When to use this guide
- Setting up a construction business, workplace or project management system.
- Allocating responsibilities for workers, visitors and the public.
- Reviewing whether specific risk controls and resources are adequate.
What to check
Use these prompts with the responsible project team. Ticking a box does not certify compliance.
You can tick these prompts while reviewing the project.
Keep these records
- Health-and-safety policy and responsibility arrangements appropriate to the organisation.
- Risk assessments, training records and workforce consultation evidence.
- Inspection findings, corrective actions and management reviews.
Common mistakes
- Treating a purchased policy or a signed risk assessment as proof that the work is safe.
- Assuming that appointing a contractor, consultant or safety adviser removes all client or employer obligations.
When to get specialist help
Pause an activity where necessary controls are absent and seek competent safety advice; use the appropriate enforcing authority for serious unresolved concerns.
Scope and edition
Sources reviewed 17 October 2026. Applies in Great Britain, including England, with specific statutory provisions and exceptions. Northern Ireland has a separate occupational safety framework; this is not an all-UK equivalence statement.
Use the official source to check the current text, amendments not yet incorporated, commencement and project-specific transition. A published future edition is not automatically the rule applying to your work.
Official sources
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — legislationOverarching duties; check the relevant section and amended scope.https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents
- HSE: Health and Safety at Work ActGreat Britain overview and routes to practical compliance guidance.https://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm
Source links lead to external official websites. We provide original explanatory notes and do not reproduce paid standards.
About this library
Independent, plain-English reference notes by Saeed Azarshab. The library covers the 42 subjects listed here; it is not every law affecting construction, an official government publication or a project-specific compliance decision. Building Regulations, Approved Documents, workplace safety duties and planning permissions have different roles.
Editorial source review: . Check the current official text, commencement dates, outstanding amendments and transitional arrangements before relying on a requirement. Publication date is not necessarily the date a rule applies. A relevant competent professional or authority must resolve project-specific questions.
Sources and lawful reuse
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated. These are original practical summaries, with links to the official material. No government endorsement is implied. We do not host copies of proprietary BS, ISO or Eurocode standards, third-party diagrams or publisher layouts. Check each source’s rights notice before reuse.
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