The law says appoint a competent person. It does not say they have to be on your payroll.
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, every employer must appoint one or more competent people to help them meet their health and safety duties. It applies to every employer, whatever the size or sector. Failure to appoint can lead to prosecution.
What we do
A flexible service delivered project by project or on a retained basis. On the retained model we start with a health and safety gap analysis to establish the current position and what support is actually needed, then build the ongoing plan from the findings rather than from a standard package. Typical elements include a designated competent person as your named point of contact, an agreed number of consultancy days, tailored training, telephone and email support, out-of-hours emergency contact with priority response for contract clients, insured advice, and expert witness services for civil and criminal liability cases.
What you get
- A named competent person meeting the legal requirement
- Advice that is correct and accurate based on risk assessment or audit, current with regulations and standards, tailored to your sector, and practical rather than an overreaction to trivial issues
- An agreed allocation of consultancy days
- Telephone and email access to advisors
- Out-of-hours emergency contact
- Insured advice
Why it matters
Appointing an external competent person does not transfer the duty. It stays with you as the employer, which is exactly why the quality of the advice matters more than the fact of the appointment.
Why Vantify
Chartered health and safety professionals, and an independent view of your hazard identification, which tends to produce better outcomes than reviewing your own work.
0203 337 3575
enquiries@vantify.com