FAQ’s

Here are some answers to the most asked Health and Safety questions:

What is the law on having a Health and Safety Policy?

You must have a written Health and Safety Policy if you employ more than 4 people, this includes part time workers.

What's the law on carrying out risk assessments?

Risk assessments must be produced based on your activities/hazards, i.e. general risk assessments; but also ones specific to certain regulations, for example: Fire, Display Screen Equipment, Manual Handling and COSHH etc.

What if we haven't identified any hazards or associated risks?

It is really unlikely that you operate in a totally risk free environment, even using PC’s can lead to work related upper limb disorders and basic manual handling tasks if done incorrectly can cause musculoskeletal injuries.

Whose fault is it if my staff have an accident?

All employers have a legal duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all their employees and persons other than employees, e.g. visitors and contractors. You are also responsible for the provision of sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision.

Why do I need to hire a Health and Safety Consultant?

You don’t have to, but some H&S legislation is complex and hence there’s a legal requirement for employers to have access to competent advice. You could use one of your own staff (providing that they have sufficient training and experience), but most small-to-medium sized businesses don’t have this option, and it is therefore much more cost effective to contract this out to a consultant on a part-time or adhoc basis.

Can we handover all of our Health and Safety management responsibilities to you?

H&S is a management responsibility, and one that can’t be subcontracted out, however what we will do is make managing of H&S much easier for you, we will achieve this by applying a targeted and pragmatic risk management approach using our extensive knowledge and experience.

What if the HSE or Local Authority Environmental Health haven't visited us yet?

Waiting to get a visit from the enforcing authorities is never a good idea. Your policies and procedures might take you some time to put in place but they’re not just pieces of paper to be filed or placed on a notice board and forgotten; they should reflect the real practices and procedures that take place daily as part of your undertaking. Knowing where you stand in terms of legal compliance will also be invaluable to both you and your company should you be subjected to an investigation or have to deal with a claim for compensation.

In addition, more companies are choosing only to work with those who can prove they have sound H&S systems in place, this gives confidence to your customers and suppliers as well as increasing the morale of your workforce. This should in turn lead to increased productivity and profit, and help to significantly reduce periods of unplanned absence. Insurance companies may also check that the systems you have in place for reducing risks are sound, which can in turn lead to lower premiums.