Common Workplace Hazards and How to Control Them

Running a small business in the UK means juggling a lot. Health and safety can feel like another job, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. Most of the hazards you’ll meet are ordinary, and the controls are often simple changes to how work is done. Here are the everyday risks to look for, and practical ways to reduce them.

Begin with a proportionate risk assessment

Everything starts with a risk assessment. It doesn’t need to be a thick document. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggests five steps: identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risks, record your findings if you have five or more employees, and review them when things change. Walk around your premises, watch how people work, and ask your team what worries them. A risk assessment should be a living record, not a one-off paper exercise.

• Focus on the tasks that could cause real harm, such as using machinery, handling chemicals, or working at height.
• Write down who is at risk, including young workers, pregnant staff, visitors, and lone workers.
• Set a review date and revisit it after any accident, near miss, or change in equipment or process.

Slips, trips and falls

Slips and trips are the most common cause of workplace injury in the UK, and they are often the easiest to fix. Spilled drinks, trailing cables, loose mats, uneven paving, poor lighting, and cluttered walkways are all familiar culprits. A fall on the same level can still lead to broken bones or time off work, so don’t dismiss it as trivial.

• Clean up spills straight away and use wet floor signs only while the floor is actually wet.
• Route cables under desks, along walls, or use cable covers. Avoid trailing leads across walkways.
• Keep walkways clear and designate storage areas. A place for everything makes clutter less likely.
• Check flooring, steps, and handrails regularly. Repair or report defects promptly.
• Improve lighting in stairwells, corridors, and outdoor paths, especially in winter.

Electrical safety and portable appliances

Damaged cables, overloaded sockets, and faulty equipment can cause shocks or fires. You don’t need to be an electrician to spot the basics. Encourage staff to check plugs and leads before use, and take faulty items out of service immediately. Formal portable appliance testing (PAT) is not a legal requirement for every item, but regular inspection and maintenance by a competent person is. Use residual current devices (RCDs) for outdoor or high-risk equipment.

• Keep a simple equipment register, including purchase date and last check.
• Don’t daisy-chain extension leads or overload adaptors. Use the right socket for the job.
• Look for burn marks, frayed cables, cracked plugs, or buzzing sounds and act on them.
• Make sure anyone using electrical equipment knows how to isolate it in an emergency.

Manual handling, DSE and workstation setup

Lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling can cause back pain, strains, and long-term injuries. Avoid manual handling where you can, use trolleys or team lifts where you can’t, and train staff in safe techniques. For office-based work, display screen equipment (DSE) assessments help prevent neck, shoulder, and eye strain. Small adjustments—screen at eye level, feet flat, regular breaks—make a big difference.

• Store heavy items at waist height and provide suitable handling aids.
• Ask staff to report aches and pains early, before they become chronic.
• Encourage short, frequent breaks from screens and vary tasks through the day.
• Review workstations when someone returns from leave or changes role.

Hazardous substances, fire and emergencies

Cleaning chemicals, paints, dust, and fumes fall under COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health). Check safety data sheets, store substances securely, use ventilation, and provide appropriate gloves or masks. Fire risks often come from the same places: faulty electrics, flammable materials, and blocked escape routes. Keep extinguishers serviced, test alarms weekly, and run a fire drill at least once a year. Make sure everyone knows where the first aid kit is and who the appointed first aider is.

• Substitute a safer product where possible, or use the smallest amount needed.
• Keep flammable materials away from heat sources and in suitable cabinets.
• Keep fire doors closed, escape routes clear, and emergency lighting working.
• Record accidents and near misses, and report serious incidents under RIDDOR.

Build safety into everyday work

Good health and safety is not about bureaucracy; it’s about people going home in the same condition they arrived. Lead by example, include safety in inductions, and have short toolbox talks on topics like manual handling or electrical checks. Encourage staff to speak up about near misses without blame. Review your risk assessments when you buy new equipment, take on new staff, or change how you work. If you’re unsure, your local authority or a competent health and safety adviser can help. Keep it simple, keep it practical, and keep it going.