About This Sector
Accountancy firms, management consultancies, recruitment agencies, architects, surveyors, and other professional services businesses share a common risk profile: predominantly office-based with significant business travel, client site visits, and increasingly, hybrid and remote working. The health and safety obligations are the same as any other employer, but professional services firms rarely have dedicated health and safety resource. Arinite provides Chartered health and safety consultants who deliver practical, proportionate compliance for professional services businesses.
Sector-Specific Regulations
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 applies to all professional services employers. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require risk assessments covering all activities including business travel and client site visits. The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 require DSE assessments for all habitual screen users. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires fire risk assessments. For firms with employees travelling internationally, the employer's duty of care extends to ensuring adequate health and safety arrangements in the countries visited.
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 employees who work from home, from client sites, or in serviced office spaces.
No risk assessment covering business travel, particularly for employees travelling to higher-risk jurisdictions.
No appointed competent person for health and safety.
Fire risk assessments not conducted or relying on the building landlord's assessment without verifying it covers the employer's specific obligations.
No health and safety policy or a policy that does not cover hybrid working, business travel, or client site visits.
No health and safety arrangements for employees working from client premises.
Our Services for This Sector
Arinite's professional services health and safety services include comprehensive risk assessments covering office, home, and client-site working, DSE assessments for all working environments, business travel risk assessments and travel safety guidance, fire risk assessments for office premises, competent person appointment, health and safety policy covering hybrid working, travel, and client-site activities, health and safety audits, and health and safety software for simple, efficient compliance management.
Book a Free Professional Services 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 professional services health and safety arrangements and identify the compliance gaps that matter most.
