She Knows Health and Safety

Consultancy Services

Free Initial Consultation

At our first meeting we will look at your existing health & safety policy, risk assessments, management systems, method statements and staff safety training. This will allow us to indentify any areas that may require attention. We can then advise you on how to remedy any gaps in your safety compliance and put a variety of options for you to consider. Whether you want to train your own staff to manage safety or ask us to assist you on an annual basis.

Policy writing

Health and Safety Policies

If you employ more than 5 people you are legally required to have a written Health and Safety Policy. The Policy should be communicated to your staff and regularly reviewed and revised.

SHE Knows can audit your systems and tailor a safety policy for your company, ensuring what you do to achieve compliance is documented, with any necessary safety targets listed within the policy, making it a true reflection of your company.

Risk Assessments

As an employer you are required to assess the risks to your employees and any other persons who could be affected by your activities such as visitors and contractors.

Risk assessments you may have to consider for your business

1. Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
2. Fire Risk Assessment
3. Lone Working
4. Driving at work
5. Working at height or in a position where you could fall
6. Stress
7. Use of work equipment, tools and machinery

If you employ more than 5 staff you should record these assessments.

Staff should then be trained to enable them to understand the risks that have been identified from your risk assessments.

SHE Knows can assist you undertake this assessments and train a member of your staff to review them annually to ensure you maintain your safety compliance.

Safe Systems of Work

Once you have your risk assessments documented, SHE Knows can assist you with reviewing your safe systems of work to ensure they reflect your working practices. There’s no point saying you do something if your staff don’t do it!

Stress

The overall objective of stress management is to raise awareness of the affects of work related stress and how to deal with it, without escalating a situation. We focus on communication skills as well as understanding of how to deal with a variety of situations.

CDM Consultancy (Construction, Design, Management Regulations)

Whether you need an advisor to manage your CDM duties, deal with the Designers, Clients and Sub-Contractors or need a H&S advisor on a CDM site to liaise with the Principal Contractor and protect your interests.

Drug testing

This could be as part our medical service on site or for us to a call in and undertake pre-employment screening or random testing to demonstrate due diligence. We take urine samples and test for both hard and soft drugs as well as alcohol screening.

Working time, shift patterns and fatigue

Research has shown that periods of recovery from shift work vary from industry to industry and the length of shift worked. E.g. three to four days of recovery are needed after working 12 hours per day for 12 consecutive days however, a longer period of recovery is needed for workers on an oil rig.

SHE knows can assess your shift patterns, accident rates and consider your behaviour/risk ethos as well as the fatigue/risk indications to enable you to protect your workforce and manage your staffing budgets effectively.

PUWER Assessments and the Machinery Directive

This is the third amendment to the Machinery Directive, the significant changes that may affect your business are:

1. The need to re-assess any changes made to your machinery since instillation or to look at partly-completed machinery, fixings for fixed guards, to ensure they have a conformity assessment.
2. To ensure that your machinery has the relevant tests and certificates that full under the measures of 'market surveillance' (i.e. enforcement) and certification;
3. Manufacturers that currently have EC type-examination certificates issued under the current Directive need to be aware that the certificates will not be valid after 29 December 2009. This means manufacturers should be contacting clients regarding machines purchased and advising on any additional works needed.

SHE Knows can assist you with your compliance, our engineers can call around to assess your machinery and offer engineering solutions needed as a result of any risk assessments undertaken.

Mobile classroom/emergency facility

We can park our classroom on any construction site, fairground or sports competition grounds and provide for both long or short term medical coverage for the site in question. This can include emergency rescue from hazardous areas (confined spaces) to live saving first aid in the event of a sports injury (horse riding accident). Our emergency staff are all industry experienced, fully trained and paid we do not use volunteers.

PAT Testing

PAT is done in order to ascertain that the electrical equipment used by yourself and customers is safe for use. It also enables the tester to determine whether the items require maintenance. By documenting these tests, you are able to show proof that all reasonable steps and due diligence are exercised to avoid unsafe practices.

The equipment "SHE Knows" uses is computerised, and stores all the electrical and visual test data, downloading it into a spreadsheet. (You must test the following electrical equipment - fixed, portable and transportable equipment (anything with a plug).

The PATest entails a visual check of leads, sheaths, opening the plug checking connections of wires and correct fuses/plugs to British Standards etc. This precedes the electrical testing of appliance, which encompasses:-

• Earth continuity
• Insulation resistance
• Dielectric strength test
• Load test
• Operational test
• Earth leakage current measurement

SHE Knows, believes in reasonably practicable solutions for your business, so if you have the time, we can reduce your cost of PAT.

SHE Knows, can train your staff in the visual inspection of the equipment which will dramatically reduce the amount of time a technician, would need to spend per item. This reduces the "per item" cost substantially. This would also be a skill which your business could utilise year on year, reducing the PAT cost annually.

Asbestos

If you own, occupy or have management responsibilities for a premises then you have either:

• A duty to manage possible asbestos containing materials
• A duty to comply with the person who holds this duty.

These new Regulations appear to be very unforgiving, where business’ are concerned.  However, these Regulations ensure the continued healthy lives of today’s employees and contractors.  Between 1968 & 1998 over 50,000 people died of asbestos related diseases.  

By complying with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations you are protecting your and others health, lives, and your company against any future compensation claims.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published guidance notes for companies undertaking asbestos surveys.  MDHS100 states that surveyors should hold relevant qualifications and experience, and be able to demonstrate independence, impartiality and integrity.

SHE Knows, can deliver Asbestos Awareness Training Sessions to allow you and your staff to comply with the above duties.

Surveyors are;

• Trained to the P402 qualification, accredited by the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)
• Equipped with full risk control equipment; should asbestos be found that is creating an immediate danger to health.
• Licensed to carry asbestos waste.
• Fully insured.
• Not linked to any asbestos removal company, so will offer impartial advice and recommendation.
• Experienced in third party supervision of asbestos removal, to ensure the client’s duty of care is upheld and business risk is reduced.
• Experienced in the formulation of a clients asbestos management plan.
• Laboratory services are UKAS accredited.

Asbestos Surveys

There are 2 types of asbestos survey; surveyors will advise you on the type of survey you require.  Surveys can be done out of hours, should you not wish to disturb your business.  As we operate a variety of health and safety services, dealing with your asbestos survey can be done discretely and without fuss.

• Type 2, now referred to as a sampling survey = Samples are taken and analysed at the laboratory.  The identified asbestos is risk assessed by the surveyor in order to assist the duty-holder fulfil his obligations.  Areas that are inaccessible to the surveyor will be presumed to have asbestos containing materials inside.
• Type 3, now referred to as pre-demolition / major refurbishment survey = A destructive survey where samples are taken from every material that could possibly contain asbestos, e.g. pipes, inside voids.  These surveys usually precede scheduled works such as demolition or major refurbishment.

Finding Asbestos

Asbestos can be found in a variety of materials, from its most friable form in insulation to relatively low risk compounds such as resins.  Further examples are:

• Artex
• Insulation
• Pipe lagging
• Ceiling & floor tiles
• Concrete roofing
• Plaster
• Paper
• Roofing felt
• Gaskets & ropes
• Guttering & down pipes
• Soffits
• Fire doors

Dealing with Asbestos

On locating asbestos containing materials, what are your options? More often than not, asbestos can be managed and not removed.  Simply by making people aware of its presence is the first step in ensuring that employees or trades men do not inadvertently release asbestos fibres into the air when they work.

Working above water - safety boat on call

McLachlan 18ft, ex RNLI in-shore rescue craft is now being utilised in the commercial safety arena. It has a fully enclosed area and 2 pilot seats, occupants are guaranteed to keep dry whilst they work. More information

Radiography - barrier auditing

Please contact us for more details of our services provided on site