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Health & Safety Services
It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees. 1ST Safety can help you meet your obligations while you stay focussed on your core business.
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 1999 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 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, we can give you this support and assist in the annual review.
- Your general policy on health & safety and commitment to managing it
- Roles, responsibilities and aims — signed and reviewed regularly
- Procedures for communicating policies to all employees
- Practical arrangements such as risk assessments, COSHH assessments and training
Contact us to discuss your requirements.
Risk Assessments
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to identify what could cause illness or injury and assess the levels of risk to the health and safety of their employees while at work.
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.
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.
Risk assessments should be reviewed when:
- Internal incidents — near miss, accidents, spills
- Change of process or new equipment
- Changes to employees or employee health / disability
- Changes to the working environment
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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."
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, 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.
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Relevant Legislation & Guidance
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.
Contact us to discuss your requirements.
Need help with Health & Safety compliance?
Get in touch with one of our team today for a free, no-obligation discussion.