Expert Advice
Jan 1, 2010
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a statement aimed at companies such as Wilby Ltd, who provide external health & safety advice. This statement recognises the need for such organisations but also lays down the HSE’s expectations of external providers.
In the statement, the HSE recognises that external providers deliver an essential service to employers where their own resources are insufficient.
The aim should be to help employers manage risk sensibly, by focussing on reducing real risks, both those which arise more often and those with serious consequences.
External advisors should be competent, hold relevant knowledge, skills and experience; the ability to apply these appropriately, and the necessary training.
The HSE requires that the advice should be
- right - based on a correct assessment of the risk and taking account of any established standards and good practice
- tailored - aimed at the specifics of the workplace, based on industry specific experience and using the knowledge of the management and workers at the particular workplace.
- sensible - concentrating on reasonably practicable actions to control significant risks and not pursuing paperwork as an end in itself.
Importantly, it is recognised that competence and value for money are demonstrated by quality and clarity of practical advice, not by volume of paperwork.
In a separate document, the HSE have also given advice to people using the services of external advisors. For this partnership to be successful, several arrangements should be in place from the outset.
When an external advisor is approached to assist with those things a company cannot do for itself, the advisor should be given a clear understanding and explanation of what is required.
The specialist should be selected on grounds of being able to solve the particular problem by showing:
- relevant training/knowledge, such as formal qualifications
- practical experience of the industry/activities
- membership of a relevant professional body Wilby Ltd’s approach to providing external advice is to give practical advice focused on the specific client’s needs without producing vast quantities of paperwork.
Our team of consultants has wide industry experience and maintains competence through a programme of continual professional development. It is important an organisation thoroughly checks out the advisor to avoid sub- standard, ineffective and generic advice.
