Free for directors and senior managers

The Director's Health & Safety Assurance Check

Can you demonstrate that significant workplace risks, incidents and corrective actions are being managed effectively? Twelve questions, about five minutes, results on screen straight away.

No sign-up to see your results
Transparent scoring, explained below
Optional branded PDF to share with your board

Question 1 of 12 · Visibility of significant risks

Could you name your organisation's most significant health and safety risks, and the main controls relied on for each, without having to ask someone to look them up?

Why this matters

Directors are expected to understand the significant risks the organisation creates and to be satisfied that they are controlled.

How the result is worked out

A transparent method, not a black box

Scoring

Yes, with evidence scores 2. Partly scores 1. No and not sure score 0. Each question carries a weight from 1 to 3, reflecting how directly it bears on a director's ability to show control of serious risk. Not applicable answers are removed from both sides of the sum.

Bands

Good assurance indicated: 80 or more out of 100 with at most one not sure answer. Partial assurance: 55 or more. Limited assurance: below 55. With fewer than six applicable answers no overall summary is given.

What it is not

This is a self-assessment of management assurance based only on the answers given. It is not an audit, it does not assess legal compliance, and it is not legal advice. Statutory duties remain with the organisation and its duty holders whatever software or tools are used.

See all twelve questions and their weights

Visibility of significant risks (weight 3). Could you name your organisation's most significant health and safety risks, and the main controls relied on for each, without having to ask someone to look them up?
Overdue corrective actions (weight 3). Do you know how many health and safety actions are currently overdue, and who is responsible for each one?
Incident escalation (weight 3). Are serious incidents, dangerous occurrences and significant near misses escalated to a responsible manager or director within an agreed timescale?
Investigation and root cause (weight 2). When something goes wrong, is the underlying cause investigated and recorded, not just the immediate cause?
Training and competence (weight 2). Could you show today who is trained and competent for your higher-risk tasks, and whose training has expired?
Risk assessment review (weight 2). Are risk assessments reviewed on a set cycle, and also after incidents or significant changes to the work?
Contractor oversight (weight 2, may be not applicable). Before contractors start work, do you check their competence, insurance and method statements, and keep a record?
Audit and inspection findings (weight 3). Are actions from audits, inspections and incidents tracked to completion, and checked afterwards to confirm they worked?
Management review and accountability (weight 2). Does senior management review health and safety performance at regular intervals, with decisions and owners recorded?
Multi-site visibility (weight 1, may be not applicable). If you operate more than one site, can you compare health and safety performance across your sites from one place?
Evidence retention and access (weight 2). If the HSE, an insurer or a major client asked tomorrow, could you produce your key health and safety records within a day?
Continual improvement (weight 1). Do you set health and safety improvement priorities or objectives, and check progress against them?

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Who is the assurance check for?

Directors, owners, managing directors and senior managers who are accountable for health and safety but do not manage it day to day. It is also useful for health and safety managers who want a structured way to show leadership where assurance is weaker.

Does it tell me whether my organisation is legally compliant?

No. It asks whether senior management could demonstrate that significant risks, incidents and corrective actions are being managed, which is a question about visibility, ownership and evidence. Legal compliance depends on your specific activities and cannot be judged from twelve answers.

Do I need to sign up to see my results?

No. Your results appear on screen as soon as you finish, and your answers stay in your browser. If you would like the branded PDF report to share with colleagues, we ask for your name, work email, organisation, role and organisation size.

How is the result worked out?

Each answer scores 2 for yes with evidence, 1 for partly, and 0 for no or not sure, multiplied by a weight of 1 to 3 for each question. Not applicable answers are excluded. The method is set out in full on this page.

Why does 'not sure' count as a gap?

Because a director being unable to answer is itself the finding. It usually means the information does not reach senior management routinely, which is exactly what the check is designed to surface. Not sure answers are reported separately as visibility gaps.