Health and Safety Competent Person
Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone who works or visits your business premises is not only a moral obligation, it is a legal one too.
Every business must appoint what is known as a ‘competent person’ to oversee health and safety matters, and at Lanahan Risk Management Services, we can fulfil this role for you.
What is a Competent Person in health and safety?
In health and safety terms, a Competent Person is someone who has sufficient training, experience and knowledge to help an organisation comply with health and safety laws to keep people safe.
The level of competence required will depend on the complexity of the situation and the specific help that you need.
Do you legally have to appoint a Competent Person in the workplace?
Yes, as an employer you must legally appoint a competent person or people to help you meet your health and safety requirements under the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
No matter what kind of business or organisation you have, or what sector it is in, you must have a competent person. Failure to do so may result in prosecution for breaching regulations, which in turn could result in intervention from your regulating authority, fines or even imprisonment in cases of extreme breaches.
Who can be a Competent Person in the workplace?
A competent person can be anyone in your organisation who has the appropriate training and knowledge to identify existing and potential hazards in the workplace.
It could be yourself as the owner or employer, higher management, other members of staff or even a third party. Many business owners feel comfortable appointing the role to themselves with the assistance of other members of their team.
However, if you don’t feel comfortable being the competent person and neither does anyone in your team, then you should appoint someone from outside the business.
When would you need a Competent Person?
A competent person is required in any workplace to help businesses reach their health and safety obligations, including:
For higher risk businesses, you may need the assistance of a competent person more regularly than other businesses. This may be due to regular changes in your environment, pieces of equipment or an increased number of staff on your premises.
Should you have an in-house or an external Competent Person?
Whether you have an in-house or external competent person depends on your business's specific needs and requirements, including:
The HSE outlines that if you don’t feel confident in your ability to be a competent person and neither does anyone in your business, you should appoint an external competent person to provide practical support to help you navigate the complexities of health and safety.
It is always best to err on the side of caution with health and safety, which is why if there is any doubt in your mind at all about having an in-house competent person, you should always look externally.
Use Lanahan Risk Management Services as your
Competent Person
When you choose to work with Lanahan Risk Management Services, our team can work with you to ease the stress of managing your health and safety responsibilities, giving you the confidence to focus on your business.
Our experienced and qualified team have years of experience being appointed as the designated competent person for a variety of different businesses across a range of different sectors.
We have in-depth knowledge of health and safety legislation and have a wealth of experience, helping us to interpret it based on specific industries.
If you think your business would benefit from an external competent person, please get in touch with us today. We will assist you in identifying risks, implementing effective solutions to minimise risks and ensure safety for all.
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