"DOCUMENTATION & RECORDS Health and safety documentation includes policies / procedures, risk assessments, annual reviews, monitoring and performance reports and audit reports etc. The Facilities Administrator is responsible for coordinating and collating all Building, Work Equipment Test and Inspection records, maintenance records, fire alarm testing, emergency light testing etc." The above is an extract taken from the Arrangement Section of our current H&S Policy which I am reviewing. How long should H&S Records be "historically" kept? I am suggesting no more than 3 years (this nicely includes Accident Reports). My director says we should archive for 40 years in line with some employment law and financial stuff (i.e. - scan and electronically save where necessary). Your thoughts please and recommendations welcome.

It does depend on what records you are keeping & the areas you operate in. In relation to accident records, if you work with minors they have until they are 21 to make a claim, so 3 years may be far too short a period. Similarly health surveillance records need to be maintained for prescribed periods after the employment ends. If you search the forum, there was a similar thread a couple of months ago.

Everyone has 3 years in which to make a claim "after the injury has become know to them". Bad backs, knees, lungs, ears, to name but a few, can take year's to manifest. I "beat" a claim for a back injury ("I worked for you 8 years ago but my back has just started to hurt me" and " you never warned me of the risk") using a 10 year old signed tool box talk on manual handling and the then current procedure. Companies who don't keep this stuff are easy pickings for the ambulance chasers.