Health and safety for new businesses 

Types of business

If your new business is in retail, hotels and catering, sports, leisure, consumer services or places of worship, we are the enforcing authority for health and safety legislation for your business. We offer advice on health and safety issues for these businesses in Hull, look into complaints about workplaces and also investigate accidents or ill-health occurring at work.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) covers all other workplaces such as building sites, factories, farms, mines, hospitals, local and central government premises, where the home is the place of work and other places where there is a work activity. If your new business is one of these workplaces, please contact HSE on 0300 003 1647 (during office hours) or visit their website for guidance on how to comply with health and safety legislation.

Visit the HSE website (link opens in a new window)

Health and safety in your new business

All businesses must comply with health and safety legislation but it can be difficult to find out which parts of the law affect you. Our health and safety guide, available to download below, is a quick reference guide for small and medium sized businesses and outlines the general requirements that apply to all businesses.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have a help and guidance area for small businesses on their website. It has been designed to help remove the myth that health and safety has to be complicated to be effective.

You can get advice relating to putting together a safety policy, risk assessments and everything else that you need to do to comply with health and safety legislation. You can also download templates to help you produce these documents. The information on the HSE website is in addition to advice available from Hull City Council.

Find out about the basics for your business on the HSE website (link opens in a new window)

There is also information about getting started with health and safety on the HSE website.

Find out about how to get started with health and safety on the HSE website (link opens in a new window)

There may also be health and safety legislation specific to your business, such as if you use display screen equipment (for example computer monitors) or deal with manual handling.

More information about health and safety legislation specific to your business

Safety is an inherent part of any business and should be a constant factor in your management policy. Safety should be a part of every decision you make with regards to your business and you should remember that as the owner or manager of a company you may be held responsible if anything should go wrong.

If you require further advice or information relating to health and safety, contact one of our health and safety inspectors on 01482 300 300 or email environmental.health@hullcc.gov.uk

Contact us

Health and Safety
Environmental Health
Hull City Council
33 Witham
Hull
HU9 1DB

Tel: If you are a business please call 01482 300 301. If you are a member of the public please call 01482 300 300.
Text phone: 01482 300 349
Fax: 01482 615 518
Email: environmental.health@hullcc.gov.uk