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RayRay01  
#1 Posted : 21 September 2020 17:05:37(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
RayRay01

Hi there guys

Im looking for a bit of insight to the process and what the blow back could mean to my career going forward

Thanks Ray

peter gotch  
#2 Posted : 21 September 2020 17:49:31(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
peter gotch

Hi Ray

How this may affect your work going forward will depend on a number of variables including your role.

However, if you make a complaint to HSE they should ask you whether they want your identity kept anonymous and if you indicate so then whoever investigates for HSE should do their utmost to keep that anonymity intact.

When I worked for HSE we were trained to protect our sources. So, if the complaint was perhaps about the training of those doing such and such job, then perhaps the Inspector would do a much broader inspection that allowed them to "happen upon" reason to ask about training and then home in on the relevant job.

That said if your complaint is about something very specific, it may be very difficult for an Inspector to not get to the point so quickly that it may be obvious that they have received a complaint, particularly with front line resources increasingly constrained. 

With limited resources, HSE also tends to investigate less complaints - the last three I have made have been simply ignored even when I have pointed out that I am very selective about when I think it is worth making a complaint - the last one was two men working on a roof 5 storeys up with nothing to stop them falling to the pavement below and just 100m from the local HSE office!

Tough call. You probably need to assume that there is a fair chance that who you are complaining about will guess that the HSE has received a tip off.

Good luck, Peter

thanks 1 user thanked peter gotch for this useful post.
GTD on 22/09/2020(UTC)
RayRay01  
#3 Posted : 21 September 2020 17:54:59(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
RayRay01

Thanks Peter , this company has more issues than i can count with the iceing of not reporting RIDDOR reportable accidents to HSE

Thanks Ray

Wailes900134  
#4 Posted : 22 September 2020 07:09:23(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Wailes900134

Hi Ray, By the sounds of it you believe the necessary improvement in the business to go from being non compliant to compliant (let alone anything approaching good/best practice) is beyond your powers of advisory persuasion with them currently? I presume you're looking elsewhere, and your question is should you expect problems in your future career? I guess it depends where you want your future career to go and how you would explain your decision to report (and method of doing so) to someone in the event of being asked. Perhaps the key consideration is about your motivation. Are you reporting to try to protect people from serious and imminent danger, or to punish your bosses for failing to listen to you. Thinking about it in this way may help you to consider it firstly from a standpoint of doing what's right, rather than what I can get away with without personal sanction, as ironically that mindset is probably partly why you're so frustrated with the boss...
peter gotch  
#5 Posted : 22 September 2020 09:25:54(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
peter gotch

Hi Ray

Based on how you have clarified and to add to what Wailes has said....

We obviously don't know what sort of organisation you work for but your profile indicates that you are a member of IOSH so presumably have health and safety as part or all of your role.

But you need to work out who your allies could be, whether or not you are part of a larger HSE team.

Then perhaps consider working out your shopping list and prioritising where you want to see action happening. Possibly if those who need to take decisions are given the problems in manageable chunks, they are more likely to see the benefit of recognising that you are trying to help them.

Could be that the simple fact that they have employed you means that they know they have issues, just needing to have those issues presented in a more palatable form than one very long shopping list all in one go!

...and if you can also identify what is good and praise that, then the wish list might be easier to digest.

P

Buddie  
#6 Posted : 22 September 2020 16:04:26(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Buddie

https://www.hse.gov.uk/f...aints/receive.htm#step12 Contains how hse currently deal with complaints or matters of concern involves sifting and not not necessarily a visit. So,etimes can be dealt with by telephone may ne worth a read for background
HSSnail  
#7 Posted : 23 September 2020 09:52:38(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
HSSnail

As another ex inspector I will agree with what Peter has already said – however with things like PACE and Freedom of information it became harder over the years to protect whistle blowers, yes I would never disclose a name, but I did have a duty to say I was onsite due to a complaint – to say it was routine could invalidate any evidence collected if a the reason for the visit was questioned. As visit become more and more on “priority topics” it became harder and harder to follow up concerns. I would always ring a complainant and explain the difficulties about investigating to make sure they were happy for the inspection to continue – trying to consider their wellbeing , but sometimes the concerns raised were so great you just had to go for it and hope that the company did not work out who had complained.

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