Should your health and safety policy be on your website?

Key takeaways

There is no legal duty to publish a health and safety policy online, but if you employ 5 or more people you must have a written one. Publishing a short statement, with the full policy available on request, saves time on main contractor and tender questionnaires and reassures commercial buyers that you work safely.

• 5 or more employees: you must have a written health and safety policy.
• Publishing it online is optional but saves questionnaire time.
• Publish a short statement; share the full policy on request.
• Show any safety accreditation you hold, accurately.

Should a health and safety policy be on your website?

It is optional, but often worth it for trades, construction, facilities and any business that works on clients' sites. Global Bridge Labs (GBL) suggests a short public statement of your commitment and arrangements, with the full policy sent on request. Commercial buyers check it early.

• What information should every business website have?
• Which company policies to publish on your website

Who must have a written policy?

The Health and Safety Executive says that if you have five or more employees, you must write down your health and safety policy. Smaller businesses still need to manage risks, and many main contractors expect a written policy from every subcontractor regardless of size.

• Your website and public sector tenders: what buyers check

What should the website version say?

The website version should summarise who is responsible, how you assess risks, how staff are trained, how incidents are reported and how often the policy is reviewed. Add the date of the last review and the name of the person responsible. Offer the full document, risk assessments and method statements on request.

• A 'what to expect' page that calms buyer nerves

Why do buyers want to see it?

Main contractors, facilities managers and public buyers are responsible for safety on their sites and in their supply chains, so they check suppliers' arrangements. Having the statement and accreditations visible lets you pass the first screen without a questionnaire round trip.

• A B2B homepage that starts sales conversations

Should you show safety accreditations?

Yes, if you hold them. Accreditations that assess health and safety arrangements are widely recognised by main contractors. Show the scheme name, your membership status and expiry, and link to the scheme's directory where possible. Never show a lapsed accreditation.

• Accreditation badges on your website: which to show
• Qualifications on your website: which ones to list

When is publishing it pointless?

Publishing it is pointless for office-based businesses with consumer buyers who never ask, and where risks are low. A line in your policies page saying the policy is available on request is enough. The policy matters more than its place on the website.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see in subcontracting trades: the same health and safety questions arrive from every new main contractor, and each answer takes an afternoon. A public statement with accreditations and a 'request our pack' link turns that into a two-minute email.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Health and safety statement checklist

• Confirm you have a written policy if you need one.
• Summarise responsibilities and arrangements.
• Add the last review date and owner.
• List accreditations with expiry dates.
• Offer the full pack on request.
• Review it every year.

• Saying staff are DBS checked on your website

Next step

Write a five-line health and safety statement from your current policy and add it to a policies page with a 'request the full pack' link.