Why do you need a Competent Person?

As an employer, you must “appoint one or more competent person to assist” with health and safety – it’s the law.

So, where does it say that? well, Regulation 7 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 states

“Every employer shall appoint one or more competent persons to assist him in undertaking health and safety management”

But that’s not the only reason to get safety competent advice. We know that you’re not in business to hurt people, and getting health and safety management right will help to protect your team. It also makes good business sense.

Making people ill at work, injuring or even killing them, can be costly – not just in terms of business losses, but reputation damage too. Making sure you get good advice can save you money in the long run.

You can get advice in-house, from a professional outside your organisation, or a combination of both. What’s important is that it comes from someone who’s competent.

Here is a definition of Competence.

‘Competence’ is a mixture of experience, skills, knowledge and qualifications in the service that a health and consultant is offering.

Does anyone in your organisation step up to the mark? if not, you may need help from a Competent Person.

So when do you need a Competent Persons?

It’s usually best to get someone in-house to deal with health and safety, as they know a lot about your business and operations.

Of course, in small organisations, it’s not always possible to get someone internal to look after health and safety.

And even if you have in-house help, getting independent advice from an external health and safety consultant can be invaluable, whatever the size of your organisation.

There could also be times when you need help to cover areas outside the skills, experience or resources of your in-house team. For example, if you want to:

• Help with general health and safety management
• introduce new products, processes or procedures
• give your staff training
• investigate incidents
• have an independent audit carried out
• use chemicals safely
• test samples – say, for asbestos or legionella.

An affordable Competent Person Service from as little as £45.00 pm

No two business are the same that’s why we can offer you a tailored Competent Person Service that meets your business needs and budget – Speak to our Consultant to day on 0121 249 1281 or contact us through our website here Competent Person Service to see how we can help you.

About David Cant

A chartered (fellow) safety and risk management practitioner with 20+ years of experience. David provides a healthy dose of how-to articles, advice and guidance to make compliance easier for construction professionals, Architects and the built environment. Get social with David on Twitter and Linkedin.