Health and safety law applies to ALL businesses – no matter how small!
And with construction ranking near the top of the dangerous jobs list, it’s important to make sure precautions are taken – every step of the way.
Even if you’re a small company, you have a duty of care to keep your employees and the public safe on site – and yes that even includes plastering a room! Use HBXL’s health and safety software to make sure you are complying.
Failure to adhere to health and safety law could mean you stand to lose a substantial amount of money. Fines, Fees for Intervention and prosecution costs, as well as loss of earnings from site hold-ups, loss of reputation or closures really can affect your cashflow – and the future of your business! ALL businesses, by law, must:
- Enforce a Company Health and Safety Policy – and have it written down if you employ five or more people
- Carry out Risk Assessments – and record them if five or more people are employed by you
- Carry out COSHH Assessments – and keep a record of them if you employ five or more people
- It is a legal requirement under CDM 2015 to have an active Construction Phase Health & Safety Plan – your customer should not allow your project to start without one as it is now a LEGAL REQUIREMENT for ALL projects – although its content should be proportionate to the complexity of the project
- Under CDM 2015 all projects must have a Pre-Construction Information document prepared for the project – it’s a client duty, but if you’re working for a domestic client, the duty will pass on to you! (More in this article)
- Incidents on site MUST be reported to the HSE under the RIDDOR Act and recorded in an Accident and Incident Record
Even if you’re a small builder and don’t have to produce as much paperwork, you still have the legal obligation to carry out all of these tasks.
And with the arrival of CDM 2015 health and safety has really stepped up. The new regulations apply to maintenance work where it involves building or construction of any kind. So, if you’re changing a boiler, plastering a room, refitting a kitchen, building a porch or carrying out an extension – you must follow CDM 2015 Regulations! We’re not talking about notifications of jobs (F10) – this is a CDM 2015 requirement.
If you’re still trying to get your head around CDM 2015, we’ve put together a handy guide to help.
HBXL’s health and safety software, Health & Safety Xpert works as a great health and safety prompt – it produces all the paperwork you need, serving as a reminder of what tasks you’ll need to carry out for every job you start.
Just enter your job details and the software automatically assesses all the risks on site. All you have to do is follow its guidance and implement the correct precautions on site!
