Environment, insurance, accessibility and data

When you start up, you should be aware of the many laws that are intended to protect other people and businesses around you.

You should also consider potential environmental issues that apply to your business, as well business insurance, accessibility for people with disabilities and how you manage customer data. Not all of the above will apply to you – but you must make sure you’re complying with those that do.

Your business and the environment

Your business can be held responsible for serious environmental damage it causes and there are no ceilings on potential fines. There are a number of environmental laws that you need to be aware of.

Waste must be suitably contained, treated properly and stored safely. You must ensure that whoever carries out waste disposal is legally permitted to do so – and does the job properly. Makers, sellers and distributors of electrical and electronic equipment in the EU have to recycle their consumers’ discarded goods.

You must not cause a nuisance through noise, smoke, fumes, gases, dust, smells, light pollution and accumulating rubbish that could harm someone’s health or annoy people living or working near to your business. 

Firms intending to create excessive trade effluent must seek permission from their water company. Emissions into the air also need to be checked by the local authority and Environment Agency.

In many cases, complying with environmental legislation can reduce business costs and boost efficiency. Visit the NetRegs website to find out about environmental legislation that applies to your business. Practical sustainability advice can be found on the Envirowise website.

Dependent on the nature of your business, you may also need a licence and/or to register with the Health and Safety Executive.

And, of course, you’ll need to consider any environmental issues alongside your health and safety responsibilities.

Business insurance and access for all

Employers must have employers’ liability insurance, which provides cover against claims for work-related accidents or illnesses. The certificate should be publicly displayed in your premises. Obviously, you must have at least third-party motor insurance if your business uses vehicles. There are also other potential threats you can insure against – find out more in the Insure your business area of the Start Up Donut.

You must not discriminate against people with disabilities who use your goods or services, work for you or apply to work for you. Businesses must also make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to their premises to enable access for staff, customers and visitors.

Planning permission is not necessary for minor changes to building interiors, but significant alterations are likely to, so check with your local council. All major work must conform to building regulations, of course. You could require planning permission to use your home as premises if this fundamentally alters how the building is used or affects the surrounding area.

Some other legal issues

There are legal restrictions about naming a business, while you must not infringe other people’s intellectual property.

If you retain hard copy or electronic information/data about employees, customers or suppliers, you must have their consent and only use it for the purpose for which it was obtained. It must be accurate, current, kept securely and not held when no longer required. Learn more on the Information Commissioner's website.

For more in-depth information on legal issues for small businesses, read The No-Nonsense Guide to Government rules and regulations for setting up your business, available from Business Link.