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11 March 2010

• Risk Assessment
• 'Electrical Safety and You'

• HSE

Health and Safety - FAQs

Disclaimer
These questions and answers are intended to provide general guidance. They should not be regarded as an exhaustive definitive statement of the law.

1. Why don't you ever make appointments when you inspect my business premises?
2. Is it true that all accidents and injuries have to be reported?
3. Someone told me I had to have all my electrical equipment tested annually. Is that right?
4. I don't understand why I have to write my risk assessment down. I'm only a small business and I know what's safe and what isn't?
5. Do I have to appoint Staff Safety Reps and let them sit in on management meetings?

1. Why don't you ever make appointments when you inspect my business premises? We do make appointments from time to time. Generally speaking, we are told to visit unannounced to obtain a true snapshot of your health and safety. This is not designed to 'catch you out' as our general approach is to help and guide you towards compliance with the law. But we will make appointments if we need to see someone in particular, such as a health and safety manager in the business, or if we need to examine a particular activity or piece of equipment. As our inspections are becoming more focused on the health and safety risks and activities that are known to cause serious problems nationally, we often need to spend several hours on site. In these situations, it’s only fair to give you notice, so that you can prepare for the visit and have the relevant information and people available to assist us.

2. Is it true that all accidents and injuries have to be reported? No.

As a general rule, only serious accidents, injuries, occurrences and ill-health, arising ‘out of or in connection with work’ need to be reported. If you broke a leg when you fell because you weren’t looking where you were going, this is not reportable. However, if you fell because of a defective or slippery floor, or an obstruction in an aisle, this would be work-related and reportable.

The accidents that you need to report are

• ones that result in serious injuries, such as fatality, broken bones, unconsciousness
• those where a member of the public is taken straight to hospital
• those where an employee is off work for more than three days as a result

You also need to notify certain dangerous occurrences, such as explosion, fire, or the overturning of work equipment, such as a fork lift truck.

You can report an accident in the following ways:

•    By telephone:  0845 300 9923
•    Via the Internet: www.riddor.gov.uk
•    By fax: 0845 300 9924
•    By e-mail: riddor@natbrit.com
•    By sending form F2508 by post to:

Incident Contact Centre
Caerphilly Business Centre
Caerphilly
CF83 3GG

For further information, you can request a copy of this Department’s own guidance on RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations 1995 by clicking here.

HSE Books also have a free leaflet HSE 31(rev1) on RIDDOR.

3. Someone told me I had to have all my electrical equipment tested annually. Is that right? Not necessarily.
All employers have a duty to maintain their electrical systems and appliances in a safe condition. As electricity cannot be seen, this normally means that some form of checking or testing is required.

For ring mains and the general electrical system and wiring, we reciommend a full electrical test by a competent electrician at least every 5 years.

For appliances with a plug, the type and frequency of testing depends on the type and age of the equipment, how often it is used, and in what environment. A computer on a desk in a warm office won't need to be checked as often as an electric drill used out on a building site.

With equipment inside buildings, you can caryy out visual checks on plug socket outlets, plugs, and cables to see if they are sound. You can also check to see if plugs are wired and fused correctly. But only if you are competent to do so. You will also need a procedure for removing any appliance that you believe to be faulty or dangerous, so that no one runs the risk of being injured.

You should always record details of these visual checks so you can demonstrate that you have carried them out.

Electrical testing by a competent electrician can then be carried out periodically to supplement your visual checks.

You can also get further details by contacting HSE books and asking for the free leaflet IND(G) 231 (L) - 'Electrical Safety and You'.

4. I don't understand why I have to write my risk assessment down. I'm only a small business and I know what's safe and what isn't? The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 make it a duty to record the significant points of a risk assessment if you have five or more employees.

But this doesn’t mean you need a four-volume manual if you have a small business with few high-risk activities. The whole idea of risk assessment is to make common sense judgements on the degree of risk to health and safety posed by work activities.

A risk assessment is not simply spotting hazards and putting them right. You need to identify the hazards and whom they may affect. You must determine how many people could be put at risk and to what degree. Then, you must assess the controls you have in place and whether you need any more.

This is much easier to do if you put things down on paper, or on computer. You can then work logically and sensibly, making accurate judgements that will improve the workplace and working environment. Your records will also help you demonstrate compliance with the law.

In many cases, you will find you have the risk under control. But do your employees know this? Are members of the public, or contractors, who may be affected by your work aware of the potential risks? The best way to keep employees and those who could be affected advised is to have the details in writing.

This Department’s own guide to risk assessment is available by clicking here. If you want further information, ‘Five Steps to Risk Assessment’ is a free leaflet available from HSE Books.

 

5. Do I have to appoint Staff Safety Reps and let them sit in on management meetings? Consultation is at the heart of good health and safety. While safety rules, measures and procedures can be imposed, good employers know that these work best if employees understand and support them. In addition, workers often know how to improve safety and efficiency, saving you time and money.

Legally speaking, all employers have a duty to consult with their employees on matters that may affect their health and safety. In particular, you must

• Inform employees of any changes which may affect their health and safety
• Inform them of your arrangements for getting competent people to assist you
• Provide information on the risks and dangers at work, and the measures taken to reduce or remove them
• Consult on the planning of health and safety training
• Inform employees of the health and safety implications of new technology

You must either consult directly with employees, or through representatives elected by the staff or appointed by a recognised trade union. How you meet and discuss issues is a matter of agreement between you and your employees.

For further information, leaflet IND(G)232L – Consulting Employees on Health and Safety, is available from HSE Books