one or more competent persons to help them comply. Competent means enough training, experience or knowledge to do it properly. If such a person works for you, the law says appoint them in preference to someone outside.
HSE's own guidance for small businesses says managing health and safety usually isn't complicated and you can do it yourself with the help of your workers. You know your jobs and their risks better than anyone. HSE says outside help makes sense if your business is large, complex or high risk, or you don't have the competence in-house.
What must a small trade firm have in place?
A short list, and most of it is the same whatever your size. HSE's basics for a business are: a policy, risk assessments, reporting certain accidents, training and information, consulting workers, welfare facilities, first aid, the law poster, and a competent person.
Missing employers' liability cover is expensive: GOV.UK says you can be fined £2,500 for every day you're not properly insured.
For construction, CDM 2015 adds duties on every project, domestic ones included. As a contractor you check your workers have the skills, training and experience for the job, give each a site-specific induction (unless the principal contractor already has), and make sure welfare is there from the start. If you're the only contractor, you draw up the construction phase plan before you set up.
When is a consultant worth paying for?
When you'd otherwise be guessing. A consultant earns their fee on high-risk work you don't do every week (confined spaces, asbestos, demolition, working over water), when bidding for public sector or large commercial work with a heavy questionnaire, or after an incident. They're poor value for writing documents you could fill in yourself from HSE templates.
HSE is blunt about this: it's not uncommon for employers to spend a lot on advice that doesn't help them comply. Good advice concentrates on controlling significant risks and doesn't generate paperwork for the sake of it. For a one-off job, HSE suggests being clear at the start so you don't tie yourself into a long contract, and asking for a proper handover so you understand what's been recommended.
To find one, HSE points to the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register (OSHCR), whose members hold professional status and insurance. Check that whoever you hire knows construction, not only offices.
What does each set-up cost a year?
It depends on how much you do yourself. Here are three set-ups for a six-person firm, using real prices.
Yearly cost of three health and safety set-ups
A six-person heating and air conditioning firm bidding for some council and commercial work.
| Option A: do it yourself with HSE templates, plus CHAS Standardfrom £429 a year | £429 |
| Option B: consultant on a retainer£135 a month × 12 | £1,620 |
| Option B plus CHAS Standard£1,620 + £429 | £2,049 |
| Option C: consultant plus CHAS Elite for public sector work£1,620 + £949 | £2,569 |
The £135 a month figure comes from a plumbing, heating and air conditioning firm in Swindon with about six engineers. Having a written health and safety policy and RAMS in place helped that firm win a council contract, which is the point: for firms chasing commercial work, the accreditation and the documents are part of the price of getting on the list.
For example, a firm paying for an accreditation scheme and a monthly consultant can still end up with its paperwork months overdue. Paying for a scheme doesn't help if nobody has time to keep the documents current.
Do health and safety apps replace a consultant?
They replace the paperwork part, not the judgement. Apps such as HazardCo give you RAMS, inductions, incident reports and policies on your phone, with paid plans for builders running sites and for trades working as subcontractors. HazardCo doesn't publish prices on its help pages, so check with them directly. A builder we spoke to, working with his brother and an apprentice, uses HazardCo and still said RAMS and construction phase plans take him "a couple of hours… for every job".
That's the real cost for most small firms: owner time. Two hours of RAMS per job, across a year of jobs, often costs more than any subscription.
- Write one master risk assessment for your trade.
Use HSE's template. Cover the hazards you meet on every job: work at height, manual handling, dust, tools.
- Write your policy.
One or two pages: who's responsible for what, and how you do things. Required in writing at five employees, useful before.
- Build a RAMS master.
Keep the common sections fixed and change only the site details. See the RAMS master template guide.
- Choose one accreditation if clients ask for it.
CHAS, SafeContractor and SMAS are all SSIP members; SSIP schemes recognise each other's certificates through a deem-to-satisfy route, so you rarely need more than one.
- Buy specialist help for specialist work.
A consultant for a confined space or asbestos job, not for your standard bathroom refit.
Do the rules differ in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland?
Health and safety law is the same in England, Scotland and Wales, enforced by HSE. Northern Ireland has its own parallel regulations and its own regulator, HSENI. If you work there, check the NI version of the rule you're relying on.
For specific trades, see confined space work for groundworkers and unvented cylinder servicing. The free RAMS template is a starting point for method statements.
This guide covers the legal basics. If you've had a serious incident, an enforcement notice, or you're taking on high-risk work for the first time, get a competent adviser involved.
Where Nexley fits
Nexley is the AI back office for UK trade firms: five AI assistants run your tenders, quotes, buying, scheduling and invoicing. It connects to the tools you already work in, you run it all from WhatsApp, and you approve everything. £799 a month.
For health and safety paperwork, Nexley keeps your policy, master risk assessment and RAMS sections, and drafts a site-specific pack from the job details you send on WhatsApp. It also tracks renewal dates for insurance, accreditations and training cards. You read and sign everything before it goes to a client.
Common questions
Do I need a written health and safety policy with fewer than five employees?
Not by law. HSE says you must write it down once you have five or more employees. Many commercial clients and accreditation schemes ask for one anyway, so writing a short one early is sensible.
Is CHAS a legal requirement?
No. It's a commercial accreditation that many clients ask for before letting you on their supplier list. All three CHAS packages include SSIP, from £429 a year as of October 2026.
Can my health and safety consultant be my competent person?
Yes, if nobody inside the firm is competent. The law prefers someone in your own employment where one exists. Either way, the legal duty stays with you as the employer.
How do I check a consultant is any good?
HSE suggests the OSHCR register, and checking for relevant training, knowledge and insurance. Ask what they'll do and when, and expect a handover that explains the key risks.
Sources
- HSE: Health and safety basics for your business
- HSE: Appoint a competent person
- HSE: Prepare a health and safety policy
- HSE: Steps needed to manage risk
- HSE: Get the right help from a consultant
- HSE: Find a consultant
- HSE: CDM 2015 contractors
- legislation.gov.uk: Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 7
- GOV.UK: Employers' liability insurance
- CHAS: Membership products and packages
- HazardCo: Plans, paid memberships and free users
- SMAS: Mutual recognition under SSIP
Every rule, rate and date above was checked against these sources on the date shown at the top.
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