Rank: New forum user 
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Good afternoon,
I am in my first H&S role and have recently undetaken risk assessments within the business premises.
We are now being asked to install signage (above shops etc, no MEWP required) and I have been asked about risk assessments ahead of this as we may sometimes bring in a third party for the install. Would a generic risk assessment, tailored from HSE documents, be sufficient or does anyone have any recommendations?
Thank you!
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Rank: Super forum user 
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If your contractor is installing the signs then they should provide you with a risk assessment which you should review. If the installation process will present any risks to your staff or customers or interfere with what they would usually do then you will need to take some kind of action.
If you are doing the installation then you could start with a generic risk assessment, but you will need to allow for it to be amended to suit differing site conditions.
I'm not sure I have entirely understood the situation. Is it that your business operates a number of shops and wants to put signs up on the external walls of the shops?
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 2 users thanked Kate for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Any task risk assessment cannot be GENERIC. There are variables at every location and whilst you can start generic there has to be a process to make a generic assessment into a site specific assessment
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2 users thanked boblewis for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Have you taken the building itself into consideration? Is the building pre 2000? Are the works intrusive? Do you need a targeted R & D survey or can this be provided?
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1 user thanked jodieclark1510 for this useful post.
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Rank: Forum user
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In my opinion if it is an external contractor then they should complete the risk assessment, each time, for each job, however, I read your post as if your company is being asked to install at various sites belonging to clients (?). As such I would recommend that you create a template risk assessment, pulling on as much information and expertise as you can muster, then at each job, amend and improve the assessment so it is fine tuned to each installation. Whilst the process may be very similar for each one, the environmental and location factors could vary hugely along with individual factors etc meaning that specifics risks should be adequate identified. I hope this helps.
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1 user thanked Tinkerbel7 for this useful post.
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Rank: New forum user
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Thank you for the replies - for clarification we create the signs and then a customer will either make their own arrangements for installation or (where this query comes from) will ask if we can install it for them. I will attempt to create a generic risk assessment for the environment that the work is undertaken, but take on board the points that every site is different and it cannot rely on a generic RA, so it will factor in different environments and potential risks / hazards. Thank you.
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Rank: Forum user 
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Kate has hit it on the nail regarding the production of risk assessment and method statement review. Also assurrances should be made that if the contractor wished to deviate from such risk assessment / method statement then each amendment should be reviewed, signed and dated by the contractor. It may be prudent on the back of this to adopt a permission to work system understanding that this differs from a permit to work. Hope that this helps
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Sounds to me like you're trying to cover all possible fitting options and in doing so the waters of responsibility are becoming muddied. If I've interpretted things correctly, it seems like you have three scenarios, namely Supply only, Supply and fit (yourselves) and Supply and fit (contracted out). That being the case, the following should apply:-
Supply Only - Fitting isn't your problem. The buyer fits the signage however they see fit (unless of course there's something specific that you need to advise them on, when fitting instructions might be needed).
Supply and Fit (your staff) - The RAMS for the work are intended for your own employees, and the work instructions and risk assessments should reflect this. For much of the work (if all fits are broadly similar) you could use a generic assessment, but ONLY if you have a responsible Supervisor at each fit who is capable of doing a dynamic assessment at each site before work commences to ensure that the work can be carried out via the generic assessment OR amend it to suit as necessary.
Supply and Fit (contracted out) - You supply detailed fitting instructions to the contractor, and they in turn supply you with a RAMS pack advising you of how they intend to do the work. You sign this off prior to the work taking place.
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1 user thanked Elfin Davy 09 for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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If the work is inside a shopping mall there will be the safety procedures written and enforced by the mall Management to consider. That will include H&S Competencem RA/MS and all sorts of other stuff.
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Rank: Super forum user
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There have been a few reports in recent years about signage falling and causing death/injury so I'd also ensure your liability/insurance is in order?
This one from Australia last month is not shop related but does illutrate the importance of correct installation and the dangers of not considering things like load weights, wind speed etc during install: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-10/melbourne-falling-road-sign-driver-nervous-after-accident/10705294
A few from the UK too relating to shop signs - all of which highlight the importance of getting it right:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/woman-hit-head-after-shop-14284900
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/live-updates-poundworld-sign-falls-1743061
https://www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/15131835.man-hit-by-falling-shop-sign-in-the-cross/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/may/31/newport-shropshire-shop-sign-falls-pram
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