Health and Safety
Purpose: A statutory requirement for all organisations employing five or more persons.
Key questions for the Buyer:
Is your organisation a safe one to do business with?
Typical Scoring/Assessment:
Typically Pass/Fail as this is a legislative requirement. Responses will be rejected if they cannot meet this requirement (unless you have less than five employees in which case you are not required by law to have a documented policy). Certain questions may be given a weighted scoring, for example the RIDDOR statistics will often be compared to the national average for an organisation of a similar size and industry, and your performance may be ranked on that basis.
Information typically requested:
- Health and Safety (H&S) Policy
- Details of your organisations health and safety advisor/consultant
- Details of any enforcement notices or prosecutions served on the organisation or any of its directors/managers by the HSE or Local Authority in the last 3 years.
Example supplementary questions you may also be asked:
- Details of the individuals with overall executive responsibility for H&S
- Details of the person responsible for carrying out risk assessments.
- RIDDOR statistics (number of fatalities, major injuries, reported cases of disease in the last three years).
- For Construction related contracts the Buyer may also include additional questions from the British Standards Specification PAS 91:2010 PQQ.
HANDY TIPS:
- Write a health and safety policy for your business which is signed and dated by the individual with overall executive responsibility for H&S for your organisation.
- Carry out and record findings of appropriate risk assessments.
- Record all RIDDOR incidents and details, including corrective actions taken.
- Make sure all employees understand the policy and have a copy.
- Review the policy annually and whenever there are changes in your business such as premises move or new equipment.
WHERE TO FIND SUPPORT: www.hse.gov.uk
