Are Your Health & Safety Arrangements Ready for 2026?
2026 is here and organisations across the UK are preparing for another year of opportunity, growth, and inevitably, risk. Health and safety isn’t something you “set and forget”; it’s a process that must evolve with changing legislation, workforce needs, and emerging risks. Reviewing and refreshing your arrangements early in the year ensures you start strong, compliant, and ready for whatever the year may bring.
Why Now Is the Time for a Health & Safety Review
The start of a new year is a natural point to reflect on the effectiveness of your current health and safety systems. Here are a few fundamental questions every employer should be asking:
• Has any mandatory training expired or neared expiry?
From first aid and fire safety to role-specific competencies such as manual handling or working at height, training requires regular updates to remain valid and effective. If your team completed courses several years ago, it’s likely time for a refresher.
• Are your fire safety measures up to date?
Fire risk assessments aren’t a one-off task, they need reviewing at least annually or whenever there’s a change to the premises, workforce, or use of space. A dated assessment can leave gaps in protection and expose your organisation to enforcement action.
• Are your Risk Assessments reflecting current realities?
Workplace risks can change significantly with new equipment, altered workflows, seasonal conditions, or even changes to staffing and roles. If your risk assessments haven’t been reviewed recently, they may not reflect the hazards your people face today.
Key Health & Safety Trends Shaping 2026
Alongside routine reviews, 2026 brings several emerging trends and risk areas that are likely to shape UK workplace safety practices:
1. Increased Focus on Mental Health and Wellbeing
The physical risks of work have long been a central focus of health and safety management, but the last few years have seen an acceleration in awareness of mental health hazards.
Stress, burnout, and poor mental wellbeing continue to impact productivity, absence rates, and overall workplace culture. In 2026, employers should be moving beyond reactive support toward proactive frameworks that integrate mental wellbeing into safety culture and risk assessments.
2. Climate Change and Environmental Safety
Extreme weather events from heatwaves to flooding are no longer isolated incidents. As climate risks grow, employers must consider how environmental factors affect health and safety.
Whether outdoor work is impacted by heat, access routes are made dangerous by storms, or site infrastructure faces weather-related stress, environmental planning is increasingly an element of risk management.
3. Technology, AI, and Data Protection
The adoption of technology and AI in workplaces continues to accelerate. From automated systems on sites to digital monitoring and exposure tracking, these tools offer significant benefits. However, they introduce new safety considerations:
• How do you safely integrate AI-driven machinery?
• Are systems secure from cyber threats that could disrupt safety-critical infrastructure?
• Does your data protection strategy support confidentiality and legal compliance?
Understanding the interplay between safety technology and human factors will be vital this year.
Getting Ahead: Practical Steps for Your Business
To ensure your health and safety arrangements are robust for 2026:
• Conduct a full audit of training records, risk assessments, fire safety plans, and emergency procedures.
• Identify gaps in mental wellbeing provision, technology use, and environmental risk planning.
• Update policies and documentation to reflect current legal requirements and workplace realities.
• Engage your people in safety conversations. Frontline insight often reveals hazards that desk-based reviews miss.
How Westminster Compliance Can Help
At Westminster Compliance, we understand that maintaining effective health and safety arrangements can be challenging, especially with evolving risks and complex legal duties. That’s where we come in. Whether you need:
• A comprehensive health and safety audit
• Refreshed or bespoke training programmes
• Updated fire risk assessments
• Support with mental health and wellbeing frameworks
• Expert guidance on environmental and technological risks
Our experienced consultants are here to support your organisation every step of the way. Starting the year with strong health and safety systems not only protects your people, it strengthens your business, improves morale, and ensures legal compliance.
Related E-Learning Courses:
• IOSH Approved Managing Safely
• Manual Handling
• Introduction to risk assessment
• Working at Height
• Supervising Mental Health at Work
About Us
Westminster Compliance was established to provide a more personal, proactive health and safety consultancy that would keep businesses working and compliant with ever-changing legislation.
Our presentations and training are interesting and fun because we want our clients to buy into health and safety, and definitely not to see it as a boring, unnecessary nuisance. We know that our best service is provided to small and medium sized organisations and have developed a system that works in most industries.
We stick with straightforward language, keeping away from jargon, and do not make ridiculous promises. Most importantly, we realise that we are working with human beings.
