Expert Defense & Representation
Health and Safety Helpline for Businesses
Access instant UK call centre support from a team of business health & safety experts.
Access a trusted health and safety helpline for employers
It’s your duty of care as an employer to keep your staff, clients, and customers safe. But if you’re not a health and safety expert, making sense of the complexities of legislation and figuring out the practical steps you need to take can feel like an impossible task. You may not feel confident that you’re doing enough or in your ability to go it alone, and know that guesswork can have serious consequences for your business and put people at risk.
After all, the key to staying compliant is having access to the most reliable health and safety advice and information. Receiving expert support in the form of a health and safety helpline will allow you to identify control risk, meet your legal responsibilities, and approach health and safety tasks more confidently.
Provide clarity on any health and safety grey areas
Give you quick answers to health and safety queries, at any time, from a source you can trust
Allow you to soundboard your ideas and get a second, professional opinion
Offer reassurance and confirmation that you’re approaching situations correctly
Help you to generate simple, workable solutions to health and safety challenges
Ensure that the decisions you make are reasonable, proportionate and commercially-sound
Save valuable time spent scouring the internet for answers
The importance of health and safety helplines for employers
The importance of health and safety helplines for employers
The importance of health and safety helplines for employers
When it comes to health and safety compliance, being able to pick up the phone to someone who knows what they’re talking about can be a real game changer. Speaking to someone who not only understands UK health and safety legislation but who understands your business, your objectives, your challenges and how you operate will lower the risk of an employment tribunal.
But it’s not all about legal risk. Employee relations issues can impede productivity, affect morale, and contribute to a high turnover. They put a strain on management, destabilise your workforce, and ultimately affect your ability to deliver on key objectives. If you’re not an Employment Law expert, the time and stress involved in dealing with your people problems can become a considerable burden — one that will only increase as your organisation grows.
Good legal advice helps you avoid pitfalls such as workplace ergonomic hazards. It enables you to handle risks effectively, streamline their operations, and make informed decisions. This not only ensures compliance with the law but also contributes to a healthier work environment and a stronger, more resilient business.
Unlimited helpline support for your business
According to the latest annual health and safety statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE):
30.7 million working days were lost because of injury or ill health;
555,000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labour Force Survey
1.4 million working people suffer from a work-related illness.
Most significantly, according to the HSE’s annual fatal injuries report, there were 147 work-related fatalities in 2018/19. The sectors where the risk of fatal injury is greatest are agriculture, forestry and fishing; waste and recycling, and construction.
Every workplace has hazards, from the dangers of handling hazardous substances to the risks associated with manual handling or working at height. Whether you work in a manufacturing facility or an office, there are still risks of injury and ill health that need to be controlled. If you fail to take all reasonable measures, you may face enforcement action, which brings with it Fee for Intervention, hefty fines and even prosecution, not to mention insurmountable damage to your reputation. That’s why access to a Health & Safety Helpline and receiving competent support from a Health & Safety specialist is so important.
In the worst case scenario, missteps can lead to an Employment Tribunal claim. Unfortunately for employers, now that Tribunal fees have been scrapped, there’s nothing to stop litigious employees pursuing legal action. With the average award for unfair dismissal sitting at almost £14,000 and discrimination claims costing closer to £30,000, the cost of going it alone can be significant. Of course, as well as the impact on your bottom line, there’s also reputational damage to consider.
But it’s not all about legal risk. Employee relations issues can impede productivity, affect morale, and contribute to a high turnover. They put a strain on management, destabilise your workforce, and ultimately affect your ability to deliver on key objectives. If you’re not an Employment Law expert, the time and stress involved in dealing with your people problems can become a considerable burden — one that will only increase as your organisation grows.
Good legal advice, on the other hand, helps employers avoid these pitfalls. It enables them to handle risks effectively, streamline their operations, and make informed decisions. This not only ensures compliance with the law but also contributes to a healthier work environment and a stronger, more resilient business.
How a health and safety helpline supports your business
Admin and correspondence
Offer a constant source of practical Employment Law advice on a full spectrum of employee relations issues, from the seemingly simple to the most complex;
Strategy and negotiation
Guide you every step of the way through difficult situations – including gross misconduct, discrimination complaints and redundancy – advising on the correct process to follow and the legal pitfalls to avoid;
Seamless representation
Draft your essential documentation, including your Contracts of Employment and Employee Handbook, to ensure they are legally-compliant and provide the best possible protection for your organisation.
The importance of health and safety helpines
Whether you’re facing an imminent crisis, have a quick query, or just want a second opinion, with direct access to a qualified health and safety adviser who understands your organisation inside and out, you can be sure you’re receiving advice ideally suited to your business needs.
Do employment tribunals favour employers?
WorkNest blends legal expertise with commercial awareness, giving you confidence in managing employment law challenges;
Our team includes more than six times the number of qualified solicitors compared to larger competitors, each with over five years’ experience;
Your dedicated adviser ensures you always have expert guidance and reliable support when you need it.
Are all employment tribunal decisions published?
You’re taking a reactive, rather than proactive, approach to employee relations matters, allowing problems to occur then paying to fix them;
You’re without day-to-day support and therefore have to find the answers to your queries yourself or resort to guesswork; and
You pay by the hour, meaning you can expect a significant bill whenever professional help is needed, especially if the issue is complex.
Know what you’re looking for in a health and safety support line
Know what you’re looking for in a health and safety support line
Know what you’re looking for in a health and safety support line
At WorkNest, we understand the value of having access to a dedicated professional for pragmatic support when you need it. That’s why, as part of our unlimited, fixed-fee service, you have access to a named specialist who'll:
Act as one of your legally-required competent persons to ensure you meet the requirements of health and safety law and are prepared for HSE inspections
Complete an up-to-date General Risk Assessment with you and advise on necessary actions
Develop and help you implement a Prioritised Safety Action Plan, Health & Safety Policy and Employee Health & Safety Handbook tailored to your specific needs
Keep you up to date with changes to legislation and best practice so that you can operate with complete confidence
At WorkNest, we understand the value of having access to a dedicated professional for pragmatic support when you need it. That’s why, as part of our unlimited, fixed-fee service, you have access to a named specialist who'll:
Act as one of your legally-required competent persons to ensure you meet the requirements of health and safety law and are prepared for HSE inspections
Complete an up-to-date General Risk Assessment with you and advise on necessary actions
Develop and help you implement a Prioritised Safety Action Plan, Health & Safety Policy and Employee Health & Safety Handbook tailored to your specific needs
Keep you up to date with changes to legislation and best practice so that you can operate with complete confidence
Added extras
Explore our other People services
Our Employment Law expertise is backed up by a full suite of tools and protections to help future-proof your organisation.
Cloud-based HR Software
Takes the hassle out of essential HR functions and drive efficiency across your organisation.
Legal Expenses Insurance
Independent and FCA-regulated, to cover your costs in the event of an Employment Tribunal claim.
Interactive e-Learning Courses
Free for the first 12 months, to upskill staff in key employment law and HR topics.
FAQs
There are many different forms of health and safety help available, including advice line services, expert training, one-off pieces of work, or a full health and safety service.
In many cases, it makes sense to find a Health & Safety company who offer a fixed-fee service that combines over-the-phone support with on-site assistance, as this often offers better value for money and is the most effective way of ensuring you’re compliant.
This is supported by access to our award-winning software SafetyNest, an easy-to-use dashboard that gives you the tools you need to proactively monitor and manage risk on a day-to-day basis, as well as access to our online Knowledge Hub, where you can find expert-created guidance notes and downloadable risk assessment templates.
There are many different forms of health and safety help available, including advice line services, expert training, one-off pieces of work, or a full health and safety service.
This is supported by access to our award-winning software SafetyNest, an easy-to-use dashboard that gives you the tools you need to proactively monitor and manage risk on a day-to-day basis, as well as access to our online Knowledge Hub, where you can find expert-created guidance notes and downloadable risk assessment templates.
In many cases, it makes sense to find a Health & Safety company who offer a fixed-fee service that combines over-the-phone support with on-site assistance, as this often offers better value for money and is the most effective way of ensuring you’re compliant.
