The Health & Safety Law Poster & Insurance

Some displays are legal requirements. They help staff know their rights and show patients that safety is taken seriously. Keeping them current, legible and in the right places matters.^[1][2]

What must be displayed or provided

The current HSE "Health and Safety Law" poster should be displayed where staff can read it, or the equivalent leaflet given to each worker. It needs to be kept clean and undamaged, with contact details updated on the poster if using writable panels.^[1][2]

Employers must hold Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) and display the certificate where staff can see it. ^[3][4]

Electronic display is acceptable if staff have easy access. Expired certificates should be kept for the required period.^[6][3]

• Professional cover and records: maintain professional indemnity as required by the GOC. Store policy numbers, expiry dates and contact details. Add renewal reminders and check cover matches activities, including domiciliary work or lab processes.^[5]

Making displays useful

Posters are most useful where people naturally pause, such as staff rooms. Adding local contacts for first aid, H&S lead, and incident reporting helps. Dating displays in the corner allows a quick check on when they were last reviewed.^[1][2]

After refits or redecorations, reviews prevent posters disappearing. Adding a line to the opening checklist-"Are statutory posters and certificates visible and current?"-keeps this routine.^[2]

Continuous and run-off cover

Professional indemnity insurance must provide continuous cover for the entire period you are in practice, without gaps at renewal or between roles. In addition, cover should extend to complaints or claims that may arise after you stop practising—sometimes called run-off cover. This ensures patients are protected and registrants remain defended even years later if concerns are raised.^[5]

Always confirm renewal terms, scope of activities included (e.g., domiciliary, contact lens work), and whether run-off cover is automatic or requires a separate arrangement. Recording policy numbers, expiry dates, and run-off provisions in a central register helps demonstrate compliance.^[5]

Accountability

A simple display register listing item, location, check date, checker, issues and actions avoids last-minute scrambles before inspections and shows routine attention to basics.^[2][5]

References (numbered in text) Why we include references

1. Health and safety law (leaflet), Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Date of publication: 2009 Find (opens in a new tab)
2. The Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989, legislation.gov.uk Find (opens in a new tab)
3. The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998, legislation.gov.uk Find (opens in a new tab)
4. Employers' liability insurance, GOV.UK Find (opens in a new tab)
5. 12. Ensure a safe environment for your patients (Standards of practice for optometrists and dispensing opticians), General Optical Council Find (opens in a new tab)
6. Information you must display, Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) Find (opens in a new tab)