Checking for health and safety in businesses
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Construction (Design Management) Regulations 2007 place responsibilities on business owners to assess sub-contractors to ensure their health and safety is being addressed.
Legally, you cannot pass on these duties to another party although some business owners believe if they pass on an activity, they pass on the risk. This is not the case; if a sub-contractor has an accident you still have some responsibility and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) may consider you liable. The supplier will also be responsible, so it is in both your interests to reduce the likelihood of an accident happening.
How do you check the competence and compliance of your suppliers? Ask them. It is commonplace to have risk assessments requested by customers. You can produce a questionnaire that they can complete and would ask for details of:
- Health and safety policy.
- Insurance levels.
- Arrangements for health and safety - basically what they do to keep people safe.
- Sample risk assessments.
- Are they, or have they, been subject to HSE investigations?
- Details of the person, or external company, used for health and safety and their qualifications.
- Staff training.
- How staff get information and any workforce involvement,
- Health and safety performance, e.g. accident stats, how they monitor their legal compliance.
- How they investigate accidents.
- Do they agree to work within your own policy?
You may wish to leave the answer area blank and get them to fill it in or you may offer a checklist for them to tick and confirm they have the relevant information in place.
It is worthwhile getting them to confirm the information is correct and get it signed and dated. You would expect to see it signed by a director or suitably responsible person.
Once they have completed the questionnaire you need to review it to check everything is in place. If the information looks complete you can file it and move on, but if it not you will need to contact them and establish why the information is not up to standard.
It may also be necessary to monitor them whilst they are working for you. This may not always be practical but if you can see them in action it will give you an idea whether they are working to their own designated practices. In addition, it shows you are monitoring them and trying to ensure safe practices whilst they are working for you. Any issues raised from your monitoring should also be recorded so that you have evidence that you have taken reasonable measures to work safely.
If you complete these checks on the health and safety of your suppliers, you will be demonstrating legal compliance and help to promote a positive culture within your organisation and your suppliers.
--Safe2use
http://www.safe2use.com/health_safety_consultants_birmingham.html
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
BSRIA Statutory Compliance Inspection Checklist
BG80/2025 now significantly updated to include requirements related to important changes in legislation.
Shortlist for the 2025 Roofscape Design Awards
Talent and innovation showcase announcement from the trussed rafter industry.
OpenUSD possibilities: Look before you leap
Being ready for the OpenUSD solutions set to transform architecture and design.
Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2025
Highlighting the continuing threat to trades persons.
Retrofit of Buildings, a CIOB Technical Publication
Now available in Arabic and Chinese aswell as English.
The context, schemes, standards, roles and relevance of the Building Safety Act.
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
An outline of the bill with a mix of reactions on potential impacts from IHBC, CIEEM, CIC, ACE and EIC.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.