For this week’s blog, I have asked our health and safety consultant, Mark Stouph to give an outline of the packed lunch seminars he is providing on the subject of health and safety for professionals.
At Jacksons we value the practical advice Mark gives us on all such matters and we know that our procedures have been greatly improved by his guidance. If you would like to attend the full seminar then the next one will be taking place on Wednesday 17th May between 12.45pm and 2:30pm at our Newcastle office. We will provide a free packed lunch! Booking details on our website or by email to krobinson@jacksons-law.com.
For a taster, have a look at what Mark has to say:
If you work in the construction sector or heavy industry then health and safety risks are very evident and precautions are taken to safeguard staff and the public. In professional service sectors those health and safety risks may not be so obvious and could be overlooked especially in office based businesses. This month the theme of our Packed Lunch seminars has been Health and Safety for Professionals when I talk about what the law requires and how firms can keep staff safe.
The principal piece of safety legislation is the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The Act imposes a duty on employers to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees. A similar duty applies to employers in respect of non-employees such as the public and contractors. In relation to premises the Act imposes a duty on those in control of premises to ensue, so far as reasonably practicable, that they are safe and without risks to health. Offences can be committed by companies although, the regulators can also prosecute directors, partners and senior managers personally in some circumstances. Where a director is prosecuted the court can also prohibit them acting as a director for a specified period depending upon the severity of the offence.
You will note that the duties imposed by the Act are qualified by the term ‘so far as reasonably practicable’, but what does that mean? It does not mean physically possible and it does require some calculation to be made. For example, if the gravity of harm and the likelihood of it occurring (‘the risk’) outweigh the time, money and trouble of putting controls in place (‘the sacrifice’) then the control measures should be implemented as they are reasonably practicable.
All organisations, including professional service firms, should have a leader for health and safety. This may be a board director or partner who can champion health and safety within the organisation and drive safety performance. Some independent scrutiny on safety is also recommended in guidance issued jointly by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Institute of Directors. Such independent challenge could be through a specific non-executive director or external consultants appointed to regularly reviewing health and safety processes within the business.
Within the professional service sector health and safety risks can be present in the use of display screen equipment, cleaning chemicals used in the office, working remotely away from the office such as on site visits and asbestos depending upon the age of your office building. All these risks and any others identified should be subject to a risk assessment and recorded if your business has five or more employees.
If you require more information on health and safety matters then please contact Mark Stouph at MStouph@jacksons-law.comor call Mark on 01642 873 757 for specific guidance.
