Are you sure that your company is acting within UK health and safety law? To be in compliance with existing regulations you need to make sure that you can answer the following questions:

Do you need to notify the Health and Safety Executive or your local authority about your business?
Do you have Employers’ Liability Compulsory Insurance?
Do you have a health and safety policy?
Have you carried out risk assessments?
Do you meet your employees basic welfare needs?
Have you trained everybody who works for you?
Do you consult your employees on health and safety?
Do you display a HSE health and safety law poster?
Do you know how to report incidents at work?

Do you need to notify the Health and Safety Executive or your local authority about your business?

As of April 6 2009 it is no longer required by law that all UK businesses need to register with the HSE. However, if you work with hazardous substances or in an industry which is deemed dangerous you may need to apply for a licence or notify the HSE or your local authority. For more information visit the HSE website here.

Do you have Employers’ Liability Compulsory Insurance?

Most employers need this. Not only will it give you cover should an employee try to claim compensation in the unfortunate event of an injury or illness, but it is a requirement by law. You must be able to display an insurance certificate where employees can read it. Failure to hold a current policy could result in a fine.

Do you have a health and safety policy?

If you have more than five employees you must have a written policy statement for health and safety. This shows your approach, objectives and arrangements to manage your health and safety commitments.

Have you carried out risk assessments?

You have a legal responsibility, as an employer, to carry out a risk assessment of your company’s activities. This involves a careful examination of what in your work could cause harm to members of the company or the general public and how these risks can be handled.

Do you meet your employees basic welfare needs?

Under The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 most businesses have a legal requirement to meet employee’s basic welfare needs like toilets, wash facilities and drinking water. Some workspaces such as construction sites are covered by separate legislation to the 1992 regulations but there are still requirements. You must also consider how other factors like light and temperature could affect employees.

Have you trained everybody who works for you?

You must provide everyone who works for you with free health and safety training to ensure that they can carry out their roles without (or with minimal) risk to themselves and other people. This not only includes member of staff but any contractors that your business uses. For more information about the training services provided by FGC Associates click here.

Do you consult your employees on health and safety?

You must ensure that you maintain a dialogue with your employees on health and safety issues so that they can raise any concerns or issues affecting them. This is legally required by the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1966.

If your business employs anyone you are required to display a HSE health and safety law poster where your employees can read it. This contains business-specific, basic information about health and safety in your workplace, lets your employees know who in the company is responsible for health and safety and provides contact information for, for example, the local enforcing authority.

Do you know how to report incidents at work?

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (or RIDDOR) places an obligation on employers, the self employed and people in control of premises to report all work-related deaths, major injuries, injuries that mean the victim has to take more than three days off work, work related diseases and dangerous occurrences (near miss accidents). You have a legal obligation to report these incidents through the correct channels.

The law says that you must have someone deemed “competent” to help meet your health and safety duties. This could be someone from within your company but by hiring FGC Associates you can utilise our years of expertise in environmental health and safety to make sure that your company is doing all it can to fulfil its obligations and keep its employees safe.