It is an employer’s duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business. Employers must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this. 1ST Safety can help you meet your Health & Safety obligations while you stay focussed on your core business.
Health & Safety Services
Health & Safety Policy
The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 states that every business must have a policy for managing health and safety. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations explain the steps you must take to manage health and safety within your company
A health and safety policy sets out your general approach to health and safety. It explains how you, as an employer, will manage health and safety in your business. It should clearly say who does what, when and how.
Companies with more than five employees are legally required to have a written workplace health and safety policy and formal arrangements in place to effectively manage workplace safety & health risks. If you have fewer than five employees you do not have to write anything down, but it is useful and recommended to do so.
You must share the policy, and any changes to it, with your employees.
A robust Health & Safety Policy should show:-
- Your general policy on health & safety, your commitment to managing Health & Safety, roles & responsibilities and your aims. The policy should be signed and reviewed regularly.
- You have procedures in place of communicating health & safety policies and procedures to all employees.
- Details of the practical arrangements you have in place which details how you will achieve your health and safety policy aims. This could include, for example, doing risk assessments, COSHH Assessments, training employees etc.
If your company meets the obligation to have a Health & Safety Policy, 1ST Safety Ltd can help you develop this alongside your management team. If a Health & Safety Policy exists, and you require support in reviewing your Policy and management systems around this document, we can give you this support and assist in the annual review. For more information contact us to discuss your requirements.
Risk Assessments
The management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 states that employers must identify what could cause illness or injury and levels of risk to the health and safety of their employees while they’re at work. You can do this by carrying out risk assessments. Risk assessments should be specific and not generic. If you employ more than five people, you must keep a written record of all of your assessments. If you don’t you could face a fine or even prosecution.
A risk assessment is the process of identifying hazards, evaluating the risks and controlling or eliminating the identified hazards during daily tasks and activities. This also involves applying control measures to make sure your employees and any visitors to your site are safe. You have to decide what might cause harm to people and take reasonable steps to prevent that harm.
Risk assessments should be regularly reviewed and the following factors should determine how often you review or conduct a risk assessment:-
- Internal Incidents i.e Near Miss, Accidents, Spill
- Change of Process
- Changes to or New Equipment
- Changes to employees or employee health / disability
- Changes to environment
If your company requires help and support with your risk assessments, contact us on xx to discuss your requirements.
Competent Person
As an employer you must appoint a competent person or people to help you meet your Health & Safety legal duties and obligations. THE HSE states “A competent person is someone who has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities that allow them to assist you properly. The level of competence required will depend on the complexity of the situation and the particular help you need”
Every organisation must have access to help from one or more competent persons to enable it to meet the requirements of health and safety law. This is a requirement under Regulation 7 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
It is imperative to identify the appropriate level of health and safety competency that is required within your business. If current in-house expertise, knowledge and capacity is insufficient for the purpose then advice and guidance should be sought from an external company. This is where 1ST Safety Ltd can help you and be classed as your competent person.
Audits
Safety Audits and inspections are vital to help demonstrate whether you are complying with the law and your H&S Policy and arrangements. The purpose of the audit is to identify and assess where you are doing well but can also identify gaps within your Health & Safety.
The HSE states large public and private sector organisations should have formal procedures in place for auditing and reporting on health & safety performance. Audits must be carried out by a competent person.
1ST Safety Ltd can carry out an independent audit and comprehensive inspection of your processes and health & Safety compliance. We will produce a full audit report and summary of findings and recommendations to remedy any non-compliance or gaps in your health & Safety.
If your company requires us to carry out an audit, please contact us to discuss your requirements.