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Here are some answers to general Health and Safety questions that we've been recently asked:

What is the law on having a Health and Safety Policy?

You must have a written Health and Safety Policy if in total you employ more than 5 persons, even if those persons may be employed on a part time basis, under 5 employees you still have to comply.

What's the law on carrying out risk assessments?

Two levels of risk assessment emerge from studying the law and from Health & Safety Executive ( HSE ) guidance:

Risk assessments arising from considering ALL of your activities and associated hazards - these are General Risk Assessments -  or

Risk assessments in response to well-known hazards and specific legislation (Specific Risk Assessments e.g. Display Screen Equipment assessments, Manual Handling assessments etc.)

We don't have risks, so we don't need to do anything - right?

Wrong!  -  Firstly, there's probably no such thing as a totally risk free working environment,  even using PC's can lead to injuries if their use is uncontrolled.

Secondly, even if you are in a low risk environment, you'll still need to have a Health and Safety Policy, consult and train your staff if you employ people, look after contractors and  plan for emergencies and ensure Compliance.

Why can't we just out source our Health and Safety management to you?

Health and safety is a line management responsibility, and one that can't be totally outsourced to an external consultancy no matter how often they visit ( besides which, not many companies would appreciate a consultant coming in, changing methods of work, purchasing equipment, re-writing job descriptions etc.! )

However, we make the whole business of managing health and safety much easier for you through applying our years of experience of giving useful, practical health and safety advice,  solutions and on site practical help.

Do I Legally have to train lift truck and plant operators?

Yes – The Legislation covering this is:  The HASAW Act 1974 and Regulations PUWER and LOLER, these Laws require that every employer ensures that all persons who use Lift Trucks and other machinery, as well as those who supervise their use, have received adequate training and must give them periodic refreshers.

Do I have to keep records for qualified & Certified Operators?

Most certainly records need to be kept a minimum of 5 Years (these would be superceded by a new one if the operators are refreshed after 3 Years, as is standard practice in many companies today) as proof of training and competence, they may well be requested if an accident should happen.

When does a qualified operators licence expire?

It doesn’t. Actually expire – But this said it is common practice to ensure that a company’s Health & Safety standards are maintained and the workplace kept safe, by providing as the Law says, continuous and periodic refresher training, usually and according to the current Codes of Practice, every 3 - 5 Years, this is the minimum standard which should be attained, although remedial training may be required before this, if an operator has been involved in an accident or near miss.

Does a Licence  to drive one type of truck mean I can drive all other types of lift trucks as well?

No . You will need separate training on each type of truck in the form of a conversion or familiarisation course and a certificate once training is complete for each category of truck the employee will be Authorised to drive.

Do I need to do Pre-Use checks and document them ?

Yes - Pre-Use checks are Statutory in accordance with current Legislation, it is also a very  good idea to document them so that you can prove they have been done and have an audit trail, that you are maintaining the truck properly and keeping it safe, it can always save you money as well by, preventative maintenance.

Written Authorisation of Operators

Although the operator may have a current Certificate to operate the machine in question, the Employer also needs give each operator written Authorisation to operate on their premises.