Construction health and safety policy guide for builders
A useful policy explains your commitment, who carries responsibility and how the company manages risks. It should describe a working system that your team can recognise, not promises copied from another contractor.
Updated 17 October 2026 · Construction Safety Desk · About the deskThe requirement in brief
In Great Britain, a business with five or more employees must record its health and safety policy in writing. With fewer than five, a policy is still needed, but it does not have to be written down. Written evidence may also be requested by clients or assessors.
When must a construction policy be written down?
The threshold concerns employees, not the value of a project. A small project does not remove the duty from an employer with five or more employees. Share the policy and any changes with employees.
Keep the company policy separate in purpose from a construction phase plan and task RAMS. The policy describes how the business manages safety; the project and task documents apply arrangements to specific work. One does not replace the others.
Use a clear three-part structure
1. Statement of intent
Set out the overall commitment and objectives. The most senior person should sign it. Avoid claims that cannot be supported, such as a promised audit frequency for which nobody has time, budget or responsibility.
2. Responsibilities
Show who owns the system and who makes decisions. Include managers, supervisors, workers and competent assistance. Explain how concerns are reported and escalated, and who has authority to stop or change the work.
3. Arrangements
Describe the procedures the business actually uses. For construction, these often include planning and risk assessment, competence, subcontractors, plant, work at height, hazardous substances, welfare, consultation, incidents, monitoring and review. Select arrangements relevant to your work.
Turn broad promises into practical arrangements
The following examples show how to make a policy more usable. They are prompts for writing your own arrangements, not ready-made clauses to adopt without checking.
| Topic | Useful questions to answer |
|---|---|
| RAMS | Who prepares and reviews them? What information is needed? Who briefs changes to the team? |
| Subcontractors | Who checks competence and resources? How are work interfaces agreed and performance monitored? |
| Training | Who checks the role requirements, identifies gaps and arranges supervision while those gaps are addressed? |
| Site checks | What is checked, how are defects recorded and who confirms that corrective action is complete? |
| Health risks | How are dust, substances, noise and vibration considered before selecting methods and equipment? |
For example, a small fit-out contractor may use the same supervisor on several jobs. The policy should make clear who checks a second site when that supervisor is elsewhere. Naming the supervisor without explaining the coverage leaves an operational gap.
Free construction health and safety policy template
HSE’s free policy template provides a structure for your statement, responsibilities and arrangements. It is not a construction-specific management system: fill in the people, activities and controls that apply to your business.
Open the official HSE policy template PDF →
Worked example of an arrangement
Illustrative example: a small building contractor appoints its contracts manager to check planned activities and site information before a RAMS pack is issued. The supervisor briefs the agreed method, records questions and returns changes to the manager for review. The policy should identify the actual roles, records and escalation route used by that business.
Before adopting that arrangement, ask who covers the manager’s absence, how a changed method reaches workers, and what evidence shows the briefing happened. Replace the example with your own workable process.
How often should the policy be reviewed?
Review it regularly and when changes to the business, work, people or lessons from incidents affect the arrangements. Record the review date and decision, then tell affected employees about changes. An annual diary prompt can help, but a date on the cover does not show that the content is current.
Review the policy before the next tender
- Confirm the legal entity, work activities and workforce match the document.
- Check named roles and responsibilities against the current team.
- Ask for an example record showing each significant arrangement in use.
- Remove irrelevant activities and resolve contradictions with project documents.
- Check whether changes, incidents or experience require a revised arrangement.
- Brief the people affected and keep the issued revision clear.
A policy that says every subcontractor is assessed should connect to a real assessment process. If a tender response promises annual refresher training, confirm that the underlying requirement and arrangements support that claim.
If you need a starting template, use the official HSE example below to understand the structure, then tailor it. Our construction policy and procedure service can review an existing document or help develop proportionate arrangements. The PQQ evidence checklist helps connect the policy to the next submission.
Official sources
General guidance only. Check the current official sources and your project conditions. Unless stated otherwise, legislation discussed is for Great Britain; Northern Ireland has separate rules. Remote advice supports, but does not replace, competent site management or specialist assessment.