Posted By Daniel Stonehouse
I am after a little bit of guidance ladies and gentlemen on the following - One of my close relatives has recently started a business, and at the moment due to very good management now employs along with himself and his wife a total of 19 people. The job mainly entails office work, so obviously DSE is a big area, but also there is a lot of travelling involved and a third of the staff are home based workers, meeting in various parts of the country for meetings, short courses, and also some work which is based around statistical collection of information. This could be carried out just about anywhere, from the high street to prisons. In addition about a dozen staff are employed by him but work in an office run by the government. Tonight his wife asked me about risk assessments - something they have no idea about. I have given him some pointers, ie competent people to carry out the RA: DSE, lone working, shared premises, car travel, insurance (health and car), stress,violence,contacting the owner of the building, is there anything else i may have missed? Many thanks.

Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Daniel

A perspective on assessing risks that is easy to overlook concerns risks particular to employees with disabilities of any kind, either physical or psychological.

What is not hazardous to an able-bodied and psychologically fit/healthy person can range from moderately to very hazardous to an employee with disability/ies.

Posted By Jonathan Sandler CMIOSH
Daniel, what course are you studying at Uni?
Regards

Posted By AlB
Daniel,

It really does depend on the line of work and the actual dangers foreseen. For a small business of less than 5 employees just manage the risks with common sense. Don't get too bogged down with in-depth safety systems yet, unless there are significant hazards involved with the line of work.

Consider getting a consultant in if there are hazards out of the ordinary or are significant.

Where is this business being set up by the way?

Posted By Kieran J Duignan
Unfortunately, in 'the real world', the principle of 'don't get too bogged down unless it is really needed' is too readily translated into blaming an injured employee, after his or her employer has spent years neglecting their statutory responsibilities..

There is no requirement for a competent employer to 'get bogged down' if they assess needs systematically and take appropriate control measures. It is precisely by choosing to face realities of hazards that too many employers 'get bogged down' and blame others, including safety professioals, for their own negligence.

Posted By Daniel Stonehouse
Thanks for all of the replies, especially the website. There is tons of information i can bombard him with.

Posted By Safety is Bought Not Sold "they" say
Try www.healthandsafetyclick.net - its a simple but comprehensive "DIY" safety management service, and its aimed at 1-20 employee owner managed companies that cannot afford the "expense" of consultants, but aren't satisfied with HSE/Safe Start Up.

Will cover every aspect they require, and at a low cost. Obviously this would be best accompanied with a brief audit by a competent consultant, which I'm sure you can find through this site .

Hope it helps