Governance guide - Capability Solutions
Governing Health and Safety Risk
A Guide for Directors and Boards
A board would never treat solvency or reputation as somebody else's concern. Health and safety risk deserves the same seat at the table, and the law is clear that it belongs to you as a director.
Who it is for
Written for boards that already govern risk well
This guide is written for directors, board chairs and board members who want a clear, plain language view of what governing health and safety risk asks of them. It suits experienced governors who are strong on strategy and assurance and want the same rigour applied to the risk that carries a personal duty.
This is a guidance and awareness guide for professional development. It is not legal advice and does not replace advice from your own lawyer or health and safety adviser.
Questions this guide helps you answer
- Is health and safety risk really a board matter, or can I leave it with management?
- What does the law ask of me personally as a director, in plain terms?
- Where does governing end and managing begin, and does the difference matter?
In practice
A board shows due diligence through the questions it asks and the assurance it insists on, not through the reports it files.
What the guide covers
Five short modules, from the governance responsibility to a plan you can act on
Each lesson is short and practical, with a plain language explanation and a brief reflective activity. You move from why this sits with you, to reading the risk picture, to setting expectations, to a plan you own.
1The Governance Responsibility
- Beyond Operations: Why Directors Own Health and Safety Risk
- The Five Due Diligence Duties: Your Legislative Obligations
2The Board's Risk Fundamentals
- Setting Risk Appetite and Risk Tolerance
- Reading a Bow Tie at Board Level
3Policy, Framework and Culture
- Approving the Risk Management Policy and Framework
- Governing Culture and the Supply Chain
4Risk Assurance and Escalation
- The Director's Risk Assurance Checklist
- Escalation and Board Decision Making
5Strategic Action and Verification
- Board Reflection: Are We Exercising Due Diligence
- Your Board Risk Assurance Plan
Kept current, new for 2026
Includes the 2026 Health and Safety reform
The guide now carries a researched addendum on the 2026 changes to the Health and Safety at Work Act, which commence on 1 April 2027. It sets out what shifts at board level, what stays the same for your due diligence duties, and the questions to bring to the boardroom, with a plain note on the political picture and the possibility of repeal.
How the guide works
Short, practical and built around your own judgement
Guidance, not a lecture
Plain language and real judgement, in the voice of a peer who governs risk, not a compliance manual.
A clear view of your duty
Understand what the law asks of you in plain terms, and the difference between governing risk and managing it.
A plan you take with you
You finish the guide by drafting your own Board Risk Assurance Plan: the questions to ask, the assurance to seek, and the escalation points that let the board show it is exercising due diligence.
Your Board Risk Assurance Plan
A board level bow tie reading and a risk appetite and tolerance tool let you test whether the assurance you receive actually matches the risk you carry, in the language a board already uses.
You finish the guide by drafting your own Board Risk Assurance Plan: the questions to ask, the assurance to seek, and the escalation points that let the board show it is exercising due diligence.
The companion guide
Leading Health and Safety Risk: A Guide for CEOs and Senior Leaders
The companion guide, written for chief executives and senior leaders. The same plain language approach, angled to their role, so the whole leadership team reads risk the same way.
The mindset
Governing risk well is knowing where governing ends and managing begins, and holding the line in the right place.
Common questions
What to know before you start
Who is this guide for?+
Is this legal advice?+
How long does it take?+
Is there an exam?+
What will I have at the end?+
Governing Health and Safety Risk
A Guide for Directors and Boards. Short, self paced, and built to leave you with a plan you can act on.
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