The Health and Safety Blog

In order to protect your Company’s interests in the event of being served with a Prohibition or Improvement Notice, by an enforcement agency, it is essential that all supervisory staff understand correctly the measures necessary to comply with such a notice.

IMPROVEMENT NOTICE

Due to the nature of the work carried out in the construction industry, it is likely that many Improvement Notices will be served.  When they are for example, they are likely to be in respect of working at height, welfare, housekeeping, unsafe practices etc.  The principal of the Improvement Notice is to give the recipient time to improve whatever the Health and Safety Executive has criticised, within the time allowed on the Improvement Notice. If the fault cannot be rectified within the allotted time, then the Health and Safety Executive should be approached for an extension before the allotted time has run out, giving a reason why extra time is required.  Otherwise the improvement must be carried out as directed.

PROHIBITION NOTICE

Upon receipt of a Prohibition Notice the activity specified in the Notice must be ceased immediately or as otherwise specified and may not be re-started until such time as the contravention’s cited in the Notice have been remedied.  The above Notice will normally be issued to the senior person present and the Notice may be issued in his name and not that of the Company. This means that it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that the correct remedial action is taken. Being served with either an Improvement or Prohibition Notice does not mean that Prosecution will not follow, bearing in mind that the Notice will relate to statutory duties. Failure to comply with either an Improvement or Prohibition Notice is in itself a criminal offence. On receipt of either an Improvement or Prohibition Notice it is vital that the Operations/Project Director, Company Safety Advisor and the responsible Site Manager are informed by telephone immediately. Should you be issued with a Improvement Notice or Prohibition Notice and you need help on how to deal with this situation please get in touch with Veritas Consulting Health and Safety Consultants. here contact us.

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Although under various pieces of UK legislation it is a legal requirement for organisations to record and document the significant findings of risk assessments if they employ five or more people, it makes good commercial sense to record them so that a check can be made that all of the organisation’s activities have been assessed.

It is not unknown, for example, for gaps in risk assessments to be discovered during the implementation of say behavioural safety initiatives, i.e. assessments have been made of engineering tasks in workshops, but not for engineering tasks on a plant.

However, discovery of these gaps can only be achieved if the records are kept. Again, for expediency, it is not unusual for daily permit to work procedures to be used as the only proof of compliance to the risk assessment requirements.

Although the incorporation of on-the-spot risk assessments in permit to work procedures is laudable, these records tend to be discarded after about three months, resulting in the data being lost. Moreover, it is very difficult for such companies to know whether or not they have conducted risk Assessments for all their activities.

This often occurs in those companies which view the requirement for risk assessments as a bureaucratic burden. However, the advantages of keeping such records outweigh the perceived bureaucracy, as they can be used in many ways. For example, they can be used to:

• demonstrate to employees, board members, shareholders and statutory bodies (e.g. HSE) that the organisation is actually identifying, assessing and controlling risks

• identify or reinforce the need for capital expenditure to be allocated to control the risks

• reduce management’s time during periodic reviews of risks

• identify safety training needs

• identify potential unsafe behaviours during the implementation of behavioural safety initiatives.

So what should be documented in a Risk Assessment?

A record of a risk assessment must include details of the measures chosen to eliminate or control the risks, and the reasons for choosing them. The record is focused primarily on the activities taking place, while taking into account any particular situational constraints, the risks posed and the solutions adopted to overcome them.

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Are you aware that you could be fined or imprisoned?

Any appliance In the workplace connected to electricity via a lead and plug MUST be included in a Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) scheme.

Why must appliances be PAT tested?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that over 25% of all electrical accidents Involve appliances connected to an electrical supply. As a result, regulations have become more stringent than ever regarding portable appliances, with the responsibility being on employers & managers to ensure that a safe working environment Is maintained,

What portable appliances must be regularly tested?

All electrical appliances, including anything from a kettle to PCs and equipment – everything must be regularly checked and maintained, whether old or new.

So, why must you comply?

As an employer you are required to manage onsite electricity safety. If you happen to receive a random visit by Health & Safety officers and fail to comply, it could result in a heavy fine or even possibly imprisonment,

Are you aware it is a requirement covered by the Electricity at Work Regulations: 1999, the Health and Safety at Work Act: 1974 and The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations: 1992, in addition, should the worst happen, without the right documentation your Insurance may be void.

So, how do you know if you comply with PAT Testing rules?

Simple. Get in touch with Veritas Consulting PAT Testing Services. They will carry out periodical tests on all portable appliances at your premises, All testing at the site comes with an electrical safety report on all appliances Included, ensuring the safety of all your employees and total peace of mind for you.

PAT Testing save lives.

Electricity is highly dangerous and should be monitored and checked regularly for the safety of your employees and premises. That’s why companies must conform to current legislation, to provide a safer working environment,

To assist companies In complying with current legislation, Veritas Consulting offer affordable PAT Testing Services of which comprises a team of highly experienced Electricians, who are dedicated to keeping organisations safe and legal through the inspection and testing of portable appliances (PAT testing).

They test all classes of portable appliance equipment from construction sites to offices, such as a PC, server or printer.

They ensure minimal disruption and provide a full management service to remind clients when tests are due. In addition, all electrical equipment tested are labelled and the results logged for your information and future inspection, offering you complete peace of mind.

So, how compliant are you?

Veritas are totally committed to providing a cost-effective customer service with a clear focus on making sure that your premises is fully compliant with current regulations. They Will-

• Use current PAT testing equipment to keep businesses safe and legal
• Ensure minimal disruption with all tests undertaken onsite
• Employ fully qualified and highly experienced electricians
• Test all electrical equipment from a PC to a kettle
• Log all tests on our system for future reference
• On return visits, we will Inform you of any missing equipment
• Provide full management service to remind you when tests are due
• Undertake periodical inspection checks
• Offer complete peace of mind

Act now before it’s to late

Don’t wait until you get caught out – do something about it now. Ensuring the safety of your employees and premises from electrical faults could not be more cost-effective or more simple.

Veritas Consulting offer affordable PAT Testing Services so for a initial discussion and peace of mind call 0121 249 1281

safetymatters Health and Safety Law PAT Testing, Portable Appliance Testing

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.
Read more…

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The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) lay down some of the main responsibilities and duties of persons at work.

Among the duties HASAWA places on employers are the requirements to ensure the health and safety at work of their employees and that of any other person who may be affected by their activities; and to have a written health and safety policy.

It also places duties on employees to:

(a) take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their “acts or omissions”;

(b) to co-operate with their employer so the latter can comply with his legal duties;

(c) not to interfere or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare.

The main requirements of the Management Regulations are that employers must: assess the risks to the health and safety of anyone who may be affected by their activities; and that adequate arrangements must be in place for the “planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review” of the safety measures that follow from those assessments.
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safetymatters Health and Safety Law, Health and Safety Management Health and Safety Management, managers health and safety

Directors and Managers can be held personally responsible for failures to control health and safety.

Ask yourself this: Can you afford such failures?

Do you really manage health and safety?

If not – why not?

After all, you manage all the other areas of your business successfully, so what is different about health and safety? The answer is nothing! Begin by thinking about how health and safety fits in with other important management systems for controlling finance, production and sales. Don’t try to complicate things – most small businesses have simple management structures.
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safetymatters Health and Safety Law health and safety, legislation, safety management, safety regulations

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