Meaning & use
health and safety
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The laws and practices that keep people safe and healthy at work or in public places.
Grammar: Takes a singular verb: Health and safety is everyone's responsibility. Do not say 'health and safeties'.
Patterns
- health and safety rules
- health and safety training
- health and safety officer
- a health and safety issue
All new employees must complete health and safety training.
The company was fined for breaking health and safety rules.
The building was closed because of a health and safety concern.
nounsingularBritish
The department or people responsible for checking that workplaces are safe.
Grammar: Often used with 'the' and a singular verb: Health and safety has approved the plan.
Patterns
- health and safety has approved something
- report something to health and safety
- health and safety will inspect something
Health and safety came to inspect the factory last week.
You should report the accident to health and safety.
Health and safety has banned the use of that machine.
Common combinations
- health and safety regulations
- The new health and safety regulations require better lighting.
- health and safety risk
- Leaving boxes in the corridor is a health and safety risk.
- health and safety officer
- The health and safety officer checked all the fire exits.
- comply with health and safety
- All contractors must comply with health and safety standards.
Synonyms and how they differ
- occupational safety
- More formal and technical, used mainly in official or academic writing about workplace safety.
- workplace safety
- Similar meaning but focuses only on safety at work, not general public health.
Word family
Commonly confused: health and safety or health care?
health and safety vs health care
Health care means medical services and treatment, not rules for keeping workers safe.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'health and safety' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Health and safety' is an uncountable phrase that takes a singular verb, so 'is' is correct. 'Are' is wrong because the phrase is treated as one idea, and 'safeties' is not a word in this expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “health and safety”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.