Love Safe Food: Health & Safety clauses join Safe to Trade

Hosted by:  Kelvin Wood, Certification Body Manager for Safe to Trade at Shield Safety Group

Joined by: Claire Lycett, Senior Practitioner in Environmental Health, Milton Keynes Council and Rob Easton, Head of Environmental Health, Shield Safety

Overview

This webinar explores the launch of health & safety clauses into the Safe to Trade standard. Originally designed to focus on food safety, Safe to Trade is evolving to become a more holistic standard that addresses the full spectrum of risks in hospitality and catering. The update ensures businesses can meet compliance obligations, streamline audits, and reassure both regulators and consumers.

From Food Safety to Full Safety

The driving message is simple: food may be safe, but the overall experience isn’t truly safe if guests or staff are exposed to accidents or risks. By integrating health and safety alongside food standards, Safe to Trade offers businesses a single, unified framework for safety assurance.

Key Insights from the Webinar
Viewers will gain valuable knowledge on:

• Stronger compliance framework: How health and safety clauses are mapped directly against UK legislation and best practice, making them practical and relevant.
• Operational efficiency: Businesses no longer need separate audits for food and H&S, reducing duplication and streamlining reporting.
• Risk areas covered: Asbestos, legionella, COSHH, first aid, guest and visitor safety, contractor management, workplace transport, and mental wellbeing.
• Consumer reassurance: Safe to Trade integrates consumer feedback, focusing on visible issues like blocked fire exits or unsafe premises.
• Civil claims defensibility: By demonstrating both compliance and best practice, businesses can better protect themselves against claims and may benefit from lower insurance premiums.
• Future expansion: The model is set to extend into leisure and retail sectors, with standards for swimming pools and wet leisure already in development.

Expert Perspective

Claire Isett highlight’s how Safe to Trade helps fill a regulatory gap, since proactive H&S inspections in hospitality are limited. By using structured audits, businesses gain a better overview of risks and improve overall safety management.

Rob Easton stresses the importance of auditor expertise. With health and safety often relying on judgment rather than prescriptive rules, the competence of auditors ensures that risk controls are “suitable and sufficient.” He also underlined how the scheme is designed to stop accidents before they happen, protecting staff, guests, and businesses alike.

Who Should Watch
This webinar is essential for:

• Hospitality operators: Restaurants, bars, hotels, and caterers looking to strengthen compliance and reduce risks.
  Health & Safety Managers: Seeking to streamline audits and improve accident prevention strategies.

• Multi-site Businesses: Who want consistent, independently verified standards across all locations.

• Regulators and Local Authorities: To see how Safe to Trade can complement limited inspection resources.

• Insurers and legal teams: Interested in how compliance frameworks can support civil claims defensibility.

Viewers will gain practical insights into how integrated food and health safety standards can protect people, safeguard reputations, and deliver operational efficiency.

Watch the Full Webinar

Watch the full webinar to understand how new clauses strengthen the Safe to Trade standard and why they matter for hospitality operators, regulators, and consumers.