Every workplace runs on the same two duties: assess the risks that arise from what you do, and control them so far as is reasonably practicable. What differs is who is exposed. In hospitality and in childcare a large part of the risk falls on people who are not employees at all, which brings section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to the front rather than section 2.
Hospitality, where the public are in the workplace
Kitchens and bars carry burns, knives, slips on wet floors, manual handling of stock and kegs, and COSHH from cleaning chemicals. Front of house adds the public: floor surfaces in wet weather, glass, crowding at busy times, and fire evacuation of people who do not know the building. Late licences add lone working, cash handling and conflict. Agency and seasonal staff mean induction has to work on the first shift rather than in the first month.
Nurseries and childcare, where the assessment is doubled
Health and safety law protects the staff and the children as people affected by the undertaking, and it sits alongside a separate early years regulatory regime with its own requirements. The health and safety assessment covers premises and equipment, hot water and heating surfaces, cleaning chemicals stored out of reach, kitchen and food handling, outdoor play surfaces and equipment, moving and handling of children by staff, and safe arrival and collection.
Where the two sectors share a problem
Staff turnover. In both, the person most likely to be hurt is the one who started this month, and the control that works is a real induction on day one covering the specific hazards of that building rather than a policy folder and a signature. It is also the control most easily lost when a rota is short and somebody starts at the busiest hour of the week.
What the workplace regulations add on top
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 cover the premises themselves: ventilation, temperature, lighting, cleanliness, room dimensions, workstations and seating, floors and traffic routes, falls, windows, doors, sanitary conveniences and washing facilities, and drinking water. They apply to nearly every workplace and are the ones most often forgotten because they are about the building rather than the task.
Questions people ask about health & safety in the workplace
Does health and safety law cover customers and children?
Yes. Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a duty on employers towards people who are not their employees but who may be affected by the way the business is run.
What does a nursery have to assess?
The premises and equipment, hot surfaces and water, chemicals, food handling, outdoor play, moving and handling of children by staff, and arrival and collection, alongside the separate early years regulatory requirements.
What are the main hospitality risks?
Burns, cuts, slips on wet or greasy floors, manual handling, cleaning chemicals under COSHH, fire evacuation of the public, and lone working or conflict on late shifts.
Which regulations cover the workplace itself?
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, covering ventilation, temperature, lighting, cleanliness, floors, traffic routes, falls, sanitary and washing facilities and drinking water.