Yes you do. Employers have a duty under health and safety law to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, an employee’s health, safety and welfare at work. An employer must also consult with the employee or safety representative on matters relating to health and safety at work.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 place a duty on both employers and the self-employed to assess the risks to employees and anyone else who may be affected by the work activities being undertaken. As a result of this assessment, appropriate preventive and protective measures have to be taken to reduce the risks identified.
It is not a legal requirement for an organisation with less than five employees to keep a written record of its risk assessment or health and safety policy but it is strongly recommended that written records be kept.
