Once a business accepts that health and safety needs an owner, the next question is who. The options are an in-house appointment, an existing manager trained up for the role, a retained consultant, ad hoc consultancy, a national package provider or software alone. Each has a place. This guide compares them for a small or growing business and explains why the answer is usually a combination rather than a single choice.
Start from what the law expects
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require every employer to appoint one or more competent persons to assist with health and safety, and to prefer a competent employee over an external adviser where one exists. That preference is not a technicality. It reflects the fact that health and safety works best when it is managed by people who are present every day and have authority over the work. External support is meant to add knowledge, independence and capacity, not to replace management.
So the first question is not "consultant or employee" but "who inside the business will own this", followed by "what help do they need to do it well".
The options compared
A dedicated in-house health and safety role
A full-time or part-time health and safety adviser or manager employed by the business. The strongest option when the risks are high, the workforce is large or spread across sites, or clients and regulators expect a named person on the ground every day. The cost is a salary, training and professional membership, and the risk is that one person becomes a single point of failure and that smaller businesses cannot keep them busy with the right level of work.
A manager who takes on the competent person role
An existing operations manager, site manager or director trained to a suitable level, typically IOSH Managing Safely for lower-risk businesses and a NEBOSH General Certificate where the risks justify it. This is how most small businesses meet the competent person requirement, and it is exactly what the regulations prefer. The limitation is depth: a manager with a certificate can run a good system but may need specialist help for technical assessments, incidents or an ISO project. See health and safety training.
A retained consultant
A named external consultant available on a monthly basis, with agreed visits, document reviews, advice by phone and email, and help when something goes wrong. For a small business this provides the specialist depth of an in-house professional at a fraction of the cost, and continuity that ad hoc consultancy cannot give. It works best alongside an internal owner, not instead of one. Featherstone Safety's retained support starts from £145 a month with no long-term contract.
Ad hoc consultancy
Buying consultancy by the day or by the project when you need it: a review, a set of risk assessments, an incident investigation. Cheapest for a business that needs help rarely, but there is no continuity, and the business tends to call only after a problem rather than before.
National package providers
Large providers bundling health and safety with HR and employment law for a monthly fee, usually on a multi-year contract. They offer a helpline and a documentation portal, and visits by whichever consultant covers your area. Suitable for some businesses, but compare the total cost over the term, how often anyone will actually visit, and whether the documents will be specific to your work. Our provider comparison guides cover the questions to ask.
Software alone
Health and safety software gives structure: registers, a training matrix, actions, inspections and evidence in one place. For a low-risk business with a capable internal owner it may be all that is needed between annual reviews. For anything higher risk it should be paired with competent advice. Featherstone Safety Hub starts from £49 a month per site.
How to choose
Work through these questions honestly.
- What are the risks? Office-based work with no significant hazards points towards an internal owner with training and software. Machinery, chemicals, vehicles, height, construction or care points towards specialist input, retained or in-house.
- How many people and sites? More of both means more activity to manage and more presence needed. At some point an in-house role becomes the sensible answer. There is no magic number, but if health and safety is already taking a manager more than a day a week, that is a signal.
- What do clients and regulators expect? Principal contractors, major clients and some frameworks expect to see a named competent person with specific qualifications. Check the requirement before deciding.
- How quickly do you need help when something happens? After an accident or an enforcement visit, you want someone who already knows your business. That argues for a retainer or an employee over ad hoc work.
- What can you afford to get wrong? The cost of an in-house role or a retainer should be compared with the cost of enforcement, claims, lost days and lost tenders, not with zero.
- Who will own it internally? Whatever external help you buy, name the person inside the business who is responsible. Without that, documents go stale and advice is not acted on.
The combination most small businesses end up with
In practice the arrangement that works for most businesses with between five and fifty people looks like this: a director or manager owns health and safety and has done a recognised course, software holds the registers and actions so that nothing is lost between visits, and a retained consultant provides specialist depth, independent inspections and someone to call. As the business grows, the internal role becomes more formal, and eventually a dedicated appointment. The consultant's role then shifts to audits, projects and ISO work rather than day-to-day support.
What to look for in a retainer
- A named consultant you will actually deal with, not a helpline.
- Clear inclusions: visits, document reviews, response times, incident support, an annual review.
- Documents written for your business and owned by you.
- Month-to-month terms or a short notice period, so the provider keeps the work by being useful.
- Qualifications and professional membership you can check, and insurance in place.
- A way to see, at any time, where you stand: outstanding actions, training due, inspections overdue.
Featherstone Safety's retained support meets each of those points, and every retained client's records live in Featherstone Safety Hub so that both sides can see the same picture. If you would like to talk through which arrangement suits your business, get in touch and you will get a straight answer, including when the right answer is an in-house hire.
Frequently asked questions
Can a retained consultant be our appointed competent person?
Yes, where that is agreed in writing and the consultant is competent for your risks. The regulations prefer a competent employee where one exists, so many businesses name an internal manager as competent person and appoint the retained consultant to support them. Either way the legal duties stay with the employer.
At what size should a business employ its own health and safety manager?
There is no legal threshold. It depends on the risks, the number of sites and what clients expect. A useful signal is when health and safety is taking a manager more than a day a week, or when clients and regulators expect a named qualified person on site every day.
What does retained health and safety support usually include?
Typically agreed visits, reviews and updates of your documents, advice by phone and email, support after an accident or an inspection, and an annual review. Featherstone Safety's retainer starts from £145 a month, is month to month with no long-term contract, and gives direct access to a NEBOSH qualified consultant.
Is health and safety software a substitute for a consultant?
For a low-risk business with a capable internal owner it can carry most of the day-to-day work. It does not replace competent advice for technical risk assessments, incidents or management system projects. Most businesses get the best result from software plus a light retainer or an annual review.
What training does a manager need to act as competent person?
It depends on the risks. IOSH Managing Safely is a common starting point for lower-risk businesses. Where the risks are higher, the NEBOSH National General Certificate is the usual benchmark. Competence also rests on experience and on knowing when to seek specialist help.