Does my business need a competent person?

Yes. Employers must appoint one or more competent persons to help meet their health and safety duties. Acting as that competent person is the role Arinite is most often appointed to fulfil.

When does a risk assessment need to be written down?

A suitable and sufficient risk assessment is always required, and must be recorded where five or more people are employed.

Can Arinite manage health and safety across UK and international sites?

Yes. The UK is our home market, and we extend the same single compliance system to international operations for UK-headquartered groups, coordinating local requirements through locally qualified practitioners.

What does it cost to work with Arinite in the UK?

Cost depends on workforce size, number of sites, the current state of existing arrangements, and the scope of services required. A free gap analysis call with one of our Qualified consultants will give a clear estimate.

HSE inspections up 47% - HSE carried out over 13,200 workplace inspections in 2024/25.

LocationsUnited Kingdom
Health and Safety Consultants in theUnited Kingdom

Q: What is the main health and safety law in the UK?

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), enforced in Great Britain by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities. Northern Ireland has its own parallel legislation enforced by HSENI.

HSWA 1974 and MHSWR 1999 compliance · Risk assessments · DSE · Fire safety · Competent person support across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom is Arinite's home market, and where our Qualified consultants and compliance software were built. UK employers operate under one of the most established health and safety regimes in the world, anchored in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the duty to appoint a competent person. From a single UK office to a national estate of sites, Arinite acts as your outsourced health and safety function, combining Qualified consultancy with software that keeps every location compliant.

Book My Free UK Gap Analysis Call +44 (0)20 7947 9581

1,500+ businesses

50+ countries

95%+ retention

Qualified Consultants

UK & International

Free Gap Analysis

Get in Touch

Contact Arinite Today

Fill out the form below and our team will get back to you within 24 hours.

ABOUT

Workplace Health and Safety
in the United Kingdom

The framework is built on the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), enforced in Great Britain by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities. Key points for any business:

General duty

Employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of employees and others affected by their work.

Risk assessment

MHSWR requires a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, recorded where five or more people are employed.

Competent person

Employers must appoint one or more competent persons to help meet their duties. This is the role Arinite is most often appointed to fulfil.

Specific duties

Further requirements cover display screen equipment, fire safety, first aid, manual handling, and more.

Jurisdictional note

Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales) operates under the HSWA framework, with some Scotland-specific enforcement and procedures, while Northern Ireland has its own parallel legislation and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI).

Arinite supports businesses of every size across the UK, and is the anchor of our wider international coverage for UK-headquartered groups with operations abroad. Explore our sector specialisms for tailored support.

CITIES

Health and Safety Support
Across the United Kingdom

London

And the South East.

Manchester

Birmingham

Leeds

Glasgow

Scotland.

Edinburgh

Scotland.

Cardiff

Wales.

Belfast

Northern Ireland.

COMPLIANCE GAPS

Common Compliance Gaps We
Find in the UK

No competent person appointed, or the role unfilled in practice.

Risk assessments out of date or not suitable and sufficient.

DSE assessments missing for office, home, and hybrid workers.

Fire risk assessments overdue or not reviewed after changes.

Multi-site businesses lacking a single system, with inconsistent records across locations.

Northern Ireland sites managed under GB assumptions, missing the HSENI framework.

SERVICES

Our Health and Safety
Services in the UK

Delivered through Qualified consultants and integrated health and safety software, as part of our outsourced health and safety service.

Competent person

Acting as your appointed competent person under MHSWR.

Risk assessments

Suitable and sufficient risk assessment across all activities and sites.

DSE and ergonomic assessments

For office, home, and hybrid workers.

Fire safety and audits

Fire risk assessments and health and safety audits across your estate.

Multi-site and group coordination

A single compliance system across every UK location, extendable to international sites.

Book a Free Gap Analysis Call

Book a free gap analysis call with one of our Qualified health and safety consultants. In 30 minutes, we will assess your current arrangements, identify the compliance gaps that matter most, and give you a clear recommendation and indicative cost.

Book My Free Gap Analysis Call +44 (0)20 7947 9581

OUR PROVEN SYSTEM

How Arinite's Health and Safety Consultants
Transform Your Compliance

From Reactive Firefighting to Proactive Health & Safety Compliance

STAGE 1

REACTIVE(Where 60% of Businesses Operate)

No formal HSE systems in place. Everything is reactive, waiting for something to go wrong. Documentation is missing or outdated.

Why It's Dangerous:

✗£50K-£150K average fine when (not if) HSE inspects
✗Can't bid on contracts requiring HSE certification
✗One accident away from director prosecution

This isn't just "non-compliant." It's criminally negligent. Directors face personal prosecution.

STAGE 2

COMPLIANCE(Where Most Businesses Stop)

Basic HSE documentation is in place. Minimum legal requirements met. You can pass a basic audit.

Why It's Better (But Not Enough):

✓Legal protection (no fines if inspected)
✓Can bid on contracts requiring certification
✓Pass basic client audits
✗Still reactive (problems arise, then you respond)
✗Compliance maintained by one person (bottleneck)
✗Systems don't run themselves

Compliance is where most consultants get you, then leave. You're legal, but you're not optimised.

STAGE 3

PROACTIVE(Where Arinite Clients Operate)

Systems run proactively, preventing problems before they occur. Compliance is distributed, not dependent on one person.

Why It's Transformational:

✓Win more contracts (HSE certification opens doors)
✓Save 20+ hours/week (systems run themselves)
✓Peace of mind (sleep soundly, without the fear of prosecution)
✓Focus on your core business while we handle compliance

That's why 95%+ of clients renew year after year.

The Arinite Difference:

”

Robert Winsloe

Managing Director, Arinite

“We work with you to deliver peace of mind. We tailor our service provision to your business to provide proactive, pragmatic health and safety advice and that helps reduce costs by ensuring compliance with relevant health and safety legislation.”

Other Consultants

Get you to Stage 2 (Compliant) and disappear.

Arinite

Gets you to Stage 3 (Proactive) and keeps you there.

That's why we call it transformation, not just compliance.

CONSULTANTS + SOFTWARE

Where Health and Safety Consultants
Meet Compliance Software.
Globally.

Health & Safety Consultants+H&S Software+Arinite AI

Consultants+H&S Software+Arinite AI

Compliance

Traditional consultancies audit, report and leave. You get a document and the job of implementing it.

Control

Software companies give you dashboards and workflows without the knowledge to use them.

Coverage

Global businesses need consultants who know compliance in every jurisdiction.

Arinite

We are not a consultancy that adds external software. We are not a software company that recommends consultants.

We are the place where those two things finally become one.

GLOBAL LOCATIONS

Global Health and Safety Consultants.
International Compliance, Local Delivery.

50+ Countries. Global Safety. Local Trust.

50+ Countries

Headquartered in London, UK, with Qualified health and safety consultants in 50+ countries. Whether you need a health and safety audit in Manchester, a fire risk assessment in Birmingham, or outsourced workplace health and safety compliance in Singapore, we have consultants near you.

Don't see your location?

We're expanding globally

“

Brendan Tuite

Operations Director, Arinite

35+ Years Experience

50+ Countries Served

95%+ Client Retention

My Name Is Brendan Tuite.

I have been in the health and safety business for 35+ years. In that time, I have had one consistent experience across every sector and every country I have worked in.

Every business we speak to already knows, somewhere, that their workplace health and safety compliance has not kept pace with their growth. It is not ignorance. It is business. It is the assumption that because nothing has gone wrong yet, the gaps are probably manageable.

What stops most businesses from doing something about it is not the cost of outsourcing health and safety support. It is the fear of finding out how significant the gaps are.

The Free Gap Analysis Call exists for exactly that moment.

You get the full picture of your workplace health and safety position in 30 minutes.

“In 35+ years, I have not once had someone tell us they wished they had stayed in the dark.”

Book My Free Gap Analysis Call

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

What 1,500+ Businesses Say About Their Health & Safety Consultants

5.0· 1,500+ reviews

No video testimonials available at the moment.

Trusted by Industry Leaders

Join 1,500+ organisations that trust Arinite as their health and safety consultants.

5.0 Rating

View All Testimonials Become a Client Today

FAQ

Health and Safety in the UK: Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about HSWA 1974, MHSWR 1999, the competent person duty, and UK compliance

Still Have Questions About Health & Safety Compliance?

Our Qualified health and safety consultants are here to help with any queries about workplace safety, compliance, or our services.

Get in Touch Call: +44 (0)20 7947 9581

Free Resources

Health & Safety Factsheets

Download our comprehensive library of expert guides, checklists, and templates.

Browse Library