Hints and tips for your health and safety assessment
Don’t let remote working stop your business from recording and updating its health & safety systems. With technology at our disposal, it’s becoming easier to document, record and sign information. Remember to ask your competent health and safety consultant for advice and templates if you have one. Alternately you can use the HSE website that has an abundance of free resources to help with some of the areas below so you can complete your SMAS accreditation as quickly as possible.
H&S Policy
When the senior person is reviewing the company health and safety policy, an electronic signature is just as suitable as a hand-signed signature. This saves time and resources by mitigating the printing of documents and scanning.
If an organisation has employees and labour personnel that equate to five personnel or more, a full health and safety policy would be required. This includes the statement of intent, responsibilities and arrangements sections.
Monitoring
Monitoring and communication can be done through electronic means, monitoring of equipment such as DSE or equipment checks on a tablet, laptop or phone can be an effective tool; with an electronic signature as proof when conducted or taking a photo on your phone is an alternative means.
Training Plan
Recording your training can be done in numerous ways such as a training plan on an excel sheet, a CPD Plan or recording it on your Google calendar for refresher training; ensure you take a print screen for your submission if you are using the latter option. This demonstrates that the company understands the employee’s needs when recording training.
Training
Training arrangements is a dynamic process; it is hard when personnel are away on jobs or holiday. Organisations can provide health and safety training booking confirmation by a competent health and safety consultant or training establishment. This demonstrates that your organisation has processes in place for continuous personnel development.
Communication
When communicating health and safety information with your workforce, record those who were at the meeting. The senior person can then electronically sign off all those who were present. This method is also useful when recording employees and subcontractors who are not available, by emailing the documentation and asking for their e signature as confirmation also ensures personnel understood the content. An alternative means of communications could be emails submitted to personnel on health and safety matters, this can also be provided as evidence if working away from the office.
If you have any questions on the assessment process, please don’t hesitate to ask for guidance on your assessment prior to submission. The SMAS assessors are happy to discuss your assessment, providing guidance as necessary to understand how your company operates and therefore be legally compliant.
Go beyond Health & Safety
SMAS also offer more than just health and safety accreditation. They also offer a Preferred Supplier package which gives your business recognition for some of the practices you may already have in place, such as environmental and anti-bribery & corruption.
This will show contractors your business takes these areas seriously and could help in making you rise above other companies when they’re looking for subcontractors to work on their sites.
