Seems I've been made the company's Safety Officer...

Would it not make sense to approach the H & S consultancy firm currently employed by the company & advise them that you have been arbitrarily appointed safety officer.

You should point out that you obviously never consented to this appointment as even if you were consulted you are woefully short of experience & training in this area .

Hopefully such action would colour the consultants approach to your boss.

Is there any Union to whom you could turn ? - although judging by what management seem to be able to get away with it would appear not
 
A lot of scare mongering going on here,

Its a small company, probably does not have resources to Hr departments etc...
I see your roll as more H&S contact. Full stop. You are working in the admin section, embrace it. You agreed to help organise the training, if I were you boss, I would have also assumed you the position of H&S officer/contact.

You could spend all day splitting hairs about this roll, I know its not pandering to you, but its how I see it.
 
LS400 said:
A lot of scare mongering going on here,
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I really don't think so.

There will be future accidents, thats in the nature of mechanical contracting.

In the event of an investigation the HSA will ask who the safety officer is.

An email circulated to all staff announcing that the OP is the safety officer will carry some weight.
 
LS400 said:
A lot of scare mongering going on here,

Its a small company, probably does not have resources to Hr departments etc...
I see your roll as more H&S contact. Full stop. You are working in the admin section, embrace it. You agreed to help organise the training, if I were you boss, I would have also assumed you the position of H&S officer/contact.

You could spend all day splitting hairs about this roll, I know its not pandering to you, but its how I see it.
Click to expand...
Terrible advice- the law in this area gives you personal liability and there has been a bad accident in the company already. Act now. None of this wait and see malarkey. An accident could happen today.
 
You can see the list of HSA prosecutions under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (guide to the act here.) These are criminal proceedings, not to be treated lightly.
 
You cant as an employer, just make somebody Safety Officer, and exonerate all, bar this person for any issues that arise. It would be like making some one an Airline Pilot and saying now go fly a plane.

A H&S contact, completely different. I believe its lost on the wording.
 
LS400 said:
You cant as an employer, just make somebody Safety Officer, and exonerate all, bar this person for any issues that arise. It would be like making some one an Airline Pilot and saying now go fly a plane.
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That's true, but the assigned person does inherit personal liability with the [broken link removed]. They won't be solely liable, but that's likely of little consolation.
 
To appoint someone as H&S officer without consultation & training by their employer says more about the employer than the employee. This role is a minefield, in the event of an accident. The HSA will disect everything, if a prosecution should happen then directors would be in the firing line as they made an appointment within their own company without due process to train the individual to do a job that carries great responsibility. If the person feels they are not competent to do the job then ask the employer how they arrived at the conclusion that you are indeed competent to do the job. Competence = Training, Knowledge and experience.
 
Slaps16 said:
To appoint someone as H&S officer without consultation & training by their employer says more about the employer than the employee. This role is a minefield, in the event of an accident. The HSA will disect everything, if a prosecution should happen then directors would be in the firing line as they made an appointment within their own company without due process to train the individual to do a job that carries great responsibility. If the person feels they are not competent to do the job then ask the employer how they arrived at the conclusion that you are indeed competent to do the job. Competence = Training, Knowledge and experience.
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I agree but there is no legal requirement for minimum training or qualifications to be a safety officer (unlike, say, an airline pilot).
We have trained First Aid staff, people trained on how to use our defibrillator, people trained as fire marshals etc. but no specific training for the Safety Officer.
 
What is a competent person?
Competence.web.jpg

According to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, a person is deemed to be a competent person where, having regard to the task he or she is required to perform and taking account of the size or hazards (or both of them) of the undertaking or establishment in which he or she undertakes work, the person possesses sufficient training, experience and knowledge appropriate to the nature of the work to be undertaken.


http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Topics/Managi...t_and_Risk_Assessment/#Whatisacompetentperson



Marion
 
Specific training is one thing, being deemed competent by your employer without training being provided is crazy, absolutely crazy and I would resist this role at all costs. However that's easy for me to say sitting here.
 
A long time since an update, I know, but here's one; I quit.

There were more things that cropped up, he told me to dock pay from staff who didn't fill in Risk Assessment forms, etc and to inform them of same. (illegal madness) That was the final straw, I just got a new job and ran off.

Thank you all for your advice, it was what I needed.
 
Yep, good decision Vincent. There are plenty of jobs out there that don't come with that sort of baggage.
 
Forget the baggage. I'd be more worried about the criminal record likely to result from working for someone that bad.
 
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