Health and Safety Consultancy in Leicester

Leicester's Highcross shopping centre and the surrounding retail district bring together high footfall, delivery logistics, and a mix of permanent and temporary staff, all of which create distinct safety management challenges. Businesses in these environments need arrangements that cover customer safety, staff welfare, and the constant movement of goods and people in the same space.

Leicester has a long-established textile manufacturing and garment sector, where risks include machinery entanglement, chemical exposure from dyes and finishing agents, and repetitive strain injuries from production line work. Employers in this sector must carry out COSHH assessments alongside machinery risk assessments and ensure adequate guarding is in place on all relevant equipment.

Any non-domestic building constructed before the year 2000 may contain asbestos-containing materials, and the duty holder for that building must have a written plan setting out where asbestos is located, its condition, and how it will be managed. This duty arises from the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and applies regardless of whether any work on the building is planned.

Taller commercial buildings introduce specific risks around evacuation, lift maintenance, roof access, and fire compartmentation that do not apply to single-storey premises. A risk assessment for these buildings must address the additional time required for evacuation, the needs of mobility-impaired occupants, and co-ordination with other tenants sharing the building.

Occupational road risk covers any journey made by an employee in connection with their work, whether in a company vehicle or their own car, and employers are responsible for managing the safety of those journeys. This includes checking licence validity, vehicle roadworthiness, journey planning, and ensuring drivers are not pressured into driving while fatigued.

Receiving an improvement or prohibition notice does not have to bring your business to a standstill if you respond quickly with a structured remediation plan. A consultant can help you prioritise the required actions, liaise with the enforcing authority where appropriate, and put interim controls in place to allow affected work to continue safely where possible.

An induction gives new employees essential information about site hazards, emergency procedures, and their personal responsibilities before they begin work, reducing the elevated accident risk that affects workers in their first weeks. It should be documented, role-specific, and followed up with ongoing supervision rather than treated as a one-off event.

Temporary traders operating in Leicester's markets or during seasonal events still carry the same employer and occupier duties as permanent businesses, including the need for a suitable risk assessment and adequate first aid provision. The temporary nature of the setup does not reduce the standard of care owed to staff or members of the public.

A business continuity plan sets out how an organisation will keep operating following a disruptive event such as a fire, flood, or serious workplace accident. Health and safety planning and business continuity overlap significantly, particularly around emergency response, critical equipment, and the welfare of staff during and after an incident.

Employers must consider the specific needs of disabled workers when carrying out risk assessments, particularly around evacuation procedures, workstation adjustments, and access to welfare facilities. Personal emergency evacuation plans, known as PEEPs, are an important tool for ensuring disabled employees can exit a building safely in an emergency.

The HSE is clear that health and safety management should be proportionate to the size and nature of the business, meaning a small office does not need the same documentation as a large manufacturing site. What matters is that the risks specific to your workplace have been identified and sensible controls are in place and understood by your team.

Taking on new or additional premises triggers a fresh set of safety obligations, from arranging a new fire risk assessment to updating your policy and carrying out a full premises inspection before staff move in. Getting this right from the start is far less costly than addressing failures after an incident or inspection.