Not necessarily - it is the implementation of the policy that counts. You must do more than just pay lip service to health and safety. For example, if you see an employee failing to comply with safety requirements, the employee should be reprimanded and warned that repeated failure will lead to disciplinary action.

You need to ensure that whoever oversees health and safety in your business is 'competent' to do so. This will include general awareness of the legal requirements. This employee will need to be adequately trained.

Depending on your circumstances, it may be appropriate for the employee to have, or be working towards, a suitable qualification. Similarly, whether you need expert help will depend on your circumstances and the level of in-house expertise. A small business working from office premises may find it relatively easy to meet its health and safety obligations. A business with a factory, by contrast, might need substantial advice on regulations, as well as specialist assistance in assessing specific hazards.

You must display the poster 'Health and Safety Law: What you should know' or distribute copies of the leaflet to all employees.

There are different versions of the poster and leaflets available to buy or download for free from the HSE website (if you still have copies of the pre-2009 versions, these must be replaced).

In addition, you should use safety signs where appropriate.

A competent person is someone who has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities that allow them to assist you properly. The level of competence required will depend on the complexity of the situation and the particular help you need.

We can write your PQQ bid for you. Our Bid Writers can help you with your PQQ tender writing as they are experts. They know what is expected and can take the stress out of your hands. You can continue with your usual responsibilities whilst they handle the tender.

The manual handling load course is how to lift and move objects correctly, and client manual handling is the moving of people. We provide training in both aspects.

Yes, if you need to cancel the course for any reason, please let us know as soon as possible. The following charges will apply (as stated in our Terms and Conditions):

More than 27 days notice of cancellation – NIL

Between 14 – 27 days notice of cancellation – 50% of course fee payable

Less than 14 days notice – 100% of course fee payable

No, but a competent person is required. We offer Fire Marshal training to ensure your staff are competent including the use of live fire

COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. It is legislation that covers chemical safety in workplaces. Our COSHH course is suitable for all members of staff who require a basic understanding of hazardous substances in the workplace.

 When the Emergency First Aid at work certificate runs out, renewing it would mean completing the same 1 day course. However, when the 3 day First Aid at work certificate runs out, a delegate can complete the 2 day First Aid at work requalification, providing that they complete this course no longer than 28 days after their certificate has expired.

The Paediatric First Aid covers training on infants (up to 1 year old) and children up to puberty.

Yes, we offer in-house training at our clients’ premises or a suitable location, as well as at our training centre in Abercynon. Your venue will need to have space for the delegates to sit for the theory sessions as well as any appropriate space for the practical sessions.

Please note that we will need access to the venue at least ½ an hour before training starts to set up. We will need a contact name and telephone number for the day of training, as well as prior notification if you have parking for the trainer, a laptop, TV, flip chart, data projector or other relevant equipment. For venues, more than 25 miles from Abercynon, there will be a travel charge, so please speak to us for the costs on this.

Yes, you will receive a certificate for your course. These are normally posted to the company after the course completion. This will either be an external awarding body certificate, or an Acorn Health & Safety certificate, depending on the course.

Yes. A Smoke detector is required on each floor of the property. A Carbon Monoxide detector is also required if solid fuel is being burned. 

Depends on the premises, so consider size of premises, use of location and nature. You do need a way of alerting people to the presence of a fire. 

It is the responsibility of the employer (or self-employed person) to provide the appropriate PPE required to carry out your job safely.

Not, all accidents need reporting, however some specified injuries, deaths, seven-day injuries and those to members of the public do. www.riddor.gov.uk

No, but, you must keep records in a confidential manner, however this could be electronically, a form or similar depending on the requirements of your business.

If you employ five or more members of staff your health and safety policy should be in writing?

Yes, we can and full support with one scheme is included within your “Hassle Free” retained consultancy service or alternatively we offer a reduced Hassle Free service for SSIP schemes. We will help you gain and maintain SSIP approval with the likes of CHAS, SMAS, EXOR, Construction Line, FASET, Safe Contractor and Acclaim. We have extensive experience in this area, create all documentation with this in mind and importantly fulfil the role of “competent safety advisors.”

We have registered nurses who are able to assist you with policies and procedures as well as the practicable assistance of complex manual handling needs.

These should be looked at regularly and altered after any company changes, incidents or accidents. We offer Risk Assessment training to help you keep them valid. 

For those who are unsure, let’s cover what a PQQ tender is. A PQQ tender is a bid that includes a PQQ as the first stage of the tendering process. A PQQ stands for Pre-Qualification Questionnaire. Before a buyer invites businesses to tender, they will send out a PQQ. This is a way of getting general information from potential suppliers and seeing which ones are suitable.

We have a wide variety of forms from beekeeping to working in sterile hospital conditions, so we will do our best to assist you with your bespoke needs. We will spend time understanding your requirements and work with you to generate paperwork to assist you in your best practice.

We have a fire risk assessment declaration we will send you prior to the fire risk assessment which covers information on smoke detectors, the number and locations of fire extinguishers and contact information for your maintenance companies etc.

All commercial premises, including common areas of some residential premises require a fire risk assessment.

If changes are made to work activity, tenants, work layout, occupancy, nature of the premises use.

This is dependant of the size of property and if a full Fire Risk assessment if required or just the communal areas.

Typically, the owner, employer or occupier of a premises is responsible for the fire safety. All workplaces, commercial properties and other buildings the public have access to must have a fire safety risk assessment carried out.