Health & Safety

Complete compliance and advisory support

Law At Work’s health & safety services have been designed to ensure our clients enjoy complete support which meets every need to comply with health & safety law. Dealing effectively with health & safety can be a major factor in the success or failure of a business. Regardless of size, a company ignores health & safety issues at its peril!

For heavy industry and manufacturing, such as construction, oil and chemical processing, timber processing, and transport, the priority is self-evident. But even for office-based environments, it is an important issue. Employers have important responsibilities that range from ensuring the safety of pregnant women and young workers to checking that office equipment, such as computers and shredders, are working correctly.

Law At Work’s health & safety services have been designed to meet these needs. The services fall into four categories outlined below.

FAQs

Question:

How do I report an accident at work?

Answer:

To ensure that risk to people's health and welfare in the workplace are properly controlled, certain accidents at work have to be reported in order that an investigation can be carried out, to ascertain what can be done to prevent reoccurence and to see if there has been a breach of health and safety at work regulations or any other legislation.

All accidents are reported to one central office - the Incident Contact Centre (ICC). The centre was established on 1st April 2001 as a single point of contact for reporting all work related accidents in the UK.

You can report accidents by contacting:

Incident Contact Centre
Caerphilly Business Park
Caerphilly
CF83 3GG
Phone: 0845 300 9923
Fax: 0845 300 9924
Email: riddor@natbrit.com
Website: www.riddor.gov.uk
Question:

Does the law require employers to provide drinking water in the workplace?

Answer:

The law states that "an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water shall be provided for all persons at work in the workplace.

It should be readily accessible at suitable places and it should be conspicuously labelled by an appropriate sign where necessary for health and safety reasons", (e.g. taps should be suitably marked if the source is mains water, or if water supplies are not meant for drinking, i.e. water supplies meant for processes only).

Drinking cups or beakers should be provided unless the supply is by means of a drinking fountain or jet from which people can drink easily. Bottled water/water dispensing systems may still be provided as a secondary source of drinking water.

In the case of non-disposable cups a suitable facility for washing them should be provided nearby. This should be in addition to or separate from sanitary washing facilities.
Question:

Do I need a Health and Safety policy?

Answer:

If you employ five or more people you must, by law (Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 section 2(3), have a written health and safety policy.

Your health and safety policy statement sets out how you manage health and safety in your organisation. It is also your key to achieving acceptable standards, reducing accidents and work-related ill health and it shows your employees that you really care about health and safety It is unique to your business and shows who does what, when and how they do it.

The policy statement should be reviewed and possibly revised in the light of experience, or because of operational or organisational changes. It may be useful to review the policy regularly (e.g. annually).

Although not legally required to do so, businesses with less than five employees should also consider having such a policy as good practice. It could prove useful to have something in writing.
Question:

What is the law on manual handling?

Answer:

Employers have a legal obligation under the Maual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 (as amended) to make sufficient and suitable risk assessment to identify the possibility of risk to employees from the manual handling of loads.

There is no maximum weight but each situation has to be assessed based on factors such as the capability of the individual, the characteristics of the load, the physical effort required, the work environment and the type or frequency of the activity. This is a legal requirement and the regulations should be complied with.

Training should be given to staff to enable them to carry out their tasks effectively and without injury. Training may need to be repeated from time to time, this will depend on the tasks undertaken but will be at intervals not more than every three years. Courses provided should both give instruction and practical training.

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Health & Safety

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Health & Safety Management System

We can design a health & safety management system tailored to your organisation's precise needs.
Compliance Plus
CompliancePlus

A thorough audit and revamp of all your health and safety policies, procedures and documentation will ensure that you are and remain fully legally compliant.
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Crisis support

Crises are infrequent, but when they occur, every business has to deal with them immediately, thoroughly, and professionally. Law At Work's wide experience of dealing with the health & safety aspects of accidents and incidents in the workplace can prove invaluable at such times.
Crisis support
Advisory service

Law At Work provides 24-hour access to a team of specialist health & safety advisors equipped to give advice and guidance on every aspect of health & safety.
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Health & Safety

Complete compliance and advisory support

Health & Safety Management System

CompliancePlus

Crisis support

Advisory service