Health and Safety Assessments
The Law
The requirement to undertake workplace risk assessments was introduced in 1999 under The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. There is also a duty under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure a workplace is safe for employees.
The Risk Assessment
In order for a premise to be certified a full health and safety risk assessment must be carried out where there are 5 or more employees, this risk assessment of the working practices must be in writing.
Who should carry out the assessments?
FireQuest has carryied out workplace risk assessments for many clients across the UK using our experienced health and safety risk assessors to offer an independent view of your processes and procedures. We are the experts in identifying potential hazards and risks which may affect your workforce and ultimately give rise to an insurance claim for personal injury or loss of production. Your assessor must be competent which is defined in health and safety law as someone who has training, knowledge and experience. All FireQuest assessors are highly competent.
What areas are covered by our reports?
Our reports are simple to understand, cover all of your work activities and property hazards and are prioritised in a high, medium and low rating, so you know exactly which, if any hazards require action. All of our reports cover the following areas:
- Accidents
- First Aid
- Manual Handling
- Display Screen Equipment
- Personal Protective Equipment
- Work Equipment
- Lifting Equipment and Devices
- Workplace Health Safety and Welfare
- Electricity at Work
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
- Noise
- Pressure Systems
- Safety Signs
- Fire Safety
- Gas Safety
- Consulting Employees
- Stress
- Information Instruction and Training
- Any Other Relevant Information
How long will it take and what are the costs?
The cost is based on the time taken to carry out the practical on site assessment together with preparation of the legally compliant report. Site inspections can take from several hours to several days dependent on the size of the undertaking.
Audits
Following the initial risk assessment it is recommended that a review of the risks takes place on a regular basis by the competent person in particular if there has been any changes to the workplace or practises.
FireQuest will review your original risk assessment on an annual basis. This involves an additional site visit to assess the progress of items raised in the original assessment together with an audit to assess any changes affecting your working practises that may affect your legal compliance.
Insurance Benefits
Insurance companies are also aware of the benefits risk assessments bring and do on occasions make allowances for companies and organisations that are safety conscious. Premiums have been reduced by a number of Insurers who confirm a suitable and sufficient risk assessment has been produced by their clients.
What Next?
Call Firequest UK now on 08456 120282 for more details and to check course availability.
