Professionals & Offices Sector – Useful Health & Safety Information

Why Health & Safety Is Important To This Sector

Offices are generally low risk environments but there is always a potential for injury and ill-health. Wet floors, trailing leads, damaged carpets etc can all lead to slips, trips and falls which cause countless injuries each year. Stress and ergonomic factors also pose significant risks. You should also give consideration to when workmen are working within your business as this can often increase the risks.

Situation Where You Might Need Health & Safety Support

Health and Safety is about sensible, proportionate actions that protect people, not unnecessary bureaucracy. There are some areas of offices that you may need external help with, such as maintenance and testing of passenger lifts, and control measures surrounding Legionnella bacteria in water systems. In many cases a 'generic risk assessment' taking into consideration the whole office will be all that is necessary.

Actions You May Need To Take

Ensure you hold Employers Liability Insurance and display the certificate in a public area
Make sure you have someone competent to help you meet your health and safety duties
Decide how you're going to manage health and safety within your business
Decide what could harm people and what precautions you need to take
Ensure Display Screen Equipment (DSE)assessments are undertaken and relevant controls implemented
Provide health and safety training to your workers
Display the health and safety law poster
Report certain work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences

NatWest Mentor can help you with all of these aspects – be it through auditing your current documents, liaising with and supporting your appointed Competent Person, providing 24/7 advice or providing training.

Result Of Doing/Not Doing Something

Health and safety laws will be enforced by an enforcement officer from your local council. Inspectors and enforcement officers are legally empowered to;

Visit workplaces without notice
Investigate accidents or complaints and inspect safety, health and welfare aspects of your business
Talk to employees and safety representatives, take photographs and samples
Receive co-operation and answers to questions

If there is a problem, they may issue a formal notice requiring improvements or, where serious danger exists, a notice that prohibits the use of a process or equipment. For the most serious breaches of health and safety law, they may prosecute a firm or an individual (or report to the Procurator Fiscal with a view to prosecution in Scotland).

NatWest Mentor can support you in ensuring you workplace is safe and complies with legislation. By helping you instil a safety culture through providing the correct documentation and working with your staff to get them confident about Risk Assessments, as well as supporting you with a 24/7 advice line, you can be confident you are in the best position to keep your workers safe.