About This Sector
Office environments are often assumed to be low risk. Health and safety inspectors disagree. Every employer operating an office, whether a five-person startup or a 5,000-seat corporate headquarters, has the same legal obligation to assess risks, appoint a competent person, and maintain documented compliance. Arinite provides Chartered health and safety consultants and compliance software to office-based businesses across the UK and 50+ countries.
Sector-Specific Regulations
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 applies to every office employer. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require a suitable and sufficient risk assessment covering all work activities. The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 require DSE assessments for every habitual user, including those working from home. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a fire risk assessment for all non-domestic premises. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 set minimum standards for temperature, ventilation, lighting, space, and sanitation.
Common Compliance Failures We Find
These are the health and safety failures Arinite's consultants find most frequently in this sector:
No DSE assessments for home workers or hybrid employees. This is the single most common compliance gap in office environments, particularly since the shift to hybrid working.
No documented fire risk assessment, or a fire risk assessment that has not been reviewed since the last change of layout, headcount, or building use.
No appointed competent person for health and safety. Many office-based businesses assume they do not need one because they are "just an office."
Risk assessments that were written at setup and never updated to reflect hybrid working, new office locations, or changes in staff numbers.
No health and safety policy, or a policy that exists but has not been reviewed or communicated to employees.
No accident reporting procedure and no mechanism for recording near misses.
Our Services for This Sector
Arinite's office health and safety services include comprehensive workplace risk assessments covering all office activities and locations, DSE assessments for office-based and home-working employees, fire risk assessments compliant with PAS 79 and the Fire Safety Order, competent person appointment under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, health and safety policy creation and annual review, health and safety audits and ongoing compliance management, and health and safety software configured for multi-site office operations.
Book a Free Offices Gap Analysis Call
Book a free gap analysis call with one of our Chartered health and safety consultants. In 30 minutes, we will assess your current offices health and safety arrangements and identify the compliance gaps that matter most.
