Door Industry Journal - Winter 2013

69 THE door industry journal summer 2013 employment & legal Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk ‘HEALTH AND SAFETY’ - IS IT REALLY THE MONSTER THAT IT’S SO OFTEN PORTRAYED TO BE? Rob Slater from Clearwater Safety Solutions puts the essential requirements into perspective in plain English and allays some myths. The three little words that are almost guaranteed to make any business owner grate his teeth in frustration. Whenever I am asked what I do for a living, invariably the response to learning I am a health and safety consultant is along the lines of ‘there’s way too much of it’ or ‘it’s only common sense...’ I’m sure that we would all like to think of ourselves as sensible, able to spot a hazard in our work place, and to work in a manner which will not endanger ourselves or anyone else. But unfortunately so many people seem to leave these abilities behind when they go to work, and they proceed to do things that baffle. The picture here shows a very makeshift working platform erected by a painter who I was informed “... has been doing this for years, and he knows what he is doing.” If only he did actually know what he is doing... He may realise that falls from height are still the biggest cause of serious injury and death in industry. And one slip from that single board, or from the other ladder he had leaning at 45º over a tiled roof could mean the end of his working life - or worse. So what is health and safety really all about? Well let’s start with what it isn’t. Despite what some sections of the media love to print, ‘elf and safety is not there to stop you working, or to stop you having fun. What it is there to do is to keep you and your employees safe while they are at work, and if you have people coming to your place of work it’s about making sure that they are safe too whether they are visiting sales reps or delivery drivers, or even paying customers. Managing Health and Safety in the workplace need not be the monster it is often portrayed. If you work on an oil rig then health and safety is understandably at the top of the ‘to do’ list and needs to be comprehensive. But if your work is about fitting or maintaining garage doors or installing locks for instance, you don’t need a massive set of written policy documents and reams of risk assessments every time you go to a job. The important thing to remember is whatever you have in place needs to be proportionate to the hazards and risks you or your staff will face. One of the many misconceptions is that health and safety only applies to companies over a certain size, so one man bands or very small businesses need not bother about it. While it is true that a company will only need to have a written health and safety policy and other documents once it has five or more employees, the rules and regulations apply to all businesses, all workplaces. But it can be a very useful tool for all businesses to have basic safety documentation, and to do basic written assessments for the works they do. And if your work takes you onto any type of construction site you will probably be required to produce these documents - and much more, before they will let you out of your van... But try not to gnash your teeth too hard - health and safety is there to keep you safe. For more information on the services that Clearwater Safety Solutions can offer your business, visit their website at www.clearwater-safety.co.uk or give Rob Slater a call on 01825 710002. www.clearwater-safety.co.uk Clearwater Safety Solutions are health and safety consultants who understand the needs of SMEs. We know you need to work, we are here to help and not hinder you. WE CAN DO THE FOLLOWING:- • We can write or update your Health and Safety Statement, Policy, and the Arrangements and Procedures documents. • We can be your 'Competent Person'. • We can carry out your risk assessments and give sensible recommendations for any remedial works. • We can carry out your Fire Risk Assessment and generate the Action Plan. • We can carry out a premises safety survey and generate a report with sensible recommendations. • We can offer sensible safety solutions to manual handling, working at height, COSHH etc.