Competent Person Service
Why do you need a Competent Person?
As an employer, you must “appoint one or more competent person to assist” with health and safety – it’s the law.
So, where does it say that? well, Regulation 7 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 states
“Every employer shall appoint one or more competent persons to assist him in undertaking health and safety management”
But that’s not the only reason to get safety competent advice. We know that you’re not in business to hurt people, and getting health and safety management right will help to protect your team. It also makes good business sense.
Making people ill at work, injuring or even killing them, can be costly – not just in terms of business losses, but reputation damage too. Making sure you get good advice can save you money in the long run.
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Fire Safety Building Regulations 2007 Part B
Top Tips for Inspecting Scaffolding
A suitably trained, qualified and competent person will carry out at least weekly inspections of all scaffolds as detailed in this document in pursuance of the The working at height regulations 2005.
Scaffolding must be inspected before first use.
Here is a basic checklist for inspecting Tube and Fitting Scaffolds.
FOUNDATIONS
Inspection and findings
Walk round the scaffold and check for: subsidence of the ground, cavities underneath sole plates, dislocation of base plates.
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Asbestos survey – The legal duty
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires an employer to provide a safe workplace. Asbestos, a category 1 chemical carcinogen, is subject to a specific set of regulations: the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2006. These regulations cover work with asbestos, prohibitions on the importation, supply and use of asbestos, and licensing of asbestos removal activities.
In addition, there is a specific duty under CAR 2006 (introduced initially under the previous regulations ie the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations (2002) and implemented in April 2004*) to manage the risks from asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in non-domestic premises.
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Asbestos Survey – The Reasoning
Did you know that the name Asbestos derives from the Greek word a-, “not”; sbestos, “extinguishable”. Some say that this term may refer to the everlasting wicks of the ‘Eternal Flame’ in the temple of the Vestal Virgins, or possibly an alternate translation such as “indestructible” maybe more appropriate.
You can safely say that it is not a product due to modern science.
Asbestos is naturally occurring and can be found throughout the world. Most commercially used asbestos came from the former Soviet Union, Canada (white asbestos), South Africa (brown asbestos), and Australia (blue asbestos) although the material can be found, in one form or another, almost anywhere, including the UK.
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See health and safety consultants do matter
On a daily basis almost all businesses are faced with hazards and the associated risks in their jobs. This is not the risk of staff loosing their job. But the risks associated with health and safety towards employees. Even office admin staff are faced with such risks. Positions which require sitting down for prolonged periods of time can have adverse health affects and serious consequences.
Often times this could mean that staff would experience back pain, strained eyes, or even a stiff neck. For the more sensitive parts of the body, poor health and safety could lead to very unpleasant anal haemorrhoids.
Then there is the layout of the workplace (ergonomics) and the eye, back and posture issues in using computers. Not every company can foresee these details. Eventually employers would notice this only when their staff got sick already.
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