Why Your Business Doesn’t Need a Full-Time SHEQ Manager (But Definitely Needs Someone)

Rob Strange

Why Your Business Doesn’t Need a Full-Time SHEQ Manager (But Definitely Needs Someone)

If you run a construction, manufacturing, heating, renewables, insulation or surveying business, you probably sit in one of these camps when it comes to health & safety and compliance:


  • “It’s covered… I think. We’ve got some RAMS and a few policies somewhere.”
  • “We used a consultant once when we needed CHAS / ISO / MCS, but we’ve not really touched it since.”
  • “We know we should have someone in-house, but the numbers don’t stack up yet.”


The truth for many small and medium-sized businesses is simple:

You don’t need a full-time SHEQ or H&S manager.
But you definitely need someone who knows what they’re doing.

This is where a fractional / retainer-style arrangement comes into its own.


In this post, I’ll walk through:


  1. Why “do nothing” and “DIY everything” are both expensive options
  2. What a full-time SHEQ manager actually costs you
  3. How a fractional / retainer approach works in practice
  4. When you’re ready to move beyond templates – and when a toolkit is enough


1. The hidden cost of doing nothing (or very little)


Most businesses don’t wake up one day and say, “We’ve decided not to bother with health & safety and compliance.”

Instead, it happens gradually:


  • Risk assessments are last year’s versions with a new date on
  • RAMS are thrown together the night before a job
  • Policies live in a dusty folder no one reads
  • Audits feel like controlled panic a few weeks before the visit
  • Tender questions are answered with “see attached policy” and a deep sigh


Nothing goes spectacularly wrong… until it does.


And when it does, the cost rarely looks like a neat line on a spreadsheet. It looks like:


  • Lost tenders because competitors showed stronger systems
  • Higher insurance premiums after a claim or near miss
  • Internal time wasted on last-minute “firefighting” before audits or site visits
  • Rework and delays because controls weren’t clear or realistic
  • Stress for you and your managers dealing with things reactively


Doing nothing feels cheap because you’re not paying a salary or a retainer.


But you’re probably paying for it in three other ways: lost work, wasted time and sleepless nights.


2. A full-time SHEQ / H&S Manager: great in theory, hard in practice


Hiring a full-time SHEQ or H&S manager can be a brilliant move… once you’re at the right size and complexity.


But for a lot of SMEs, it’s simply not realistic.


Let’s be honest:


  • A competent, experienced SHEQ / H&S manager isn’t cheap.
  • In reality, you often end up trying to hire a unicorn: someone who can
  • write policies
  • do site visits
  • manage ISO / MCS / PAS systems
  • handle training
  • respond to tenders
  • keep up with legislation


And at SME salary levels, that’s a tough ask.


Even if you find the right person, you may not have enough work to justify them full-time, every week of the year. You end up either:


  • overpaying for underused resource, or
  • expecting them to “do a bit of everything” and burning them out.


For a lot of businesses in that middle zone – more than a few lads and a van, less than a big corporate – a full-time SHEQ manager is overkill.


You need regular, senior-level support, but not 5 days a week.


3. The middle ground: a fractional / retainer approach


This is where a retainer-style arrangement makes sense.


With NRS Professional Services, most clients work with me as a fractional SHEQ, H&S and compliance lead. In practice, that looks like:


  • I get to know your business, sites, people and existing documents
  • We agree the right level of support per month (based on risk and size)
  • I provide a mix of:
  • H&S and CDM advice
  • RAMS and policy review
  • Support with ISO / MCS / PAS / RICS systems
  • Audit preparation and post-audit actions
  • Help with tenders and PQQs
  • Regular check-ins with you and your managers


You’re effectively getting a chunk of a SHEQ / H&S director, not a full-time employee:


  • No PAYE, holidays or sickness to worry about
  • Flexible level of support as you grow
  • Direct access to someone who already works across your sector


It’s not just about paperwork. It’s about having someone you can ring when:


  • A client asks for something you’ve never heard of
  • An audit letter lands and you feel your stomach drop
  • A manager is worried about a specific site or process
  • A tender arrives and the compliance questions look intimidating


You don’t need to guess. You just ask.


4. Where toolkits fit in: “Rob in a box” for smaller teams


Not everyone is ready for a retainer straight away. You might be:


  • A newer business getting set up
  • A small team with limited budget
  • Someone who actually enjoys getting stuck into the detail themselves


That’s where toolkits and templates make sense.

Think of them as “Rob in a box” – the core documents, structure and guidance I use with clients, packaged so you can adapt them internally.


For example:


  • H&S Starter Packs for contractors
  • ISO Essentials Packs for smaller businesses
  • Renewables / MCS / PAS 2030 toolkits
  • Surveyor risk and compliance packs


A good toolkit gives you:


  • A clear starting point
  • Documents that actually fit your type of work
  • Enough guidance to know what to fill in and where


You can start with a toolkit and move to a retainer later, or combine the two – using a toolkit to get the basics in place and a retainer to keep things on track and support you with higher-risk or more complex issues.


5. How to decide what you really need


Here’s a simple way to think about it:


A retainer might be right for you if:


  • You’re turning over enough that a serious incident or lost tender would really hurt
  • You’re already dealing with audits, larger clients or frameworks
  • You don’t have an in-house person who genuinely owns H&S / compliance
  • You keep thinking “we’ll sort it when things quieten down” (and they never do)


A toolkit might be right for you if:


  • You’re smaller, but want to start off on the right foot
  • You’re comfortable doing some of the legwork yourself
  • You need solid, sector-specific documents quickly, but can’t justify ongoing support yet


You can always start small (with a toolkit or a one-off project) and then move into a retainer when the time is right.


6. What working with me actually looks like


If you decide to explore a retainer with NRS Professional Services, it’s not a big dramatic process.

Normally we:


  1. Have an initial conversation about your business, current setup and pressure points
  2. Do a light-touch review of what you already have (and what’s missing)
  3. Agree a sensible level of ongoing support and a monthly fee
  4. Put in a simple plan for the first 3–6 months – focused on the biggest risks and quickest wins


From there, we adjust as your business grows or your needs change.


You get one person who understands your sites, your systems and your people – with the option to bring in trusted specialists through me if we need extra skills.


Ready to stop guessing and start getting some proper support?


If any of this sounds familiar and you’d like to talk it through, there are two simple next steps:

  • If you think a retainer might be right for you, get in touch to discuss options and costs.
  • If you’d rather start with a toolkit, request the current toolkit list and I’ll send you details and pricing.


Either way, you don’t have to figure this out on your own – and you don’t need a full-time SHEQ manager to start taking this seriously.