Competent person and Competent Person Support
Competent Person Role - Health and Safety Advice- Legal Advice
Every employer is required under law to appoint a Competent Person (or Competent Persons) to assist them meet their legal health and safety obligations. This means an employer must appoint someone competent to provide sound advice on all matters of health and safety. The appointment of someone to take on the Competent Person role is probably the most significant step that an employer can take when it comes to managing health and safety effectively. Without someone in the competent person role, providing competent health and safety advice it is difficult to see how any organisation can effectively manage health and safety.
Within the UK it is a mandatory legal duty to appoint a competent person or persons. An employer who has not made an appointment of a suitable person to fulfil the competent person role is in breach of a statutory duty under health and safety legislation and therefore becomes for criminal prosecution.
The appointed Competent Person may be an internal appointment supported by external expertise or an external appointment. In either case as professional health and safety consultants we can provide a competent person scheme or competent person support scheme so that you are able to meet this most fundamental obligation.
Competent Person Scheme
In the Competent Person Scheme The employer appoints Active Safety Associates health and safety consultants to act as their competent person and fufills the competent person role. This may be a very suitable option for small businesses who do not have the resources, or who do not have someone sufficient competent in health and safety, to make an internal appointment . Active Safety Associates will then liaise with the employer and provide competent health and safety advice on an ongoing basis. It is important that the employer keeps Active Safety Associates regularly updated on company activities and changes so that the appointed competent person can appropriately assist them. Active Safety Associates will provide guidance on all aspects of the scheme.
Competent Person Support Scheme
In the Competent Person Support Scheme The employer makes an appointment of one of their own employees who has suitable competence in health and safety management. The employer identifies the areas where their internal appointee requires specific support in the competent person role with respect to health and safety matters such as health and safety advice on a specific topic such as management systems, asbestos, construction work, etc . The competent person then liaises with Active Safety Associates health and safety consultants who provide competent advice on specific topics on an as required basis.The main differences between the competent person scheme and the competent person supports scheme are outlined below
|
