How safe are you, really? SME health & safety risks in 2026

Health and safety often looks fine on the surface, but for many small and medium-sized businesses, hidden gaps can easily form. We asked employers and employees at SMEs how confident they felt about their health and safety duties and responsibilities. While confidence was high, the reality showed that key areas were being missed:

45% had one or more key health and safety documents out of date.
50% still rely on spreadsheets, paper or emails to manage health and safety.
42% said health and safety tasks, records or inspections regularly (or occasionally) fall behind.
Almost half of employees hadn’t had any refresher health and safety training since onboarding.
50% of employees have never reported a health and safety risk or incident because they didn’t believe they’d ever encountered one.
Half of remote or hybrid workers hadn’t completed DSE risk assessments, didn’t have the right equipment - or both, and 60% had never (or only once) had their electrical work equipment safety tested

In this on-demand webinar, we explore the insights in more detail, highlight the most common health and safety blind spots in growing businesses, and share simple, practical ways to close the gaps.

We cover:

The most common hidden health and safety gaps in small businesses
Expert advice on managing health and safety in an SME as a non-expert
Why good intentions aren’t enough to stay compliant with health and safety law
How health and safety duties and responsibilities shift as your business grows
What can happen when HR and Health and Safety don’t talk to each other
Practical steps to close the gaps and protect your people

Emma del Torto HR and Health & Safety expert, Managing Director Effective HRM

Emma is passionate about creating a nation of Good Employers. She believes that independent HR and H&S consultants play a vital role in helping small and medium-sized businesses succeed through better people management and a strong culture of workplace safety.

With a background as an employment lawyer, Emma founded the award-winning outsourced HR and H&S consultancy EffectiveHRM in 2011. Her mission is simple: to help businesses navigate both straightforward and complex people-related challenges while embedding Good Employer values at the heart of their operations.

Through her podcast, The Good Employer, she shares insights and expertise to inspire businesses to prioritise employee well-being alongside profit—because humans spend so much of their lives at work, and organisations rely so heavily on their people. Emma is known for her straight-talking, pragmatic approach and her commitment to preventative advice and commercial realism.

Watch this quick video to learn more about Effective HRM and their partnership with Breathe

Sy Hook Head of Operations & internal Health and Safety lead Breathe

Simon is the UK Head of Operations for Breathe, ELMO UK, and Rotageek. Having spent just under seven years at Breathe, Simon is a specialist in team architecture and operational efficiency, known for his ability to identify gaps in journeys, build roles from the ground up and stay calm under pressure.

With over 10 years in operations, he focuses on removing "noise" to deliver better results for end users, internally or for customers. This has included owning health and safety within multiple organisations, including Breathe, and earning a platinum level H&S certification. Outside of work, Simon is an avid mountain biker and DIY enthusiast with a love for cooking; he is driven by the creative challenge of building something - whether a piece of furniture or a meal - that is a true experience.

Moderator: Dan Bradshaw Product Manager Breathe

As a Product Manager at Breathe, Dan has spent the last three years shaping tools that simplify HR for growing businesses. With over six years of experience in product management and a unique background in TV and Media, he brings a storyteller’s lens to software development, ensuring that every feature solves a real human problem. Most recently, he’s been leading the development of Breathe’s upcoming Health & Safety solution to help SMEs create safer, more compliant workplaces.

How safe are you, really? SME health & safety risks in 2026

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