Plain-English Handbook
A readable employee handbook setting out your health & safety policy, who's responsible for what, and the standards everyone is expected to meet — written for the shop floor, not the statute book.
Service
Everyone on the same page — literally.
Clear, plain-English health & safety handbooks, induction-ready site rules and the H&S terms that sit alongside employment. We turn the duties in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 into something your team will actually read, understand and follow — so inductions, audits and accountability become simple.
What's included
A handbook your team will actually read.
Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires you to bring your health & safety arrangements to the attention of your employees. We build a handbook that does exactly that — proportionate, jargon-free and grounded in the regulations that apply to your work.
Roles & Responsibilities
Clear lines of accountability from director to operative — reflecting employer duties under HSWA 1974 and the employee duties under MHSWR 1999 to take reasonable care and follow instructions.
Key Procedures
The arrangements that matter day to day — risk assessment and method statements, COSHH 2002 controls, PUWER 1998 equipment use, manual handling, PPE and reporting near-misses.
Emergency Arrangements
Fire evacuation, first aid, accident and RIDDOR 2013 reporting, and what to do when something goes wrong — so people know their part before they ever need to use it.
Site Rules & Induction Pack
Induction-ready site rules covering PPE, permits, speed limits, sign-in and visitor control — ideal for CDM 2015 sites and easy to issue to subcontractors on day one.
Review & Version Control
Every document dated, versioned and signed off, with a scheduled review so your handbook stays current with the law, your sites and your ISO 45001 management system.
CMIOSHWritten & reviewed by a Chartered safety professional
Why it matters
Where your H&S meets your employment terms.
Most disputes and most failed audits come down to the same thing: nobody can show what people were told. A good handbook closes that gap. It sits neatly alongside your contracts of employment, making clear that following safe systems of work, wearing the PPE provided and reporting hazards are conditions of the job — not optional extras.
That matters legally, too. The general duties in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the specific requirements of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 only protect you if your people are genuinely informed. When a handbook is signed at induction and kept up to date, you have documented evidence of instruction, information and training — exactly what an HSE inspector, an enforcing authority or an insurer will ask to see.
Dominic Gibbons CMIOSH writes every handbook himself, drawing on real site experience and current HSE guidance. No copy-paste template, no clauses that don't apply to you — just a clear, proportionate document that reflects how your business actually works.
How it works
From blank page to signed-off in three steps.
No off-the-shelf binder gathering dust. We understand your business, plan a document that fits it, and embed it so it's genuinely used — at induction and every day after.
01Step 01
Understand
We walk your sites, review your existing policies and learn the real risks your people face — across construction, industrial and work-at-height tasks alike — so nothing in the handbook is generic.
02Step 02
Plan
We draft your handbook, site rules and H&S terms around the regulations that apply to you — from COSHH 2002 and PUWER 1998 to the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and LOLER — and agree the wording with you.
03Step 03
Embed
We make it induction-ready, set up sign-off and version control, and schedule reviews — so your handbook keeps pace with the law and your business, and audits become a formality.
“
A handbook isn't paperwork for its own sake. It's the simplest way to prove that everyone knew the rules — and to make sure they actually did.Dominic Gibbons, CMIOSH — Safepippin Compliance Ltd
Works well with
Part of a joined-up safety system.
A handbook is strongest when it sits on solid foundations. We can build out the policies, assessments and management systems it refers to — or act as your ongoing competent person so it never falls out of date.
Policies & Procedures
The underlying H&S policy and procedures your handbook summarises — developed, reviewed and kept current. See all services.
Competent Person
A named, Chartered competent person on call to keep your handbook, training and records aligned with the law. See all services.
ISO 45001 Support
We dovetail your handbook into a recognised occupational health & safety management system and internal audits. See all services.
Ready when you are
Let's get your team on the same page.
Tell us about your business and we'll put together a handbook, site rules and H&S terms that fit it — clear, compliant and genuinely useful. Compliance without complexity.