The Importance of a Legal Register for Health & Safety Compliance

Companies are not required by law to maintain a legal register. However, if your business operates in a sector with complex regulations or deals with hazardous substances, it’s hard to see how you could meet all your legal obligations without a system in place to track and manage relevant legislation.

We explain what a legal register is, how it can be a practical tool for your business, and why it improves efficiency while helping you avoid costly mistakes.

Compliance and Regulations

What Is a Legal Register?

A legal register is essentially a comprehensive collection of all the legislation that impacts your operations. If your company handles dangerous substances, for example, it would be possible to go online each time an issue arises (e.g., with asbestos or lead) and search for the relevant legislation to clarify your obligations. However, this can be time-consuming, and there's always a risk of missing new or recently updated items.

A legal register consolidates this information, ensuring that you can easily and quickly find the rules and regulations you need to comply with. Imagine trying to track changes in regulations like the Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment (PPE) or the revocation of The Fireworks (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2021 – a register would save you time and effort in tracking these changes.

Meeting Compliance Standards

While ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 standards encourage companies to track environmental and energy-related legislation, ISO 45001 requires companies to establish and maintain a procedure to identify and assess legal and other requirements related to health and safety. Keeping this information updated is essential for organizations to ensure that their occupational health and safety management systems align with current legal requirements.

The legal register must not be a simple list of titles and dates. Each item should be examined, summarised, and considered in light of the operational risks identified within the company. 

Compiling and Maintaining a Register

Staying on top of the latest legislation can be daunting. The UK government publishes new regulations almost daily on legislation.gov.uk, divided into the four jurisdictions of the UK: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each jurisdiction may have different regulations, making it challenging to determine which are relevant to your business. Additionally, the legislation is published in reference number order, without categorization, making it difficult to find exactly what you need.

The only way to build a coherent and consistent legal register in areas such as health, safety, and environmental management is to carefully review these daily lists and abstract the relevant items. This can be a time-consuming task, especially when dealing with complex legislation.

Benefits of Maintaining a Legal Register

Maintaining a legal register is not only about compliance; it also brings many operational benefits, such as:

1. Time-saving and Efficiency: A legal register organizes relevant legislation in one place, saving your team time spent searching for regulatory updates.

2. Reduced Risk of Non-compliance: By keeping the register up to date, you’re less likely to overlook new or amended legislation, minimizing the risk of non-compliance and associated penalties.

3. Improved Audit Preparedness: A legal register serves as a useful tool during audits and inspections, ensuring that you have all the necessary information readily available.

4. Proactive Risk Management: A well-maintained register helps you manage operational risks in line with current legal requirements, providing a clear view of areas that may need attention or improvement.

5. Demonstrating Good Practice: It shows your commitment to compliance and safety, which can enhance your company's reputation and foster trust with clients, stakeholders, and regulators.

The Role of Software in Legal Registers

At Exceeding Safety Standards, we use powerful software to manage your legal register efficiently. This technology ensures your business stays on top of new and changing legislation, so you can focus on what matters most—your operations. The software helps to track, update, and manage compliance requirements, preventing costly mistakes and enabling you to focus on continuous improvement in your health and safety systems.

Conclusion

Although a legal register is not a legal requirement for all businesses, it is an essential tool for organizations dealing with complex regulations and operating in high-risk sectors. Whether you’re complying with health and safety standards or environmental regulations, a well-maintained legal register is key to reducing risks and ensuring compliance.

By investing in software to manage your legal register, you can streamline your compliance process, stay up-to-date on legislative changes, and demonstrate your commitment to safety and risk management.