Supporting a workplace safety concern - and preventing future risks

One of my regular clients recently reached out after an employee raised a health and safety concern about their workstation. While the issue wasn’t critical, it had clearly unsettled the employee — and the employer wanted to make sure they handled it seriously, fairly, and in line with best practice.

Although they had a compliant Health and Safety Policy, this was the first time a concern had been formally raised. The team were unsure how to manage the process end-to-end — especially how to document the response, involve the right people, and avoid sending the wrong message.

The Concern

The employee had flagged a potential physical hazard in their work area. It hadn’t yet caused harm, but they were concerned that if left unresolved, it might. The client’s worry was twofold: protecting the employee’s wellbeing while also protecting the business from reputational or regulatory risk. They were also aware of the importance of keeping communication transparent and morale high.

My Support

I guided the client through a clear, two-part process: responding promptly to the individual issue, and then strengthening their overall approach to workplace safety.

Part 1: Managing the Immediate Concern

1. Acknowledged the concern — thanking the employee and confirming the matter was being taken seriously.

2. Assigned responsibility — nominating a senior team member to investigate using a Risk Assessment Form from the Risk Assessment Toolkit.

3. Investigated and documented — reviewing the hazard on site, collecting input from others, and taking photos.

4. Applied short-term controls — such as moving equipment and signposting the area while a fix was put in place.

5. Created a remediation plan — using a Health and Safety Action Plan Template to document who would do what and by when.

6. Closed the loop — communicating the outcome to the employee and the wider team, and reinforcing that safety concerns are always welcomed.

Part 2: Embedding Stronger Safety Practices

Once the issue was addressed, we worked on strengthening the client’s overall safety culture. This included:

• Reviewing and updating their Health and Safety Policy to include clearer reporting steps.

• Creating a simple hazard reporting form using an Incident Report Form Template.

• Designating safety reps within each team to encourage early reporting and reduce bottlenecks.

• Introducing quarterly safety walks and mini risk reviews.

• Holding a refresher briefing for all staff to reintroduce the reporting process and build trust.

The Outcome

The issue was resolved swiftly, the employee felt supported, and the business avoided any escalation. More importantly, the client now has a stronger framework in place — one that makes safety part of the everyday culture rather than something reactive.

The Risk Assessment Toolkit proved invaluable — giving the team confidence to investigate and respond professionally without the stress of creating everything from scratch.