As Business people we know that Statutory Health & Safety requirements have to be met and the legal necessity to ensure compliance rests squarely with the Proprietor / Partners / Directors / Trustees of each and every company or organisation.

The two main pieces of legislation – The Health and Safety at Work Act [HASW] 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Act [MHSW] 1999 govern what is required by each and every business or organisation within the United Kingdom. in order for them to comply with the government legislation on health and safety within the workplace.
Some parts of the legislation are very specific about what you have to do, however some can appear to be very general.

They give instruction requiring the company/organisation to do what is 'reasonably practicable' to ensure Health & Safety, unfortunately it is sometimes a grey area as to what is 'reasonably practicable'. The Health & Safety Commission [HSC] and the Health and Safety Executive [HSE] do publish very good guidelines and guidance leaflets to assist you to decide what this all means in practice.

It is important to note that – All employers must have a written, up-to-date Health & Safety policy if they employ five or more staff [including part-time staff]. they must have completed all the necessary Risk Assessments, recorded the findings and ensured actions taken to comply with the legislative requirements.

They must display the current Health & Safety Law poster, with the appropriate sections completed or give out the HSE leaflet, also display a current insurance certificate as required by the 'Employers' liability [compulsory insurance] Act 1969 if they employ anyone. [Nb.

For policies which were in force on 31st December 1998 or later you are obliged to retain your out-of-date certificates for at least 40 years]. You must have procedures in place to notify on certain types of injury, occupational disease and provide information, instruction and training to eliminate the possibility of accidents or incidents.

It is worth noting that every year about 600 people are killed at work and several hundred more are injured or suffer ill health. Many of these accidents occur because of a lack of knowledge and understanding of good practice and safe working procedures.

Statutory Health & Safety requirements have to be met, but accidents also cost money and time, people off work, material costs and damage to buildings, plants or products. These costs are not normally covered by insurance and can, if serious enough can jeopardise the stability of a business and the future of all concerned.

This National Health & Safety Company system and documents will give you a good understanding of what is required. not only to comply with the statutory regulations, but also protect the health of yourself, your colleagues and everyone who enters your work environment. We encourage you to take the time and study the contents and ensure they are reviewed on a regular basis.

The system is designed to assist you in removing some of the obstacles and hurdles faced in your endeavour to comply with all the statutory legislative regulations, both the current and future laws.