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Managing Health and Safety in a Sales Team
Page Overview:
At Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment, we believe that a safe sales team is a high-performing one, so we guide employers through essential health and safety responsibilities tailored for field and office-based teams. This page presents 10 expert-backed tips, from demonstrating visible leadership and developing a documented, risk-informed policy, to conducting thorough risk assessments, managing lone-worker scenarios, and ensuring personal protective equipment and training are effectively issued and recorded. It also underscores the legal stakes under the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008. Use this practical advice to protect your team, strengthen compliance, and safeguard both well-being and business resilience.
10 Tips for Managing Safety
Our friends at Sensible Safety Solutions Ltd have provided a helpful article on Health and Safety in the Workplace, specifically for sales teams.
The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 came into force on 16 January 2009, prompting a raft of warnings to employers who may be tempted to cut corners in the credit crunch, that it may end up costing them their business and even their freedom.
The new Act raises the maximum fine imposed by the magistrates' courts for breaches of health and safety legislation from £5000 to £20,000 and makes imprisonment an option for more offences.
Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive, Geoffrey Podger, pointed out that although the Act does not impose any new duties on employers or businesses, it will act as a real deterrent to those who do not take their health and safety responsibilities seriously.
He added that his message to many employers who do manage health and safety well was that they have nothing to fear from the change in law and that they will retain the essential safeguards that ensure our inspectors use their powers sensibly and proportionately and only continue to target those who cut corners, put lives at risk, and who gain commercial advantage over competitors by failing to comply with the law.
Here are 10 top tips:
- Provide strong leadership that demonstrates support and commitment to health and safety. You cannot have one rule for the workers and another for the bosses.
- Your policy must include the arrangements for health and safety. A policy statement alone is inadequate.
- Breaches of legislation can result in fines, imprisonment or business closure. Know the relevant legislation for your business and comply.
- Conduct your risk assessments using a systematic approach. Consider all risks relevant to your business activities and operations. Remember to document your findings.
- Investigate all accidents. Claims can be made up to three years from the date of the accident or when a doctor identifies the illness. Protect yourself by conducting a formal investigation to find out the real cause of the accident so a recurrence can be prevented.
- Provide PPE to employees. Record all issues of PPE. Remember, PPE has to be issued free of charge. Ensure PPE is being worn. Keep records of these checks and actions taken to ensure compliance.
- Keep records of all training provided. Records provide the HSE with evidence that training was provided.
- Communicate H&S through all levels of your company.
- Establish safety standards for all employees, rather than rules. People incorrectly still believe rules are there to be broken.
- Ensure you have access to competent H&S advice. If this resource is not available "In House," you can outsource it.
Sensible Safety Solutions Ltd provides an excellent health and safety compliance service.
If you do not already have access to H&S advice, then please contact alan@sensiblesafetysolutions.co.uk for more information on the services provided by Alan Dawson of Sensible Safety Solutions Ltd.
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Date published: 1st August 2025
by Darren Dewrance
Founding Director
About the author
Darren Dewrance
Darren spent six years in sales and field sales before joining the original sales recruitment specialist, Austin Benn, in 1998. After achieving the status of top consultant, out of about seventy at the time, Darren rose from Senior Consultant to Operations Manager of the commercial sector before leaving to join a London based Headhunter in 2003 before setting up Aaron Wallis with Rob in October 2007.
With a natural leadership style, Darren is an expert on putting his finger right on the heart of the problem. His natural commercial instincts have helped hundreds of employers make better recruitment decisions. Darren is married with two children, and when not at work or with his family, he likes nothing more than to be on the side of a river or a lake with a rod in his hand.
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