10 Quick Health and Safety Wins for 2025

Improving health and safety doesn’t always mean overhauling entire systems or investing huge budgets. At Astutis, we believe that often, small smart changes can make a significant difference. As we move further into 2025, UK businesses, from construction sites to offices, are searching for quick, effective ways to protect their people, boost compliance, and strengthen their safety culture.

Here are 10 quick wins you can implement this year. Each one is practical, impactful, and supported by relevant Astutis courses that give you and your teams the skills to make change happen.

Refresh Your Risk Assessments

Risk assessments are the foundation of workplace safety, yet many sit on a shelf gathering dust. Reviewing them regularly helps spot new hazards and ensures controls remain effective. With UK employers facing over £21 billion in costs each year from injuries and ill health, this simple step can save both lives and money.

• Quick win: Revisit your risk assessments with your team and update them where needed.
• Course to try: Risk Assessment in Practice, sharpen your assessment skills and align with HSE guidance.

Encourage Near-Miss Reporting

Near misses are free lessons. Every “close call” reveals a weakness in your system. Create a no-blame reporting culture and act on reports before they turn into accidents. 

• Quick win: Introduce a simple reporting form or monthly safety huddle to capture near misses.
• Course to try: Accident and Incident Investigation, learn root cause analysis and corrective action planning.

Strengthen COSHH Controls

From cleaning chemicals to silica dust, hazardous substances are common in every workplace. Tighter controls — proper labelling, safer storage, and effective PPE — prevent long-term health issues and accidents.

• Quick win: Audit your chemical stores and refresh COSHH assessments.
• Course to try: COSHH Awareness, ensure your team knows how to handle substances safely.

Improve Manual Handling

One in three workplace accidents in the UK are linked to lifting and handling. Small changes, like using trolleys, reorganising storage, and teaching good technique, can prevent painful back injuries.

• Quick win: Put up posters showing safe lifting methods near high-risk areas.
• Course to try: Manual Handling, short, practical training to protect your team.

Strengthen Fire Safety Preparedness

Fire safety is about vigilance. Clear exits, serviced extinguishers, and regular drills save lives. Reviewing your fire risk assessment ensures you’re legally compliant and practically prepared.

• Quick win: Walk the site weekly to check that fire exits are unobstructed.
• Courses to try: Fire Risk Assessment & Fire Safety Management or Fire Warden Training, give staff confidence to act in an emergency.

Manage Contractors and Visitors Safely

Contractors often introduce unfamiliar risks. A simple briefing or induction on arrival, backed up with clear supervision, reduces accidents and legal exposure.

• Quick win: Create a one-page contractor induction checklist covering PPE, restricted areas, and emergency contacts.
• Course to try: Managing Contractors, select, vet, and oversee contractors safely.

Refresh Your Permit-to-Work System

High-risk jobs such as hot work, confined spaces, or electrical maintenance need more than verbal instructions. A robust permit-to-work system ensures controls are in place before anyone starts.

• Quick win: Review your current permits, are they clear, consistent, and actually used?
• Course to try: Permit to Work, practical training to master permits and prevent serious incidents.

Empower Safety Reps and Employees

Your people often spot hazards before management does. By involving them through committees, safety walkarounds, or suggestion schemes, you build a proactive culture.

• Quick win: Launch a monthly safety meeting with reps from each team.
• Courses to try: Safety for Representatives or IOSH Working Safely, which give staff confidence and clarity in their role.

Support Mental Health and Wellbeing

Stress and burnout account for millions of lost working days. Prioritising mental health makes your workplace safer and more productive.

• Quick win: Promote mental health champions and ensure breaks and holidays are taken.
• Courses to try: Mental Health and Workplace Safety or the Stress and Wellbeing Toolkit, practical tools to build resilience.

Train Managers in Safety Leadership

Safety culture starts at the top. When managers understand their responsibilities, they set the tone and influence behaviour across the workforce.

• Quick win: Enrol supervisors in recognised training so they lead by example.
• Courses to try: IOSH Managing Safely or Safety for Managers, equip leaders to integrate safety into daily operations.

These ten quick wins are practical, affordable, and achievable this year. By combining on-the-ground improvements with targeted training, you’ll create momentum for continuous improvement, reduce risks, and show your workforce you’re serious about their wellbeing.

Every small step adds up to a safer, healthier workplace. So why wait? Pick one or two wins to act on today and start building a culture where safety truly comes first. Need more health and safety insights? Access more exclusive health and safety insights via our Astutis Quarterly Newsletter below.