Health and safety induction checklist for new starters (UK)

Every new starter needs an induction, and the law says what it must cover more clearly than most templates suggest. This checklist is built from the law and HSE guidance, quoted from legislation.gov.uk, hse.gov.uk, gov.uk and ico.org.uk on 19 October 2026, with the source for each line. It is a summary, not legal advice.

Key takeaways

• On recruitment, health and safety training is a legal duty, not a nice-to-have.
• Tell them the risks and the controls from your risk assessment.
• First aid, fire and evacuation are named by HSE for every new recruit.
• In working hours, free to the employee.
• Keep a record so you know when refreshers are due.

What the law requires at induction

Regulation 13 of the Management Regulations requires adequate health and safety training "on their being recruited into the employer's undertaking". Regulation 10 requires "comprehensible and relevant information on" the risks identified by the assessment and "the preventive and protective measures".

HSE's INDG345 puts it plainly: new recruits need basic induction training "into how to work safely, including arrangements for first aid, fire and evacuation".

The induction checklist

1. Your health and safety policy. HSE: "You must share the policy, and any changes to it, with your employees" (HSE).
2. The risks and the controls. HSE says everyone needs the right level of information on hazards, risks, "measures in place to deal with those hazards and risks" and "how to follow any emergency procedures" (HSE).
3. Fire safety. Required when first employed under the Fire Safety Order. Show them the escape routes, the assembly point and the emergency plan; see fire safety training for employees.
4. First aid. The First-Aid Regulations 1981 require employers to tell employees the first-aid arrangements, "including the location of equipment, facilities and personnel": who the first aiders are and where the kit is.
5. Display screens, if they will be a regular screen user: training must come "before he becomes a user"; see DSE training requirements.
6. Manual handling, if the job involves it: "either before or as close to starting a new job as possible"; see manual handling training.
7. Hazardous substances, if they may be exposed: the substances, the safety data sheets and the precautions; see COSHH training requirements.
8. Data protection, before they handle personal information, as the ICO expects; see GDPR training for staff.
9. A record that it happened. INDG345: "It can help you manage training if you keep records, even if it is in-house training."

How to deliver it

INDG345 says: "You must provide training during working hours and not at the expense of your employees." It should be easy to understand, and should meet the needs of "migrant workers who might not have good English", people with poor literacy and people with disabilities. Among the methods it lists are coaching, on-the-job training, classroom sessions, "open and distance learning" and "computer-based or interactive learning".

It also warns that someone treated as self-employed for tax "may nevertheless be treated as your employee for health and safety purposes", so contractors under your direction need the induction too.

Check it worked

INDG345's last step is to check: "Do your employees understand what you require of them?" and "Are they actually working as they have been trained to?" It adds: "You should monitor training records so that refresher training can be given when needed."

Turn your induction slides into a course

Most inductions are already a PowerPoint. Reigniter turns it into a short interactive course: a voiceover, your slides and a question at each step, such as "where is the first aid kit?", shared by a link new starters open on any phone. Your first module is free. On paid plans, learners sign in, you set a pass mark, and you see who completed it and when, with a certificate, which is the record INDG345 recommends. For every topic in depth, see what training UK law requires.