Health and Safety

Health & Safety is about preventing people from being harmed by work or becoming ill through work. This is so important that the law says you must not put yourself, your workers or the public in danger. The Health & Safety Law applies to all businesses regardless of their size. It covers employees whether they are permanent or temporary, full time or part time: the self-employed; young people doing work experience; apprentices; charity workers; mobile workers and homeworkers.

Enforcement Bodies

The Health & Safety Law gives powers to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to enforce the various Acts and Regulations. HSE Health and Safety Inspector can enter the premises and examine the arrangements in place for assessing and controlling risks. Another enforcing body is the Local Authority through its Environmental Health Department. The Fire authorities enforce the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to ensure you have fire safety arrangements in place.

Help with risk assessments

Every company is legally required to carry out an assessment of risks present in its workplace. If your company employs five people or more, the risk assessments must be in writing. Legislation requires that the assessment be carried out by a “competent person” and examine the entire company’s activities to identify any hazards involved, the likelihood of those hazards causing harm and the steps required to eliminate or minimise the risks.
The risk assessments should be reviewed periodically and whenever there are significant changes in the workplace. We can arrange for a trained risk assessor to visit your premises and help you with your risk assessments.

Demonstrate your compliance

You can choose to have your business certified to ISO 45001 which is a framework for an occupational health and safety management system. It can help you put in place the policies, procedures and controls needed for your business to achieve the best possible working conditions, aligned to internationally recognized best practice. Similar to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 you will receive audits from UKAS accredited certification body.

Alternatively, you can choose the CHAS or SafeContrator route. CHAS and Safe Contractor is a pre-qualification assessment scheme that allows allows local authorities and other organisations to determine that you have the minimum health and safety standards in place under the Scheme.

Benefits of ISO 45001, CHAS or SafeContrator

Demonstrates you comply with Health and Safety Laws. Gets you onto the tender list. More opportunities as more organisations will work with you. Improves Company’s health and safety practice, reduces accidents and litigation. A compliant organisation is far more likely to attract new business and benefit from increased productivity through a satisfied workforce.

How to gain certification

You need to decide whether you require ISO 45001 Health and Safety Management System certifiction, CHAS or SafeContractor registration. Contact us to discuss your needs. We have experience of implementing all three systems. We will take the following approach to implementing a Health & Safety Management System:
• Undertake workplace inspection and gap analysis.
• Write and implement Health & Safety policies, responsibilities and arrangements.
• Help you communicate health and safety matters to your workforce.
• Identify and carry out Health & Safety audits and risk assessments.
• Identify and deliver Health & Safety training for your staff.
• Help with assessments to gain certification.