Sole Trader & Health & Safety Question

J

Joey

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Sole Trader & Health & Safety Question

New client (IT Field) has asked me to provide a

Health and Safety policy
Risk Assessment policy
Environmental policy

as part of their hiring of IT contractors

Anyone reccommend any advice, a H&S consultant etc

I was surprised that they would need te above from a one man show! On many previous occassions I only had to provide insurance details and agree to generic H&S items

Is this becoming the norm?

Joey
 
H&S

Hi,

From my own experience, these requirements are driven by their necessary compliance with their insurers, ISO, their clients etc....Alot is relevant, alot is ass-covering.

It's not rocket science, and by the nature of your industry, you could type each one up, sign them and forward them.

1.For the H&S policy (safety statement), you need to indicate on thge document, what all members of your staff (you) must comply with to protect themselves and your clients eg; use of CE compliant equipment. Safety and risk elimination in the workplace.

2.Risk assesment policy is studying what can go wrong, it's risk to you and your clients on a scale, and the contingincies you have in place. HACCP (hazard analysis Critical Control Points).

3. Environmental Policy. Type up a few lines and indicate your commitment to a conscientous policy on the environment and how your business effects it.

Hope this helps. Basically, these are policies which are templated elsewhere already, so don't spend a fortune on getting them compiled.
 
Sole Trader & Health & Safety Question

Thanks Michael,

You say " Basically, these are policies which are templated elsewhere already, so don't spend a fortune on getting them compiled"

Any hints as to where?

Joey
 
H&S

Hi, unfortunately not.

When I done one for a business I had, I basically got hold of one from another similar business, understood what was being required, and studied my business and adjusted as necessary.

How much is your time worth? Maybe getting a small H&S operator in. By chatting on the phone and describing your business, they should be able to give you a complete price.
 
Re: H&S

Yes, unfortunately the Health and Safety Authority does not provide this kind of information free of charge, which is a bit of a joke if you ask me. However if you want to pay their "reasonable" rates there are sample statements available. Check out their website at www.hsa.ie/
 
H&S

Very "Irish" isn't it? We already pay their wages!
 
Re: H&S

extopia said:
Yes, unfortunately the Health and Safety Authority does not provide this kind of information free of charge, which is a bit of a joke if you ask me. However if you want to pay their "reasonable" rates there are sample statements available. Check out their website at www.hsa.ie/
Click to expand...
I've downloaded this from the HSA website, but am still struggling to write a Risk Assessment and Safety Statement for my OH who is soon to be a sole trader, working from home in an office, with no employees.

It's a requirement to obtain a licence in his chosen field so we have to submit them.

Has anyone written these for someone working from a home office?

Any help or suggestions appreciated!
 
Re: Sole Trader & Health & Safety Question

could you pull from these?

[broken link removed]

[broken link removed]
 
Re: Sole Trader & Health & Safety Question

Thanks johndoe64, I'll have to cobble something together!
 
Re: Sole Trader & Health & Safety Question

hi im new to this site and just saw this post, I am a H&S Consultant (have just set up on my own) and would be more than happy to help you out, give me a PM if you still need help
 
Re: Sole Trader & Health & Safety Question

Hi i am looking for a safety cert, I see guys out there charging an arm and a leg for these things, Does anyone have any contacts?
 
Re: Sole Trader & Health & Safety Question

Hmm, so it’s ok to cut and paste from others Safety Statements?
This implies no serious consideration of the workplace, systems etc.

As a Chartered Safety Practitioner, with over 20 years experience its quiet annoying some of the advice above.

Usual replies when people ask about issues that they have no professional experience in is to seek an experts advice (legal, accountancy etc)

You should seek professional advice.

And I take particular delight in reviewing Safety Statements and rejecting them where they obviously reflect someone’s else’s business or set-up rather than the applicants.( I remember one 250 page monster safety statement-- quantity rather quality or make it so big it must be right!, that had a lovely cover and the worse case of bad photocopying I have ever seen with another firms name blocked out and the intended contractors details hand written in!)

Following an incident in the workplace, an investigation will seek the companies’ safety statement and any appropriate risk assessment. If you are a contractor the client company will use these documents to see if the incident is related to your practices and if your statement is variance with what you actually did well then its handed over to the legal departments to deal with.
Safety management is based on risk assessment and implementing control measures.
Plagiarising another’s work is hardly the approach a client will expect from an incoming contractor.

SHE( Safety Health and Environmental) is/should be just as important to a firm as their accountancy , quality control and all other departments. How often is the SHE role given to to an already over worked HR department or to some other department as another task to deal with.
And if you are the sole employee well now u can add SHE to your list of roles.

Re the H.S.A. charging for services!!!!, they don’t! Because they don’t supply a commercial service their role is advisory and enforcement. (There is a small charge for some publications but most are available as down loads for free.

Other sources of free and friendly advice

NISO, IOSH
 
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