Safer Workplace Better Business is a simple, jargon-free tool kit developed to help small businesses comply with health and safety.

You can download the pack as a whole, or as individual pages from the Torbay website.

This simple fill-in-the-blanks system saves businesses from "re-inventing the wheel" time and again. Each of the most common risks businesses face has a section already written out for a business to tailor to reflect what happens at that individual premises.

It builds in to a system which has all the paperwork a business needs to satisfy the law; a training manual,  records, managements checks which demonstrates how the business is managing it’s health and safety risks.

The pack was developed by the Devon Health and Safety Sub-Group, a working group of the 10 councils in Devon. The sub-group organise training for a number of industries and liaise to discuss enforcement issues across the county. They have found that  a large number of small and medium enterprises have a poor knowledge of health and safety and struggle with their documentation. The group adapted the well known “Safer Food Better Business” pack idea to help businesses deal with their health and safety duties without having to employ specialists, unless signposted that certain high risk activities would require expert assistance.    

The pack has been extensively trialled throughout the county over  two years, and is now being promoted across the country by the Local Government Regulation Service. It is also being developed as a internet based system which can be purchased by businesses.   

The approach is jargon-free and straight forward and will not take people away from the main priority of running their business. Successfully put into place, this approach will not only enable people to comply with law but also protect their business's reputation. It may also improve bottom line profits by reducing accidents, costs, safeguarding staff and improving production.