HR professionals play a crucial role in health and safety at work—from mental health and harassment to pregnancy risk assessments and whistleblowing.
Health and safety at work isn’t just about hazard signs and fire drills. It’s about creating a safe, respectful workplace where people can thrive. And at the centre of that mission? HR.
Whether they’re writing policies, managing employee stress, or responding to whistleblowing concerns, HR is critical to health and safety compliance—including building a culture where wellbeing is taken seriously.
1. Mental health, stress and burnout
Health and safety law doesn’t just cover physical hazards—it includes mental health risks too. Stress, burnout, bullying, overwork and toxic culture…all fall within the scope of HR’s responsibility.
From conducting risk assessments to supporting employees with disabilities including mental health conditions, a strong HR team can help employers to identify and prevent people-related risks early.
2. Encouraging staff to speak up
Some health and safety concerns overlap with whistleblowing. Employees are legally protected if they raise concerns about unsafe practices and this must be taken seriously.
HR can help to promote an open workplace culture by ensuring there are clear, confidential channels for reporting concerns. These are the tools businesses need to make sure employees feel safe to speak up, without fear of backlash.
3. Updating health and safety policies
Every employer should have a health and safety policy. Often, HR is responsible for maintaining it—ensuring it outlines who does what, how risks are managed, and how issues are reported.
They should also make sure your policy is easy to find, easy to understand, and regularly reviewed. Good communication is essential — there’s no use in having policies if employees don’t know what they are!
4. Training and competence
If people aren’t trained to do their jobs safely, accidents happen. The importance of thorough onboarding, training and performance management can’t be overstated. It means you’re in the best position to make sure employees know what’s expected and are equipped to stay safe.
Training isn’t just a tick-box. It needs to be relevant, engaging and ongoing.
5. Tackling toxic cultures and harassment
A toxic environment doesn’t just harm morale—it’s a health and safety issue. Harassment, bullying and exclusion can lead to serious mental health problems, and new legal duties now require employers to take proactive steps to prevent sexual harassment at work.
HR should lead with clear policies, inclusive training, and zero tolerance for toxic behaviour.
6. Pregnancy-specific health and safety risks
When an employee tells you they’re pregnant, the law kicks in. HR must arrange a pregnancy risk assessment and ensure any health risks are addressed. This might include adjustments to working hours, physical tasks or stress levels.
If risks can’t be removed, the employee may need to be suspended on full pay. It’s essential this process is handled with care, sensitivity and clarity.
Health and safety isn’t just about compliance
Health and safety isn’t just a compliance issue—it’s about building a workplace where people feel safe, respected and able to do their best work. And that’s where HR adds real value.
By taking a proactive role, HR can ensure legal obligations are met while also building a culture where safety and wellbeing are truly prioritised.
However, don’t overdo it! A recent Bloomberg report described how some companies are trying to artificially boost morale. At Tiffany & Co., staff were asked to post regularly on an internal app called “Tiffany Joy”—which employees mockingly dubbed “Forced Joy.” Meanwhile, Starbucks introduced a requirement that required employees to add emojis or handwritten notes to every takeaway cup (it was made a rule because staff were not automatically doing this and needed suggestions for the notes and emojis from their employer).
What does this tell us? Real engagement can’t be faked. If you want happy, motivated employees, create a safe, inclusive environment where they can thrive.
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The team at Hunter Law is here for you. We can handle your HR issues, finesse your policies, and keep you up-to-date on evolving legislation. Please get in touch with our legal team, we’d love to help.
