Not only is it a legal duty, but it makes basic business sense to appoint individuals within your organisation to assist in meeting your health and safety legal duties. There are a number of legally enforced appointments detailed in specific Regulations; the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations to name but a few. Here is a little guidance on what the appointments mean to the employer:
What a competent person does
They should have the skills, knowledge and experience to be able to recognise hazards in your business and assist you in developing and implementing sensible controls in place to protect workers and others from harm.
Qualifications and training
Certain regulations enforce the need to have qualifications and training to ensure the application of hazard identification and risk control is suitable and sufficient for the activities to which they relate. Other environments may not have an essential training need and as such may not bring a legal connotation to the appointed person. However, it is always good practice to provide any health and safety training to employees fostering a companywide risk management culture within the organisation.
Who you can appoint
You could appoint (one or a combination of):
- yourself
- one or more of your workers
- someone from outside your business
Usually, managing health and safety isn’t complicated and you can do it yourself with the help of your workers. You know your workplace best and the risks associated with it.
If there’s a competent person within your workforce, use them rather than a competent person from outside your business.
Using a consultant or adviser
If your business or organisation doesn’t have the competence to manage health and safety in-house, for example, if it’s large, complex or high risk, you can seek assistance for an external source. But remember, as the employer, managing health and safety will still be your legal duty.
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