What are the potential implications of a visit from a Public Health and Safety Inspector and how should I react?

Health and safety inspectors have wide ranging powers that can seriously disrupt your business. So although it may seem an obvious thing to say, first and foremost offer them your full cooperation and ensure that, unless you are considering an appeal, you comply with any notices you are given, by the specified date, even if such a notice is given verbally. If breached, improvement and prohibition notices can result in fines of up to £20,000 and /or six months’ imprisonment. Read More

How and why should I carry out an effective risk assessment?

The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to carry out ‘Suitable and sufficient’ risk assessments of the risks to the health and safety of their employees whilst at work and of persons not in their employment, arising from or in connection with the business. Other regulations – e.g. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 – contain a more specific requirement to assess risk. Read More

Why and how should I compile a safety policy for my organisation?

The Health and Safety at Work Act requires all employers of five or more employees to prepare a written health and safety policy statement and bring it to the attention of employees.

‘…..it shall be the duty of every employer to prepare and, as often as may be appropriate, revise a written statement of his general policy with respect to the health and safety at work of his employees and the organisation and arrangements for the time being in force for carrying out that policy, and to bring the statement and any revision of it to the notice of all his employees.’ Read More

How should I react to a workplace accident?

Action following a workplace accident or near miss will clearly depend on the type and severity of the event. But broadly speaking, what action should be taken and why?

At basic level, if an employer employs ten or more people simultaneously, an accident book or equivalent electronic record must be held and must also be compliant with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. Records should contain full details of the accident and be held for a minimum of three years. Read More

I have been told I need safe systems of work for a specific task. What is this and how do I develop one?

A safe system of work is a procedure that results from a systematic examination of a working process, that identifies hazards and specifies work methods designed either to eliminate the hazards or controls and minimises the relevant risks. Read More