Health & Safety Consultants Cambridge
SMC Safety Solutions provides outsourced health and safety consultancy services to businesses throughout Cambridge and the surrounding area, helping organisations meet their legal responsibilities and create safer workplaces.
Whether you need a one-off workplace audit, specialist support with a particular compliance issue or an ongoing retained Competent Person service, our consultants provide practical advice tailored to your business, workforce and level of risk.
We work with organisations across Cambridge, including offices, construction companies, laboratories, technology and research businesses, manufacturers and educational settings. Combining on-site visits with responsive remote support, we help businesses stay compliant without the cost of employing a full-time health and safety manager.
Why Cambridge businesses choose SMC Safety Solutions
Cambridge has a distinctive business landscape, combining a major professional services sector with world-leading technology, science, research, and education organisations.
These environments can bring very different health and safety requirements, from managing a relatively low-risk office through to controlling hazardous substances, contractors, specialist equipment or complex workplace activities.
SMC provides flexible consultancy based around the realities of your organisation rather than forcing your business into a standard package.
With SMC, you benefit from:
- On-site consultancy throughout Cambridge and the surrounding area
- Flexible retained Competent Person support
- Support for offices, laboratories and specialist workplaces
- One-off consultancy or ongoing retained services
- Practical advice tailored to your organisation
Health and safety consultancy services in Cambridge
Every organisation has different risks and responsibilities. We tailor our health and safety consultancy around your workplace, industry and existing arrangements.
Health and safety audits and workplace inspections
A professional health and safety audit can help identify compliance gaps and workplace risks before they result in an accident, enforcement action or unnecessary disruption.
Our services include:
- Health and safety audits
- Workplace inspections
- General risk assessments
- Manual handling assessments
- COSHH assessments
- Fire safety reviews
- DSE assessments
Health and safety policies and documentation
Your health and safety documentation should accurately reflect your workplace, workforce and working practices.
We can help with:
- Health and safety policies
- Workplace risk assessments
- Safe systems of work
- Method statements
- RIDDOR guidance
- Health and safety compliance reviews
- Workplace signage audits
Construction health and safety consultants
We support contractors, developers and Principal Contractors working across Cambridge with practical construction health and safety advice.
Our construction consultancy services include:
- CDM compliance
- Construction Phase Plans
- Site audits and inspections
- Principal Contractor support
- Method statements
- Site-specific risk assessments
- Contractor compliance
Competent Person services
Every employer has a legal duty to appoint a Competent Person to help them manage health and safety.
For businesses without suitable in-house expertise, SMC can provide retained Competent Person support, giving you ongoing access to professional advice, documentation reviews and site visits without the overhead of employing a full-time health and safety manager.
Health and safety training
We also provide workplace health and safety training for businesses in Cambridge, including:
- SMSTS
- SSSTS
- First Aid
- Fire Marshal
- Asbestos Awareness
Health and safety consultants for your industry
Cambridge is home to an unusually varied mix of organisations, and different working environments require very different approaches to health and safety.
Science, research and laboratories
Laboratory and research environments can involve specialist equipment, hazardous substances and working practices that require careful risk management. We can support organisations with COSHH assessments, risk assessments, safe systems of work and wider workplace compliance.
Technology and professional services
We help technology companies, professional services firms and other office-based organisations manage DSE, fire safety, workplace policies, risk assessments and hybrid working arrangements.
Construction
We support contractors, developers and Principal Contractors with CDM compliance, Construction Phase Plans, site audits, method statements and site-specific risk assessments.
Education
Schools, colleges and other educational settings need to manage the safety of employees, students, visitors and contractors. We can provide audits, risk assessments, policy support and ongoing health and safety consultancy.
Manufacturing
Our consultants help manufacturing businesses manage machinery risks, manual handling, hazardous substances, workplace transport and safe systems of work.
Common health and safety challenges for Cambridge businesses
Cambridge’s mix of research, technology, education, construction and professional services creates a wide variety of workplace health and safety requirements.
Common challenges include:
- Managing hazardous substances and COSHH
- Laboratory and specialist workplace risks
- Contractor management
- Construction and CDM compliance
- DSE and hybrid working
- Fire safety
- Manual handling
- Lone working
- Maintaining current policies and risk assessments
- Managing multiple premises
- Providing suitable staff training
Our consultants focus on practical solutions that work within the day-to-day operation of your organisation rather than creating unnecessary paperwork.
Helping Cambridge businesses comply with UK health and safety law
Every employer has a legal responsibility to protect employees and others who may be affected by their work.
SMC helps businesses understand and meet their responsibilities under relevant UK health and safety legislation, including:
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
- RIDDOR reporting requirements
- Workplace fire safety legislation
Whether you’re reviewing existing arrangements, preparing for an HSE inspection or establishing formal health and safety procedures for the first time, our consultants can help identify gaps and put the right measures in place.
Why outsource your health and safety?
Not every Cambridge business needs a full-time health and safety manager, but every employer needs access to appropriate health and safety expertise.
Outsourcing allows you to access experienced consultants while choosing the level of support that makes sense for your organisation.
Benefits include:
- Lower overheads than employing in-house
- Access to specialist expertise
- Flexible support as your organisation grows
- Independent workplace audits
- Up-to-date regulatory guidance
- Support when specific issues arise
- Ongoing documentation reviews
Our consultancy process
Working with SMC is straightforward.
1. Initial consultation
We discuss your organisation, current health and safety arrangements and the support you require.
2. Workplace visit
Where appropriate, one of our consultants visits your Cambridge premises to understand your working environment, assess existing arrangements and identify potential risks.
3. Recommendations
You’ll receive practical recommendations, clear documentation and an action plan tailored to your organisation.
4. Ongoing support
Retained clients benefit from continued access to consultancy, documentation reviews, scheduled visits and professional advice throughout the year.
Areas in and around Cambridge we support
Our consultants support businesses across Cambridge and the surrounding area, including:
- Cambridge city centre
- Cambridge Science Park
- Cambridge Biomedical Campus
- Addenbrooke’s
- North Cambridge
- South Cambridge
- Cherry Hinton
- Trumpington
- Histon and Impington
- Milton
- Cambourne
- Sawston
- Great Shelford
- Fulbourn
- Waterbeach
- Ely
- Newmarket
- Haverhill
Whether you’re based in a city-centre office, science park, educational setting, manufacturing facility or construction site, our consultants can provide on-site and ongoing health and safety support.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a health and safety consultant for my business?
UK law doesn’t require every business to employ an external health and safety consultant, but every employer must have access to competent health and safety assistance.
If your organisation doesn’t have the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience internally, outsourcing your health and safety support can be a practical and cost-effective solution.
Do you provide health and safety consultants near me in Cambridge?
Yes. SMC supports organisations throughout Cambridge and the surrounding area with on-site visits and ongoing remote consultancy, giving you access to professional health and safety support without employing a full-time in-house manager.
What does a health and safety consultant do?
A health and safety consultant helps businesses identify and manage workplace risks. This can include completing audits and inspections, preparing risk assessments and policies, advising on legal compliance, providing training and helping organisations implement suitable control measures.
Can you act as our Competent Person?
Yes. SMC can provide retained Competent Person support, giving your organisation ongoing access to professional health and safety advice, documentation reviews and workplace visits.
Do you provide health and safety support for laboratories and research businesses?
Yes. We can support laboratories, research organisations and other specialist workplaces with areas including COSHH assessments, workplace risk assessments, safe systems of work and ongoing health and safety compliance.
Do you support construction companies in Cambridge?
Yes. We work with contractors, developers and Principal Contractors on CDM compliance, Construction Phase Plans, method statements, site inspections and site-specific risk assessments.
Can you help us prepare for an HSE inspection?
Yes. We can audit your workplace, review existing documentation and identify any areas requiring attention. Where issues are identified, we’ll help you establish a practical action plan to address them.
Can you support businesses with multiple sites?
Yes. We can provide consistent health and safety support across multiple premises while accounting for the different risks, people and working practices at each location.
How much does a health and safety consultant in Cambridge charge?
The cost of hiring a health and safety consultant in Cambridge depends on factors including your organisation’s size, sector, workplace risks and the type of support you require.
A one-off risk assessment or audit will be priced differently from an ongoing retained Competent Person service. Rather than providing a generic day rate that may not reflect your requirements, we provide a free, tailored quotation based on the support your organisation actually needs.
Speak to a health and safety consultant in Cambridge
Whether you need a one-off workplace audit, specialist support for a complex working environment or ongoing retained Competent Person consultancy, SMC Safety Solutions provides practical health and safety advice tailored to your organisation.