When businesses grow steadily over time, health and safety arrangements often grow with them — but not always in a structured or legally compliant way.
I recently worked with a long-established leasing agency in Suffolk who reached a point where they wanted reassurance that their health and safety arrangements were suitable for the size and complexity of their business.
Like many established businesses, they already had documentation in place and believed they were likely compliant. However, they also had a lingering concern that their arrangements may no longer reflect the realities of how the business operated day to day.
Unfortunately, that concern was correct.
The Challenge
During the review process, it became clear that key legal requirements had not been implemented, including the absence of a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.
As the business had evolved over time, important management arrangements had also been overlooked or had become informal rather than structured and documented.
This meant that although some documentation existed, critical safety management systems were either incomplete or missing entirely.
The gaps identified included:
– Lack of a formal fire risk assessment
– Limited maintenance and management arrangements
– No clear structure for contractor control
– Lone working risks not being properly managed
– Inconsistent servicing and monitoring of fire safety systems
– Limited staff awareness around health and safety responsibilities
This is something I see regularly within growing businesses. Having policies or documents in place does not automatically mean legal compliance has been achieved. Health and safety arrangements must also work in practice and reflect the day-to-day operation of the business.
The Approach
We worked collaboratively to build arrangements that were proportionate, practical and suitable for the business.
Rather than producing excessive paperwork, the focus was on implementing structured systems that the business could realistically maintain moving forward.
This included:
– Completing a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment
– Introducing clearer maintenance arrangements for the premises
– Establishing servicing requirements for fire safety systems
– Implementing contractor control procedures
– Introducing lone working controls
– Improving staff awareness and responsibilities
– Developing a more structured health and safety management system
The aim was not simply to “tick a box,” but to create arrangements that genuinely supported safer day-to-day operations.
The Outcome
The business now has a far clearer understanding of both its legal responsibilities and the practical management arrangements required to support them.
Most importantly, they now have systems in place that are scalable to the size of the business and capable of supporting future growth safely.
This project is a good example of why many established businesses benefit from reviewing their arrangements periodically. Often, organisations are not intentionally neglecting health and safety — they have simply grown beyond the systems they originally put in place or they lack the knowledge to know what must be in place.
A review can provide reassurance where arrangements are suitable, but it can also identify critical gaps before they become larger compliance or safety issues.
If your business has grown over time and you are unsure whether your current arrangements are sufficient, now is the right time to review them.
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