Competent Person
Competent Person
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires all employers to appoint a competent person to help them meet their legal duties under health and safety legislation.
The competent person must have the skills, knowledge, and experience to recognise hazards in your workplace and define the controls required to protect your workforce and others from harm.
At Ignis Risk Management, we may act as your competent person within a retained service tailored to your needs.
What is a competent person?
A competent person health and safety is an individual who has the knowledge, skills, experience, and training to identify existing and potential risks to health and safety in a workplace.
They have the authority to take necessary measures to reduce or eliminate any identified hazards. This includes carrying out risk assessments of the workplace, controlling identified risks, providing advice on safe systems of work, and ensuring that appropriate safety equipment is in use.
Why do I need a competent person?
Ultimately, you must get assistance from a competent person to enable you to meet the requirements of health and safety law.
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, it is an explicit requirement for employers to appoint a competent person(s) to help them fulfil their legal duties related to health and safety management and take all reasonable steps to keep people from harm.
When do I need a competent person?
Regardless of your size or sector, every organisation must have access to help from a competent person to ensure they are meeting the requirements of health and safety law.
It doesn’t matter if you have five employees, or whether you have several hundred. Plus, whether you’re a ‘low-risk’ office-based business, or a ‘high-risk’ construction business, you must appoint at least one person to fulfil this role.
What happens if I don’t have a competent person?
On top of putting employees’ lives at risk, organisations could lose a significant amount of working hours and productivity if they fail to address health and safety issues. In addition, there could be legal consequences, including prosecutions and fines from the Health and Safety Executive.
How can Ignis Risk Management help you?
The Health and Safety Executive explains that if an organisation is not confident in its ability to manage its health and safety responsibilities in-house, or if they are a ‘higher-risk’ business, they are able to appoint an external professional for competent health and safety advice.
At Ignis Risk Management, we will act as your competent person within a retained service tailored to your needs. By using our consultancy services, you can be reassured that risks in your workplace are managed correctly, whilst giving you the flexibility that you need.
Contact us to learn more about our Competent Person service.
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