NEWS: Before you hire a safety consultant, read this
If you have ever signed up for a multi-year package with certain big safety consultancy, you may be surprised just how legally exposed this type of service can leave you.
One of the most important legal requirements in safety law is to appoint a competent person to address health and safety. Some of the big consultancy firms, all-too often, leave the business owner to do this themselves – a task that is then, overlooked.
This is like taking your car to the garage and being given a jack and a set of spanners!
Financial risks
However, this omission is no joke and can leave the business without appointment and with some major legal, moral and financial risks unaddressed.
Under such a package and in such a situation where nobody is appointed, the business will either be in breach of criminal law or need to train their own person internally (costing around £2,000 and 100 hours of work, just to get started). The other option would be to appoint another external consultant, begging the question: “Why appoint the large firm in the first place?”
Has your safety consultant done a proper job?
Having nobody trained in, for example, risk assessment, will mean these key documents will not be completed correctly, either suitably or sufficient in law. This can lead to missed dangers and potentially giant gaps in meeting the minimum legal requirements.
The single biggest thing the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecute for is failure to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment!
Safety consultancy
As we all know, getting the right answer in any subject has a lot to do with asking the right questions. So even though the large consultancies offer advice, no-one in the organisation in question knows what to ask, or when to ask for it.
One example of this is as follows… you arrange for some work on the premises (such as a roof repair, or new boiler installation) and unknowingly become a ‘client’ under the construction safety regulations.
In this scenario, without a competent person to advise, you have no idea what to do to discharge your duties and protect the business.
It’s almost a hidden danger that many companies are simply not aware of.
Greens offer you unlimited access to a qualified safety professional for advice and assistance on all of our appointments. We will never leave you in this position.
To discuss how a tailored package will provide you with legal, moral and financial protection go to https://bit.ly/3Qbtc55, or call us on (0116) 2169224.
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