Rank: Forum user 
|
I've asked the following by one of my colleagues, concerning the provision of RA & MS for our overseas clients, and in this specific case the client is based in France. Previously we have supplied the documents in English, but they are now asking for them in French. So the questions are:
- Is there a legal requirement to translate the RA & MS into the language of the country the customer is based?
- Is there a legal requirement for the overseas customer to sign-off the RA & MS document?
- In non EU and EU countries other than the UK, are RA & MS a requirement at all?
Look for advice from someone with international experience of overseas risk assessments etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user 
|
Its not hard to translate entire dicuments these days. I don't speak French, but heres you post in French (below). Try Goolge Translate. As for legal requirements. I think it is more a case of 'what the client wants the clients gets'. If you don't do it another contractor will be more than happy to
J'ai posé la question suivante à un de mes collègues concernant la fourniture de RA & MS pour nos clients à l'étranger et, dans ce cas précis, le client est basé en France. Auparavant, nous avions fourni les documents en anglais, mais ils les demandent maintenant en français. Les questions sont donc les suivantes:
Existe-t-il une obligation légale de traduire la RA et la MS dans la langue du pays où le client est basé?
Existe-t-il une obligation légale pour le client d'outre-mer de signer le document RA & MS?
Dans les pays non membres de l'UE et de l'UE autres que le Royaume-Uni, la RA & MS est-elle une exigence?
Rechercher des conseils d'une personne ayant une expérience internationale de l'évaluation des risques à l'étranger, etc
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Forum user 
|
G'Day SJP
Interesting one my friend. You will need to look at each countries equivalent to our British Health and Safety laws also EU with respect to risk assessments and method statements and use the findings as a base line. If your client requires RA & MSs to be translated into French, well that should not pose a problem assuming the the client is paying you. As you can imagine your clients employees may not speak English so it would make sense to for the RAs and MSs to be in French script. I personally cover 32 countries as a Contractor Health and Safety Consultant and spend most of my time translating from English into each indvidual countries language. Even in the UK we have different cultures some who cannot speak nor read English and reasonable adjustments need to be made such as documentation and posters in various languages.
There are some excellent translation tools out there SJP so I suggest that for your French client perhaps two sets of RAs and MSs could be tendered, one in English and the other in French.
I hope that this help, any probs them pm me
Regards
Franky
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Forum user
|
Thanks Franky and WatsonD,
The problem with RA and MS is they should be produced as close as possible to the work starting, which oftens means there is no time to translate the documents. There is also the problem if the RA&MS needs amending on-site. If I re-phrase the questions to:
- Is there a legal requirement for written Risk Assessments and Method Statements (or equivilant) in France?
- Do France have the equivilent of "Management of Health and Safety"?
- Can it be in English, or must there be a French copy as well.
- Could the client employ a translator to work from our RA&MS?
The current thinking is, the document is for our employee's use, to keep them safety from known hazards and risks. In the UK it is supplied to the customer for their Contractor Control purposes, and to understand our working methods.
Another option would be to have a French RA&MS template which can be produced at the same time as the English version.
Any thoughts?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user 
|
https://osha.europa.eu/en/about-eu-osha/national-focal-points/france
As the six pack from 1992 was the application of EU directive in to UK legislation France will have it own equivalent decrees. French firms rightly expect documentation to be submitted in their national language as used by their employees (would you accept a Dutch/German/Danish/French... document for people coming to work at your premises?)
Their government web resources typically only provide French language which can be a real headache when trying to understand legislative text.
You RA & MS will form part of the site organisational arrangements so will not only be used by your employees but also by the site control team to co-ordinate activities of others - if they can't understand the document you are potentially putting your employees and others at risk. And from personal experience try keeping the wording simple - some technical terms do not translate as intended when run through on-line translation software or when manipulated by non-technical translation services
|
|
|
|
|
|
Rank: Super forum user
|
https://osha.europa.eu/en/about-eu-osha/national-focal-points/france
As the six pack from 1992 was the application of EU directive in to UK legislation France will have it own equivalent decrees. French firms rightly expect documentation to be submitted in their national language as used by their employees (would you accept a Dutch/German/Danish/French... document for people coming to work at your premises?)
Their government web resources typically only provide French language which can be a real headache when trying to understand legislative text.
You RA & MS will form part of the site organisational arrangements so will not only be used by your employees but also by the site control team to co-ordinate activities of others - if they can't understand the document you are potentially putting your employees and others at risk. And from personal experience try keeping the wording simple - some technical terms do not translate as intended when run through on-line translation software or when manipulated by non-technical translation services
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.