Sometimes in this busy working environment we lose site of the basic requirements to keep our businesses running safely, or we forget the reason behind some of the rules and legislation we are constantly bombarded with.  HSE have produced a timely reminder of the basic requirements for managing your health and safety at work and we have reproduced it here for our members.

Looking After Your Business

You must protect the health and safety of your workers and others who might be affected by you work. Health and safety is about sensible, proportionate actions that protect people - not unnecessary bureaucracy and paperwork.

This 10-point list produced by HSE shows some of the key actions required by law that apply to nearly every business. There are exemptions, but as a rule all business should be meeting the following requirements.

1. Register a new business with the Health and Safety Executive or your local authority, depending on the sort of business you have.
2. Take out Employers' Liability Compulsory Insurance and display the certificate.
3. Make sure you have someone competent to help you meet your health and safety duties. This does not have to be an external consultant.
4. Decide how you are going to manage health and safety. This is your health and safety policy.
5. Decide what could harm people and what precautions to take. This is your risk assessment. You must act on the findings of you risk assessment, by putting sensible controls in place to prevent accidents and ill health and making sure they are followed.
6. Provide basic welfare facilities, such as toilets, washing facilities and drinking water.
7. Provide free health and safety training for your workers.
8. Consult your workers on health and safety.
9. Display the health and safety law poster or give workers a leaflet with the information.
10. Report some work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences.

All the areas above are covered within the website and we offer the support of our 'Ask the Expert' Panel should you come across difficulties or should you need clarification on a specific area.