Health and safety policy statement

The financial services sector is traditionally seen as a low-risk industry for health and safety-related issues. However, we recognise accidents, ill health, and incidents can occur and we have appropriate management controls in place to mitigate risks and investigate any occurrences.

We have a suite of policies and practices to promote safe and healthy ways of working. Policies are developed in conjunction with our unions. Our health and safety policy statements apply to all employees, including temporary workers and contractors. All employees are required to complete annual mandatory online training on health and safety and fire safety.

Our risk management arrangements support us in assessing risks and taking appropriate corrective action to manage hazards, and we seek to reduce the number of accidents and absenteeism due to ill health. We ask colleagues to complete risk assessments based on their working environments. These assessments reflect common hazards associated with office and hybrid working. We also review accident and incident trends to understand the root cause and potential emerging issues, so we can take appropriate action to support reducing accidents. This might also include updating guidance on our intranet or updating training within our online learning.

We provide a wide range of workplace adjustments where required, to support a diverse workforce. These are available to support both physical and non-physical conditions. Guidance and support materials are made available to people managers, including on tailored working plans and personal emergency plans. We also provide colleagues with access to external specialists who can provide advice and guidance on suitable workplace adjustments. We work closely with our occupational health providers to find solutions to further improve colleague attendance and support those with a disability or long-term condition, to reduce specific difficulties in the workplace.

More broadly, we provide training, guidance and support mechanisms to support our colleagues’ physical and mental wellbeing, including, for example, stress, menopause, domestic abuse, personal security, and many other vulnerabilities that impact our colleagues. We analyse internal data, including work-related stress and absenteeism, and engagement channels to understand the impact these issues may be having on our colleagues and to help inform any additional action we could be taking.

In addition, our hybrid working arrangements support colleague wellbeing and we also support a range of flexible working options, including part-time hours and job sharing. We design our workplaces with accessibility in mind, and our colleagues also have access to onsite first aid or privacy rooms for breast feeding or expressing.

More information on our approach to supporting our colleagues' wellbeing can be found in our ESG Disclosures.

We maintain defined limits and triggers for key health and safety metrics, including Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDORs). If any limits are exceeded, the issue follows a formal escalation path to the Group Chief Operating Officer, and an action plan is developed..

No lives have ever been lost due to our physical environment or work activity, and details on any RIDDORs are disclosed in our ESG Datasheet. Incidences remain minor and few, and action is taken to address any contributing factors.

Our health and safety scorecard includes quantitative targets for improving health and safety performance and to support the reduction of work accidents and incidents, their severity, and related absenteeism. It includes reporting on:

• The premises people occupy: tracking statutory and regulatory compliance activity, as well as any enforcements and actions taken to prevent harm
• The physical environment within our premises: tracking risks with potential to cause or exacerbate ill health at work
• The roles that people carry out: tracking completion of our health and safety online learning
• Incidents: tracking colleague and public RIDDORs, and the number of days lost due to work-related incidents

Our Health and Safety performance is reported to our Executive Committee annually, together with areas for focused improvement (see Governance below).

Our processes for emergency response allow us to act with urgency if an emergency incident occurs. For property, we have a Property Services Helpline, accessible through our intranet. We also have first aiders and mental health champions across the organisation to support our people and their health. We have 24/7 security monitoring to identify where action may be needed.

Our health and safety risk assessments reflect common hazards associated with all working environments, including hybrid and home working. This helps colleagues to identify risk areas to address with their line managers.

We publish our risk assessments and related criteria on our intranet. Assessments are conducted for individuals, branches and administration centres.

We carry out regular internal health and safety inspections and audits across all our locations, supported by both our internal assurance team and independent external health and safety consultants. Our consultants undertake a full audit of our health and safety management framework every five years. This audit is aligned to the Health and Safety Executive’s Managing for Health and Safety (HSG65) guidance and the Plan, Do, Check, Act approach. Audit findings are reported to our Health and Safety Committees and used to drive continual improvement in the effectiveness of our Health and Safety Management System.

We have measures in place to ensure our third parties operate to an expected level of health and safety. Our procurement and supplier onboarding processes include contractual requirements for health and safety. Our health and safety supplier testing gives specific focus to those who operate in, or on, our premises. Where appropriate, we take action to work with our suppliers to help to close any gaps.

Health and safety at Nationwide is a key focus for the Executive Committee. Health and safety performance is governed by the Health and Safety Committee, and includes representation from our employee unions (to comply with the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977). Our health and safety performance is reported annually to Executive Committee, together with areas for focused improvement. This includes the prioritisation and integration of action plans where appropriate, including quantitative targets to address relevant health and safety risks. A a summary of this performance is reported to the Board. Health and safety forums sit beneath the Health and Safety Committee; they support consultation with, and participation of, workers and their representatives.

Last updated: May 2026