I as you have not had much in the way of experience for Primary Authority Partnerships (PAP). I did however recently attend a meeting of our local safety group, where the HSE and local authority outlined how the system works. On the face of it it seems like a good system and a major DIY chain were mentioned as using it fully. The benefits for the company appear to be that they agree the standards that they will work to with their local authority. The local authority then controls the locations that are visited by either a local authority officer or an HSE inspector. If a non-conformity is discovered at a location the action is controlled through the local authority where the PAP is registered. It does therefore appear to be of a benefit to both the company and the local authority. On the question should you recommend it to the board. I think is is only a matter of time where companies who operate a multi site operation will have to be part of the scheme. This I feel will be driven by a requirement for both local authorities and the HSE to reduce costs whilst still maintaining a level of survelliance. I do have some personal reservations around the scheme and the pressures that could possibly be brought by major companies on the local authority that regulates them. I hope this helps

Sharon It's very important to work out what you want out of a Primary Authority scheme before getting too tied in with it. Silly first question but are your activities actually enforced by the Local Authorities? If not you're HSE enforced and as others note, this scheme isn't for you at all (call your best contact in HSE). There have been various flavours of partnership scheme over the years but in England, Wales and NI the only real show in town in 2010 is the Primary Authority noted above. But Primary Authority isn't without its problems. First it makes the poor EHO's life harder and implies toeing a party line that comes from outwith his/her own authority (or imagination!). They actually need to do their research before visiting. But this research can have a benefit because, as seen in previous schemes like LOPP, EHOs who actually do their job sensibly tend to talk to the lead EHO in the PA who is in a position of informed honest broker and can save everyone time by preventing unnecessary repetition of inspection. The downside of this is that your life will actually become busier keeping your local EHO up to speed and may take more time than you expect. You also will need to set aside a large amount of time for getting the scheme up and running if you are to benefit from it. Second problem is cost. Bless the Treasury - they have insisted on full cost recovery in the Primary Authority scheme, unlike its predecessors. This could be a showstopper and partly explains why so few retailers are to be seen on the list of adopters so far. Note also that the Primary Authority scheme is much wider than just H&S; trading standards etc. etc. are also in scope. The only glaring omission is the Fire Services (long story that one!). So, what are other parts of your business doing? Worth checking. I suggest another option though, particularly if, as I think is your case, you don't have a regular stream of EHO correspondence, just very occasional contacts. It's an informal link to your local EHO department. You may find that they already get calls from around the country along the lines of "do you know xyz Ltd - can we chat about the problem I've found in Auchenshuggle?". A lot depends on their workload and how much the Chief could sell the value of informal links into his authority but it's worth a call and a coffee to explore the possibilities. Even a few names on file and occasional meetings can be valuable if both sides are up for it. There's a lot to think about before you firm up any proposals to your Board. My instinct is that formal PA isn't for you based on what you have said. I have had direct involvement in the DIY retailer example; PM me if you want more background. Jim