HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

How to hire a health and safety consultant in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

You must appoint a competent person; a consultant can help but the duty stays yours. Here is how to choose one.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a health and safety consultant in five steps

  1. Check whether you need outside helpHSE says many businesses can manage health and safety themselves with their workers.
  2. Describe the work and the risksActivities, sites, staff numbers, machinery and substances.
  3. Judge competenceSkills, knowledge and experience of your kind of work.
  4. Agree the deliverablesAudit, risk assessments, policy, action plan, retainer.
  5. Keep the duty in viewThe consultant helps; you still manage health and safety.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence applies to health and safety consultants in any UK nation. HSE says a competent person needs the skills, knowledge and experience to recognise hazards and help put sensible controls in place; formal qualifications are not usually essential.

Ask the health and safety consultant for experience in your industry and a client you can contact. hse.gov.uk →

Competent assistance (Regulation 7)

Regulation 7 of the 1999 Management of Health and Safety at Work rules requires an employer to appoint one or more competent persons to help it comply with health and safety law.

Write down who your competent person is, and what the consultant is appointed to do. legislation.gov.uk →

Risk assessment is still your duty

HSE's guidance on managing risks explains that employers must identify hazards, decide who might be harmed and control the risks. A consultant can write the assessments, but you must put the controls in place.

Check the risk assessments describe your real work, then act on them. hse.gov.uk →

Employers' liability insurance

Most employers must hold employers' liability insurance as soon as they become an employer. A health and safety consultant cannot replace it.

Keep your certificate current and tell the consultant what it covers. gov.uk →

VAT

Health and safety consultancy is standard-rated, so a registered health and safety consultant adds 20% to the day rate or retainer, mileage and training. Registration becomes compulsory once a health and safety consultant has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the health and safety consultant for the VAT number with the proposal and for fee, mileage and VAT listed apart. gov.uk →

“What health and safety work have you done in my industry?”

A good answer: Examples from similar sites and activities, with results.

“What will the site audit cover?”

A good answer: Hazards, controls, records and training, against the law that applies.

“Will you write our risk assessments, or help us write them?”

A good answer: A clear split; assessments your team understands are more useful.

“What is in the action plan?”

A good answer: Prioritised fixes with owners and dates.

“Is this a day rate or a retainer?”

A good answer: A clear basis and what a retainer includes.

“Do you hold professional indemnity insurance?”

A good answer: Yes, with the insurer named.

“How will the consultant keep us up to date?”

A good answer: Reviews and updates when your work or the law changes.

Getting the quote right

  • Day rate or fixed fee, or monthly retainer
  • Who actually attends your sites: the health and safety consultant named, an employed adviser, or a subcontractor
  • Sites, activities and documents covered
  • Audit report and action plan delivery dates
  • Travel and mileage
  • Training and fire risk assessments priced separately
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on the consultancy fee and mileage

Walk away if

  • Off-the-shelf documents with your name added
  • No site visit
  • Says the consultant takes over your legal duty
  • No action plan
  • No insurance
  • Scare tactics about fines to sell a retainer
LOW
£300
TYPICAL
£420
HIGH
£1,200

What a health and safety consultant costs: £300–£1,200 per day

Health and safety consultants charge a day rate for audits and documents, or a monthly retainer for ongoing support. Health & Safety Consultant price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Health and safety consultants near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BriefingActivities, sites and concerns explained.
  2. Site auditA walk-round checking hazards, controls and records.
  3. DocumentsPolicy and risk assessments written or reviewed.
  4. Action planPrioritised fixes agreed with you.
  5. Follow-upSupport through a retainer or review visits.

Competent person
Someone with the skills, knowledge and experience to help manage health and safety.
Risk assessment
Identifying hazards, who may be harmed and how risks are controlled.
COSHH
The rules on controlling substances hazardous to health.
Method statement
A step-by-step account of how a task will be done safely.
RIDDOR
The rules for reporting certain injuries and incidents.
Retainer
A monthly fee for ongoing support.

AFTER

When the job is done

Act on the action planAssign each item and record completion.
Brief your staffShare the risk assessments with the people doing the work.
Review regularlyAfter changes, incidents or on a set date.
Leave an honest reviewRate the health and safety consultant on the things that mattered to you: the result, the communication, the price. Anything wrong goes through make-it-right before the review is published.

STEP 1Start with the health and safety consultantExplain to the health and safety consultant, in writing, which part of the job fell short and what you want done. If the work lacked reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you ask for it to be put right at no extra cost, or for money back.
STEP 2Make-it-right on LocufyBelow four stars, Locufy asks if the health and safety consultant should be told first and given a chance. We follow it up; your review goes live once it has run its course.
STEP 3HSE and consumer adviceIf you believe workers are at risk, report it to HSE. For a dispute with the consultant over the service, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262) can advise.
STEP 4Take it to small claimsIf the health and safety consultant still will not refund or fix it, the small claims routes need no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a health and safety consultant: questions people ask

No licence applies. HSE says formal qualifications are not usually essential; skills, knowledge and experience are what make someone competent.

Yes. HSE says every employer needs one or more competent people, inside or outside the business, to help it meet health and safety duties.

No. HSE is clear that managing health and safety remains the employer's legal duty.

The range is £300–£1,200 per day, and £420 is a typical figure. Sector risk, qualifications, site size and the documents needed set the day rate. The health and safety consultant price guide covers what changes it; enter your town above to compare local health and safety consultants.

Often, yes; HSE says managing health and safety is usually not complicated for low-risk businesses.

A day for a small site; ongoing support through a retainer.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in business & professional

How to hire: Fire Risk AssessorHow to hire: ISO Certification ConsultantHow to hire: HR ConsultantHow to hire: Management ConsultantHow to hire: Business ConsultantHow to hire: Insurance BrokerHow to hire: Building SurveyorHow to hire: Recruitment AgencyAll 701 hiring guides →

Health and safety consultants near you

Health and safety consultants in LondonHealth and safety consultants in ManchesterHealth and safety consultants in BirminghamHealth and safety consultants in GlasgowHealth and safety consultants in BelfastAll health and safety consultants on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HSE — appoint a competent person
  2. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 7
  3. HSE — managing risks and risk assessment at work
  4. gov.uk — employers' liability insurance
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register