17 June 2026
LearnHow to Write a Health and Safety Policy for a Farm Shop or Farm Attraction
This guide is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Health and safety law is complex and penalties for non-compliance include unlimited fines and criminal prosecution. Consult a qualified health and safety professional for advice specific to your operation.
Legal requirement for businesses with 5+ employees
Under Section 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, any employer with five or more employees must have a written health and safety policy. This applies to farm shops, farm cafés, PYO operations and farm attractions. For businesses with fewer than five employees a written policy is not legally required but is strongly recommended — and when members of the public visit your premises your obligations are significantly higher regardless of staff numbers.
A farm shop, café or visitor attraction is a different environment from a working farm — but it brings its own set of health and safety obligations that are just as serious. Members of the public, including children and elderly visitors, are on your premises. Staff are working with commercial kitchen equipment, heavy deliveries and sharp tools. Animals may be in contact with visitors. Each of these creates legal duties that must be managed and documented.
This guide covers the ten sections every farm shop and farm attraction health and safety policy must include — with what to write in each section, example wording, and a complete template you can adapt for your own business.
Ten sections your policy must cover
📋 Section 1: Statement of Intent
Legal basis: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Section 2(3)
The opening page of your policy — a signed commitment from the business owner that sets the tone for everything that follows. Must be signed, dated and displayed prominently.
Must include
- Commitment to the health, safety and welfare of all employees, contractors, visitors and members of the public
- Commitment to comply with all relevant health and safety legislation
- Commitment to consult with employees on health and safety matters
- Signature of the business owner or most senior person
- Date and review date
Example wording
"[Business Name] is committed to ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees, contractors, and visitors to our premises. We will identify and control risks from all our activities, provide adequate training and supervision, and review this policy annually or whenever significant changes occur. Signed: [Name], [Role]. Date: [Date]. Review date: [Date + 1 year]."👷 Section 2: Responsibilities
Legal basis: Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Every person in the business needs to know their health and safety responsibilities. Name who is responsible for what — from the owner down to individual staff members.
Must include
- Overall responsibility — named owner or director
- Day-to-day implementation — named manager or senior staff member
- Specific responsibilities — food safety, fire safety, first aid, visitor safety
- Employee responsibilities — co-operate, take care of their own safety, report hazards
- Contractor rules — must follow your site rules and provide their own risk assessments
- A clear reporting line for safety concerns and incidents
⚠️ Section 3: Risk Assessments
Legal basis: Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Regulation 3
Risk assessment is the process of identifying what could cause harm in your operation and deciding whether existing controls are adequate. Written risk assessments are legally required for businesses with five or more employees and best practice for all.
Key risk areas for farm shops and attractions
- Slips, trips and falls — wet floors, uneven outdoor surfaces, trailing cables, step changes in level. The leading cause of non-fatal injuries in retail and hospitality.
- Manual handling — lifting deliveries, restocking shelves, moving refrigeration stock. A significant cause of musculoskeletal injuries in shop environments.
- Kitchen and food preparation — burns and scalds from cooking equipment, cuts from knives and slicers, hot oil, heavy pots and pans.
- Visitor safety in animal areas — children approaching animals unexpectedly, allergic reactions, animal behaviour around crowds.
- Outdoor visitor areas — uneven ground, PYO fields, farm trails, machinery visible to public.
- Lone working — early morning opening, late evening closing, remote farm locations.
Visitor risk assessments are essential
If members of the public visit your premises — including children on farm attraction visits — you have a duty of care under the Occupiers Liability Act 1957. A written risk assessment for visitor areas, animal contact zones and outdoor spaces is essential and will be expected by your public liability insurer.
🔧 Section 4: Safe Equipment and Premises
Legal basis: Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998
Your policy must address how equipment is maintained, inspected and operated safely. For a farm shop or café the relevant equipment is very different from a working farm.
Must include
- Maintenance schedule for all commercial kitchen equipment — ovens, grills, fryers, slicers
- Annual PAT testing of all portable electrical equipment
- Regular checks of display fridges and freezers — temperature logs, door seals, compressor
- Extraction duct cleaning schedule — minimum every 6-12 months for commercial kitchens
- Deli slicer guard checks and blade replacement schedule
- Process for taking defective equipment out of service until repaired
- Records of all maintenance, inspections and defect reports
- Car park and outdoor area maintenance — potholes, lighting, signage
🐄 Section 5: Visitor Safety Around Animals
Legal basis: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Occupiers Liability Act 1957
If your farm shop or attraction has animals that visitors can interact with — whether formally in a farm park or informally near pens — this requires specific risk assessment and documented procedures. Children and animals are an inherently high-risk combination.
Must include
- Secure barriers between visitor areas and working livestock — visitors must not enter working livestock areas unsupervised
- Hand washing facilities adjacent to all animal contact areas — E. coli O157 is a serious risk from farm animal contact
- Signage requiring hand washing before eating and after animal contact
- Clear rules on animal feeding — what is permitted, what is not, signage displayed
- Supervision ratios for children's animal experiences
- Pregnant women and immunocompromised visitors — specific advice regarding contact with sheep during lambing and newborn animals
- Emergency procedure for animal escape or incident in visitor area
E. coli O157 — a genuine risk in farm visitor settings
E. coli O157 infections from farm animal contact have caused serious illness and deaths in children visiting farm attractions in the UK. Your policy must include mandatory hand washing before eating and after animal contact, with facilities provided and supervised. This is not optional — it is a legal duty of care to your visitors.
⚗️ Section 6: Hazardous Substances (COSHH)
Legal basis: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
COSHH requires an assessment of the risks from each hazardous substance used in your business and controls to eliminate or reduce exposure. For a farm shop and café the relevant substances are different from a working farm.
Key substances to assess
- Commercial cleaning chemicals — degreasers, sanitisers, oven cleaners, drain chemicals. Safety Data Sheets required for all.
- Cooking oils and fats — hot oil splashes are a serious burn risk. Procedure for safe disposal of used oil.
- Food allergens — while technically a food safety issue, allergen cross-contamination is a COSHH-adjacent risk requiring documented controls.
- Refrigerant gases — from display fridges and cold rooms. Annual service by F-gas registered engineer.
- LPG or natural gas — commercial kitchen supplies. Annual gas safety check by Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Pesticides and herbicides — if used on the farm adjacent to visitor areas, access controls required.
Running a farm shop or attraction?
List your business on The Farm Stall directory — free to list, no card required. Let local buyers and visitors find you online.
Create your free listing →🏥 Section 7: Accidents, First Aid and RIDDOR
Legal basis: Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, RIDDOR 2013
When an accident happens your response matters enormously — for the injured person and for the legal and insurance implications. This section is particularly important for businesses with members of the public on the premises.
Must include
- First aid kit locations — in kitchen, shop floor, and any outdoor visitor areas
- Named first aiders and certificate expiry dates — at least one trained first aider on site at all times when open to the public
- Accident book — all accidents and near misses recorded, including visitor incidents
- RIDDOR reporting — if a member of the public is injured on your premises and taken to hospital it must be reported to HSE
- Accident investigation procedure — what happened, what caused it, what changes are needed
- Emergency contact numbers displayed prominently — 999, non-emergency police, gas emergency, electricity network
Public injuries must be reported under RIDDOR
If a member of the public is injured at your premises and taken from the scene to hospital, this is a RIDDOR reportable event. Many farm shop and attraction operators are unaware of this — but failure to report is a criminal offence. Report at riddor.hse.gov.uk.
- HSE-compliant catering first aid kit — specifically designed for food business environments. Includes blue plasters (visible if they fall into food) and burns dressings for kitchen use.
- GDPR-compliant accident report book — perforated pages allow the injured person to retain a copy while you keep the original. Required for all workplaces.
- Burn dressing sachets — hydrogel burn dressings for immediate treatment of kitchen burns. Should be in every kitchen first aid kit as a separate addition.
🔥 Section 8: Emergency Procedures and Fire Safety
Legal basis: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Your policy must set out what to do in an emergency including fire evacuation. When members of the public are on the premises this section is particularly critical — visitors are unfamiliar with your layout and escape routes.
Must include
- Fire risk assessment for all buildings — see our fire risk assessment guide
- Fire extinguisher locations, types and annual service schedule
- Assembly point — clearly signed and known to all staff and communicated to visitors
- Evacuation procedure — who calls 999, who accounts for all persons including visitors, who opens gates for emergency vehicles
- Staff roles in an emergency — assign responsibilities in advance, not in the moment
- Emergency contacts displayed prominently at till points and kitchen
Example emergency procedure wording
"In the event of fire: call 999 immediately, raise the alarm, evacuate all persons — staff and visitors — to the assembly point at [location]. [Named person] is responsible for accounting for all staff. [Named person] is responsible for directing visitors to the assembly point. Do not re-enter any building. Gates to [location] must be opened to allow emergency vehicle access."🥽 Section 9: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Legal basis: Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992
PPE is the last line of defence. The employer must provide appropriate PPE free of charge, ensure it fits, train workers to use it correctly, and maintain it in good condition.
Standard PPE for farm shop and café environments
- Kitchen staff — chef whites or apron, non-slip footwear, oven gloves, cut-resistant gloves for slicing, disposable gloves for food handling
- Shop floor staff — non-slip footwear, back support belt for manual handling tasks
- Cleaning staff — chemical-resistant gloves, eye protection when using strong cleaning products, non-slip footwear
- Outdoor and farm areas — safety footwear, high-visibility vest when near vehicle movements, waterproof clothing
- Delivery and stock movement — safety footwear, manual handling training required for heavy loads
- Cut-resistant gloves level 5 — essential for deli counter and slicer operation. Level 5 is the highest cut resistance rating and appropriate for commercial kitchen use.
- Non-slip catering shoes — slip-resistant footwear is a legal requirement for kitchen and food preparation staff. Wet kitchen floors are a major cause of staff injuries.
- Chemical-resistant cleaning gloves — for staff using commercial cleaning products. Standard disposable gloves do not provide adequate protection against strong degreasers and sanitisers.
- Heavy-duty waterproof bib aprons — for kitchen, butchery and deli counter staff. Protects against hot liquid splashes and chemical contact.
🔄 Section 10: Training, Review and Monitoring
Legal basis: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
A policy that is written and filed away provides no protection. This final section commits to keeping it alive through training, monitoring and annual review.
Must include
- Induction training for all new staff — premises layout, specific hazards, emergency procedures, food hygiene
- Job-specific training records — kitchen equipment, allergen management, manual handling, first aid
- Annual policy review — date, who conducted it, what changed
- Regular safety checks — weekly walk-around of all areas, record findings and actions
- Toolbox talks — brief informal safety discussions with staff on specific topics
- Seasonal reviews — additional risk assessment for peak visitor periods, harvest events, Christmas trading
- Process for acting on near-miss reports and safety suggestions from staff
Complete policy template
Adapt every section to your specific business. Replace all bracketed items with your own details. A generic template submitted without personalisation will not satisfy an inspector or insurer.
Essential resources
- HSE retail sector guidance — specific H&S guidance for retail premises including farm shops. Covers slips and trips, manual handling and lone working.
- HSE catering and hospitality guidance — kitchen safety, burns prevention, and equipment safety for catering operations.
- HSE open farm safety guidance — specific guidance on visitor safety, animal contact and E. coli O157 risk management for farms open to the public.
- RIDDOR online reporting — report accidents, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases. Bookmark this before you need it.
- Farm Safety Foundation (Yellow Wellies) — free farm safety resources and mental health support for the farming community.
Records you must keep
- Written health and safety policy — required in writing for 5+ employees, best practice for all
- Risk assessment records — written assessments for all significant hazards, reviewed annually
- Accident book — all incidents including visitor accidents, kept securely for 3 years minimum
- Training records — induction, job-specific, first aid certificate expiry dates
- Equipment maintenance records — PAT test dates, kitchen equipment service records, gas safety certificates
- COSHH assessments — for all hazardous substances in use
- Policy review records — annual review date, who conducted it, what changed
- H&S document folder and organiser — keeps your policy, risk assessments, training records and certificates in one place for easy access during inspections. A dedicated folder signals that safety management is taken seriously.
- Weekly safety inspection checklist pad — pre-formatted sheets for regular walk-around inspections. Completing and signing these weekly gives you a documented record of active safety monitoring.
Complete your compliance picture
Health and safety policy, HACCP food safety plan and fire risk assessment together cover the core legal requirements for a farm shop or attraction. Read our companion guides.
List your farm shop or attraction
Once your compliance is in order, list your business on The Farm Stall so local buyers and visitors can find you. Free to list, no card required.