Health & Safety Company | 4 questions you need to answer

You cannot ignore Health & Safety,

But sometimes you cannot find the time to put 100 % into ensuring you are compliant. And even if you do, are you fully qualified to keep up to date with all Health & safety legislative changes.

Whether it’s something as simple as a Health & Safety policy, risk assessments, inspections or a Health & safety handbook, keeping your organisation compliant is simply not a tick box exercise.

Health & Safety legislation and regulations are complex and ever-changing. It’s important that you are keeping your staff, clients and visitors safe. The repercussions of not being compliant mean fines, prison and damage to your reputation. Can you afford that?

This is why outsourcing to a Health & Safety firm has so many benefits.

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Here are four questions you should ask when you are looking for a Health & Safety company.

1. Are they experts?

The whole reason that you are lookng for a company to support you with Health & Safety is that you don’t have the internal expertise to manage compliance. It would therefore be counterintuitive if you look to a Health & Safety company that do not understand the basics.

Ellis Whittam Health & Safety consultants are the experts you need.

As a minimum expectation, our consultants have to have either completed their NEBOSH qualification or be a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH). This grading comes from IOSH – the industry leader for Health & Safety professionals.

If they are not CMIOSH qualified they will need to be GRAD IOSH with an Initial Professional Development (IPD) to become CMIOSH qualified.

Added to this, our consultants need to demonstrate that they have real boots on the ground, proven experience of managing Health & Safety.

If they don’t meet our high expectations, they won’t meet yours.

This shows what level of expertise our Health & Safety are 

2. Do they know my sector?

Your organisation comes with its own challenges, and these should be recognised with the company you use for Health & Safety. A broad brush approach to Health & safety will not be bespoke enough.

Having support means having experts on the ground, keeping you in the loop and compliant.

Ellis Whittam’s Health & Safety consultants have wide-ranging knowledge and understanding of sectors including charities, education, manufacturing, care and many more.

3. What do I get?

When you have a list of firms that can support you for Health & Safety it is important to cut through the marketing spin and see the substance behind what they are saying.

Ellis Whittam’s professional consultants get to know all about your organisation, what makes you tick.

They meet you at your site or sites and assess thoroughly what level of risk you are. From this they will:

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If your consultant is not available (they might be supporting another organisation) we have office based Health & safety consultants who will be able to answer any question you might have.

4. How much does it cost?

All of this is for a fixed fee which means you have the freedom of knowing how much you will spend to keep you up to speed with Health & safety,.

Added to this our Legal Expenses Insurance ensures that should the worse happen, you are covered.

But we are so confident in how we will support you and that the worst will not happen, we will go as far to act as your legally required ‘Competent Person’. Does your current Health & Safety say the same?

Compliance Centre

Ellis Whittam are delighted to introduce Ellis Whittam’s compliance centre. This is a new online Health & Safety management tool. This means that you can understand, at any moment, where your organisation is with Health & Safety. So, if the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) were to enter your premises, you can demonstrate that you have taken proactive decisions to mitigate your risk.

Get Support Now

With a much more suitable skillset, Ellis Whittam’s consultants are best placed to keep your organisation on the right side of the law!

Contact us now to get support.

Get a Free Consultation


Health & Safety Inspections

In a busy work environment, Health & Safety regulations can easily be overlooked

This is particularly the case in smaller enterprises where owners juggle multiple priorities.

So, having Ellis Whittam make sure you’re complying with them is vital – especially as you otherwise risk a costly breach fine – the resulting negative publicity can also damage your reputation beyond repair! 

Duty of Care & Inspections

As an employer, you have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of your employees and anyone else who might be affected by your activities.

This requires you to monitor, maintain and review your arrangements – including routinely inspecting them to check:

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Health & Safety inspections take different forms including:

Safety Inspection Aims

General routine inspections are meant to:

Inspection also provides an opportunity to proactively demonstrate your commitment to achieving a safe and healthy workplace.

What does a General Safety Inspection involve?

A general workplace inspection should look at, and this just a short list:

Avoid the temptation to routinely wander around – otherwise less obvious hazards can readily be missed. In addition to a physical inspection, you will need to carefully review your:

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Any identified issues will form an action plan. Someone must be responsible for monitoring the plan to ensure action is taken.

The outcome must be recorded, along with the responsibilities and action timescales.

How often should you Inspect?

Much depends on the nature of your work.

Inspections may be required less often, for example, if the work environment is low risk such as in an administrative office.

But more frequent inspection will be needed if certain workplace areas or specific activities are high risk, or change rapidly or significantly.

Who should carry out the Safety Inspection?

You can carry out an inspection yourself or you can have it done externally. Ellis Whittam’s Health & Safety support can manage this for you.

One way of minimising the chances of less obvious hazards being missed is to have a fresh pair of eyes do the inspection – they may question things that have come to be accepted as ‘always being like that’.

But whoever inspects, they must have sufficient knowledge and experience to enable them to know:

Indeed, if the inspection isn’t carried out by a competent professional, there’ll be a higher chance errors and problems won’t be detected.

The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 say employers must have Health & Safety assistance from a ‘Competent Person’. In other words, the person doing the inspection must be able to make sure you’re:

The regulations go on to say the ‘Competent Person’ must have ‘sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities’.

Get Specialist Help

Inspections are really important – not least because they help to check everything’s in keeping with what’s legally required.

But if you don’t feel confident doing your own checks, then let inspector Ellis Whittam do them for you! We can ensure your premises, activities and systems are fully compliant with Health & Safety law.

Our Health & Safety specialists can also:

Why Ellis Whittam?

Health & Safety law is huge, complex and constantly changes.

While there’s no shortage of Health & Safety consultants to help you develop your Health & Safety systems – ask yourself, what do they know about the law?

Registered occupational safety and health consultants must have a degree level qualification. But rival consultants are typically geography or environmental studies graduates with little or no legal background. In plain English, such qualifications might be labelled ‘Mickey Mouse’ or little more rigorous than advanced colouring-in!

Talk to the Professionals

In stark contrast, Ellis Whittam’s consultants have outstanding relevant qualifications and vast experience. Crucially, many advisers are professionally qualified lawyers with specific industry knowledge.

With a much more suitable skillset, Ellis Whittam’s consultants are best placed to keep your organisation on the right side of the law!

Contact us for more information.

Get a Free Consultation

 


Health & Safety Fines | Don't Get Caught Out

In a busy work environment, Health & Safety regulations can easily be overlooked – particularly in smaller enterprises where owners juggle multiple priorities.

So, having Ellis Whittam make sure you’re complying with them is vital – especially as you otherwise risk an increasingly costly breach Health & Safety fine – the resulting negative publicity can also damage your reputation beyond repair! 

Steep Rise in Health & Safety Fines

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) data shows Health & Safety fine totals noticeably rising:

The biggest fine in:

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Why have Fines Increased?

The level of fines being handed out is said to reflect a growing desire for organisations to answer for any shortcomings that lead to injury, illness and death.

It is felt Health & Safety compliance isn’t being taken seriously enough. Stiffer penalties are therefore meant to deter lawbreaking and make employers take greater care. 

Tougher sentencing guidelines were introduced in February 2016. In the year following their introduction:

Fines are now largely based on an organisation’s turnover (NB: not profit or ability to pay). Courts also consider the:

Under tougher Health & Safety offence guidelines:

Not all large fines involve a fatality. Indeed, the guidelines say a large financial penalty can be given for a Health & Safety failing that causes injury or puts someone substantially at risk of injury or death.

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Health & Safety Fines vs. Cost of Compliance 

HSE research shows the cost to organisations of breaking Health & Safety regulations far outweighs those of complying with them.

Data shows small to medium-sized organisations in complying with Health & Safety regulations can expect to pay between £6k to £40k

This cost typically includes maintaining a formal Health & Safety system, insurance and paying for a designated Health & Safety person.

By contrast the average sector fine for Health & Safety offences in 2016 was £115,440:

SMEs investing in Health & Safety may therefore potentially avoid a fine that’s £109k to £75k higher than their compliance costs.

Non-compliance is even costlier than the figures suggest as Health & Safety failures rarely simply involve a fine – offences are usually reported locally and sometimes feature nationally.

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The sharp increase in fines shows just how determined courts are to get the message across that Health & Safety cannot be ignored in the workplace.

Its therefore never been more important that you comply with Health & Safety law. Safety procedures and practices should be regularly reviewed to make sure they’re in keeping with the regulations.

But if you’re unsure, then let Ellis Whittam make sure!

Our Health & Safety specialists can:

Why Ellis Whittam?

Health & Safety law is huge, complex and constantly changes.

While there’s no shortage of Health & Safety consultants to help you develop your Health & Safety systems – ask yourself, what do they know about the law?

Registered occupational safety and health consultants must have a degree level qualification. But rival consultants are typically geography or environmental studies graduates with little or no legal background. In plain English, such qualifications might be labelled ‘Mickey Mouse’ or little more rigorous than advanced colouring-in!

Talk to the Professionals

In stark contrast, Ellis Whittam’s consultants have outstanding relevant qualifications and vast experience. Crucially, many advisers are professionally qualified lawyers with specific industry knowledge.

With a much more suitable skillset, Ellis Whittam’s consultants are best placed to keep your organisation on the right side of the law!

Contact us for more information.

Get a Free Consultation

 


Health & Safety Specialist | Peace of Mind with Ellis Whittam’s support

You cannot ignore Health & Safety, but sometimes you cannot find the time to put 100 % into ensuring you are compliant.

And even if you do, are you fully qualified to keep up to date with all Health & safety legislative changes. That’s why you ned a Health & Safety specialist.

Whether it’s something as simple as a Health & Safety policy, risk assessments, inspections or a Health & safety handbook, keeping your organisation compliant is simply not a tick box exercise.

Health & Safety legislation and regulations are complex and ever-changing. It’s important that you are keeping your staff, clients and visitors safe. The repercussions of not being compliant mean fines, prison and damage to your reputation. Can you afford that?

Let Ellis Whittam keep you compliant so you can keep your organisation flourishing.

What makes Ellis Whittam’s consultants specialists?

Ellis Whittam Health & Safety consultants are the experts you need.

As a minimum expectation, our specialists have to have either

This grading comes from IOSH – the industry leader for Health & Safety professionals.

Our Health & Safety specialists will also need to show that they have real-life experience of managing Health & Safety. 

If they don’t meet our high expectations, they won’t meet yours.

This shows what level of expertise our specialists have. 

Your Health & Safety

Having support means having experts on the ground, keeping you in the loop and compliant.

Ellis Whittam’s Health & Safety consultants have wide-ranging knowledge and understanding of sectors including

Support

Ellis Whittam’s professional consultants get to know all about your organisation, what makes you tick.

They meet you at your site or sites and assess thoroughly what level of risk you are. From this they will:

If your consultant is not available (they might be supporting another organisation) we have office based Health & safety consultants who will be able to answer any question you might have.

Fixed Fee Cost

All of this is for a fixed fee which means you have the freedom of knowing how much you will spend to keep you up to speed with Health & safety,.

Added to this our Legal Expenses Insurance ensures that should the worse happen, you are covered.

But we are so confident in how we will support you and that the worst will not happen, we will go as far to act as your legally required ‘Competent Person’. Does your current Health & Safety say the same?

Compliance Centre

Ellis Whittam are delighted to introduce Ellis Whittam’s compliance centre. This is a new online Health & Safety management tool. This means that you can understand, at any moment, where your organisation is with Health & Safety. So, if the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) were to enter your premises, you can demonstrate that you have taken proactive decisions to mitigate your risk.

Get Support Now

With a much more suitable skillset, Ellis Whittam’s specialists are best placed to keep your organisation on the right side of the law!

Contact us now to get support.

Get a Free Consultation


Health & Safety Audit | Get compliant now

Thinking of a Health & Safety Audit?

In a busy work environment, Health & Safety regulations can easily be overlooked – particularly in smaller enterprises where owners juggle multiple priorities.

So, having Ellis Whittam make sure you’re compliant is vital – especially as you otherwise risk more than a costly breach fine – the resulting negative publicity can damage your reputation beyond repair! 

Duty of Care and Auditing

Employers have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and others who might be affected by their activities. In doing so, all Health & Safety matters and arrangements must be monitored, maintained and reviewed.

Indeed, Health & Safety issues can change over time. But auditing ensures the continued health, safety and welfare of people by checking whether the arrangements in place are fit for purpose.  

What’s a Health & Safety Audit?

It’s defined by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as:

‘The collection of independent information on the efficiency, effectiveness and reliability of the total Health & Safety management system and drawing up plans for corrective action’.

Put simply, a safety audit is a process that checks your compliance with Health & Safety regulations as well as the effectiveness of your safety arrangements. Safety audits, then, are kind of like financial audits – they evaluate compliance and performance.

Auditing Aims 

Safety audits generally look to:

Strictly speaking, safety audits are not a legal necessity. However, they are strongly recommended by the HSE and certainly help to:

Audits also help demonstrate you’re proactively managing Health & Safety and can act as a defence in court proceedings.

Who should do the Health & Safety Audit?

There are two ways to audit your organisation – you can use an external auditor or you can audit yourself internally.

However, the auditor needs to be independent of the activity or part of the organisation being audited. Also, if the audit is not carried out by a professional auditor, there will be a higher chance that errors and problems won’t be detected.

The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 say employers must have Health & Safety assistance from a ‘Competent Person’. In other words, whoever does the audit must be able to make sure you’re complying with Health & Safety law.

The regulations go on to say the ‘Competent Person’ must have ‘sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities’.

Get Specialist Help

Safety audits are essential in making sure you’re complying with the law. Workplace injuries are also, more often than not, the result of minor issues that could have been detected by an audit.

But if you don’t feel you have sufficient competence in the audit process, then let Ellis Whittam Health & Safety team audit for you.

Our safety audits are tailored to meet a client’s precise needs – they can be desktop only or can include site visits to check premises, practices and policies.

Following the assessment, we produce a report detailing our observations and recommendations, including guidance on how to make any required improvements.       

Our Health & Safety specialists can also:

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Why Ellis Whittam?

Health & Safety law is huge, complex and constantly changes.

While there’s no shortage of Health & Safety consultants to help you develop your Health & Safety systems – ask yourself, what do they know about the law?

Registered occupational safety and health consultants must have a degree level qualification. But rival consultants are typically geography or environmental studies graduates with little or no legal background. In plain English, such qualifications might be labelled ‘Mickey Mouse’ or little more rigorous than advanced colouring-in!

Talk to the Professionals

In stark contrast, Ellis Whittam’s consultants have outstanding relevant qualifications and vast experience. Crucially, many advisers are professionally qualified lawyers with specific industry knowledge.

With a much more suitable skillset, Ellis Whittam’s consultants are best placed to keep your organisation on the right side of the law!

Contact us for more information.

Get a Free Consultation


Health & Safety Outsourcing | Get compliant now

A workplace with strict Health & Safety rules in place is more efficient, a better place to work – and legally compliant.

However, it can be a challenge for business owners to keep up with Health & Safety requirements as well as their day-to-day activities.

Quality advice and legal insight is essential for health and safety compliance – this is why outsourcing is such a good idea.

The cost of poor Health & Safety

Health & Safety rules are specific and the consequences of negligence can be costly.

If a member of staff is injured because your workplace is unsafe, there could be legal fees and compensation to pay. The average fine for health and safety prosecutions can be tens of thousands.

As well as the financial risks, your existing staff could lose trust and confidence, and you may find it hard to hire new staff if your reputation has been damaged.

Why businesses struggle with compliance

Many business owners and managers are unaware of how specific health and safety legislation can be. There’s a lot of knowledge to collect and boxes to tick.

It’s also easy for business owners to assume they’re already compliant and their environment is safe while things are running smoothly. However, incidents are more common than they realise, and managers should focus on prevention.

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According to Health and Safety Executive statistics (2016/17):

Why outsource Health & Safety

As an employer, Health & Safety compliance is entirely your responsibility. You need to be able to:

Each environment has different requirements

An industrial setting with heavy machinery will have different needs to a small office, so reading generic online advice could be confusing and unhelpful.

Outsourced health and safety advice focuses on genuinely useful commercial support.

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You’ll have access to time-saving tools

The Ellis Whittam Compliance Centre is an award-winning, cloud-based health and safety software. It helps businesses meet their requirements easily, while still benefitting from bespoke guidance.

The Compliance Centre allows ou to:

Outsourced Health & Safety is reliable and cost-effective

With fixed fees and professional advisors, we’re a health and safety partner you can put your trust in. Our full service includes everything you’ll need to stay compliant, including:

Contact us to discuss your health and safety needs and find out how we can help.

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Health & Safety Helpline

It’s every employer’s responsibility to keep their staff, clients, and customers safe.

This includes preventing injury as well as protecting against long-term ill health. Focusing on this improves staff turnover, builds trust, and saves on insurance costs.

According to Health and Safety Executive statistics (2016/17):

Every workplace has hazards and dangers, whether it involves toxic fumes or everyday technology. If an employee takes legal action, and your business is found to be negligent, they could make a significant claim.

How to find the best health and safety help

The key to staying compliant is accessing the most reliable advice and information. You’ll be able to identify potential hazards, meet your responsibilities, and approach health and safety more confidently.

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Know what you’re looking for

Health and safety advice comes in many different forms, including question and answer, guided training, or a full service. Before you go looking for it, decide what you need. If information online feels too vague and basic, it’s time to look for a more on-demand service.

Seek out advice aimed at employees too

Just because something was written with staff in mind doesn’t mean it’s not an important read for employers too. It’s helpful to know what employees have the right to expect, and how they might respond to particular health and safety regulations.

Talk directly to the experts

For advice in very specific situations, having someone at the end of a line is really valuable. A health and safety helpline can provide on-demand, detailed information for your particular problem or query.

For a fixed fee, Ellis Whittam will provide you with your own health and safety consultant:

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Contact us to discuss your Health & Safety needs and find out how we can help.


Health & Safety Advice

Good Health & Safety practice is crucial for two big reasons.

It’s essential for keeping your staff, clients, and visitors safe, and it’s a legal requirement too.

Maintaining a safe environment also lowers staff turnover, improves efficiency, and keeps insurance costs down.

The cost of not being Health & Safety compliant

If an incident takes place in your business as a result of poor health and safety, it can have short and long-term negative effects.  

Initially, you could lose staff through injury and have to replace damaged stock or equipment. There could then be legal fees and compensation to pay, as well as a loss of reputation to deal with. Months, and even years, after the incident, it could be harder to recruit staff and convince them they’ll be working in a safe environment.

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How to make sure your business is compliant

All employers must appoint someone to help them meet their Health & Safety requirements. It could be you, an appropriate member of staff, or a third party. They need to have the right skills and knowledge to act as your ‘Competent Person

Follow the Health & Safety at Work Act

This Act covers everything from keeping your own staff safe to protecting the general public. To meet its requirements, you must ensure:

Identify potential problems before they get worse

If you know what to look for, Health & Safety incidents can be prevented before they cause any further problems. A Health & Safety advisory service can risk assess every part of your business.

Outsource to a Health & Safety advisory service

As your business and remit changes, you might not have enough time or knowledge to manage health and safety yourself. Outsourcing to professional health and safety advisors makes sure every detail is taken care of.

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Ellis Whittam has been delivering professional services since 2004. We can:


Health & Safety Risk Assessment

In a busy work environment, Health & Safety regulations can easily be overlooked.

This is particularly the case in smaller enterprises where owners juggle multiple priorities.

So, having Ellis Whittam make sure you’re compliant is vital. The risk to you can be more than a costly fine – the resulting negative publicity can damage your reputation beyond repair! 

Risk Assessment Duty

The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 say employers must:

A general risk assessment may be used to ‘generally’ assess the hazards typically found in routine activities and workplaces.

More unusual activities or fewer routine workplaces may require a specific risk assessment.

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Suitable and Sufficient

The Management Regulations say risk assessments must be ‘suitable and sufficient’ – but unfortunately don’t go on to define what this means!

Put simply though a risk assessment is a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people. The aim is to decide what steps are needed to reduce injury and ill-health and comply with Health & Safety law.

A general risk assessment should:

Six-Step Approach

A risk assessment can be divided into a basic six-step approach:

  1. Identify hazards
  2. Decide who might be harmed
  3. Evaluate the risk level
  4. Decide whether existing risk controls are sufficient
  5. Keep a record of the findings
  6. Monitor and review

In identifying hazards, you may have noticed some risks have already been addressed. The legal duty is to reduce the remaining ‘residual risk’ to as low a level as ‘reasonably practicable’.    

Risk assessments typically judge whether the risk level of someone being injured is high, medium or low – thereby setting the timetable for reducing risk:

In some cases, no action will be needed. But you have to make sure you’re complying with the law by reducing the risk to as low a level as reasonably practicable.

Living Document

Risk assessments are living documents and need regular review (usually annually). Yours must be reviewed if there:

Accidents, ill-health and dangerous occurrences or ‘near misses’ should always prompt review.

Who should do the Risk Assessment?

You can have it carried out externally by Health & Safety consultants or you can assess the risks yourself.  

However, the Management Regulations say employers must have Health & Safety assistance from a ‘Competent Person’. In other words, whoever does the assessment must be able to make sure you’re complying with Health & Safety law.

Small firms should only do risk assessments themselves if they confidently understand what’s involved.

The Management Regulations say the ‘Competent Person’ must have ‘sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities’ in order to:

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In identifying and evaluating risks, much depends on the activity and organisation – and there can be no ‘one size fits all’ assessment.

The duty to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment is, therefore, a ‘heavy’ one.

But if you don’t feel you have the required ‘training and experience or knowledge’ then let Ellis Whittam assess your risks for you.

Our Health & Safety specialists can:

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Why Ellis Whittam?

Health & Safety law is huge, complex and constantly changes.

While there’s no shortage of Health & Safety consultants to help you develop your Health & Safety systems – ask yourself, what do they know about the law?

Registered occupational safety and health consultants must have a degree level qualification. But rival consultants are typically geography or environmental studies graduates with little or no legal background. In plain English, such qualifications might be labelled ‘Mickey Mouse’ or little more rigorous than advanced colouring-in!

Talk to the Professionals

In stark contrast, Ellis Whittam’s consultants have outstanding relevant qualifications and vast experience. Crucially, many advisers are professionally qualified lawyers with specific industry knowledge.

With a much more suitable skillset, Ellis Whittam’s consultants are best placed to keep your organisation on the right side of the law!

Contact us for more information.   


Health & Safety Consultant | Peace of Mind for Employers

You cannot ignore Health & Safety.

But do you have the time to be your own Health & Safety consultant?

And even if you do, are you fully qualified to keep up to date with all Health & safety legislative changes.

Whether it’s something such as a:

Keeping your organisation compliant is simply not a tick box exercise.

Health & Safety legislation and regulations are complex and ever-changing.

It’s important that you are keeping your staff, clients and visitors safe. The repercussions of not being compliant mean fines, prison and damage to your reputation.

In the UK last year there were 609,000 accidents and 144 fatalities in the workplace. As a result, businesses were issued £69.9million in fines.

This isn’t just confined to organisations where you expect Health & Safety to be a priority – did you know office workers are twice as likely to suffer a disabling injury from a fall than non-office workers.

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Can you afford that?

Therefore, let Ellis Whittam keep you compliant so you can keep your organisation flourishing.

Expert Health & Safety Consultants

Ellis Whittam Health & Safety consultants are the experts you need.

First of all, as a minimum expectation, our consultants have to have either completed their NEBOSH qualification or be a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH). This grading comes from IOSH – the industry leader for Health & Safety professionals.

If they are not CMIOSH qualified they will need to be GRAD IOSH with an Initial Professional Development (IPD) to become CMIOSH qualified.

Added to this, our consultants need to demonstrate that they have real boots on the ground, proven experience of managing Health & Safety.

As a result, if they don’t meet our high expectations, they won’t meet yours.

Your Health & Safety

It’s not just about being qualified that counts. It’s about having consultants who know and understand your sector and your needs.

Ellis Whittam’s Health & Safety consultants have wide-ranging knowledge and understanding of sectors including charities, education, manufacturing, care and many more.

Support from a Health & Safety Consultant

Ellis Whittam’s professional consultants get to know all about your organisation, what makes you tick.

They meet you at your site or sites and assess thoroughly what level of risk you are. From this they will:

Therefore, a Health & Safety consultant from Ellis Whittam does everything that needs to be done in order to meet your statutory obligations.

Get a Free Consultation

If your consultant is not available (they might be supporting another organisation) we have office based Health & safety consultants who will be able to answer any question you might have.

Fixed Fee Cost

All of this is for a fixed fee which means you have the freedom of knowing how much you will spend to keep you up to speed with Health & safety,.

Added to this our Legal Expenses Insurance ensures that should the worse happen, you are covered.

But we are so confident in how we will support you and that the worst will not happen, we will go as far as to act as your legally required ‘Competent Person’. Does your current Health & Safety Consultant say the same?

Compliance Centre

We are delighted to introduce Ellis Whittam’s compliance centre. This is a new online Health & Safety management tool. This means that you can understand, at any moment, where your organisation is with Health & Safety. So, if the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) were to enter your premises, you can demonstrate that you have taken proactive decisions to mitigate your risk.

Get Support Now

Ellis Whittam’s Health & Safety consultants are best placed to keep your organisation on the right side of the law!

Contact us now to get support.


Health & Safety Policy | Keeping you compliant

Need a Health & Safety policy?

In a busy work environment, Health & Safety regulations such as the need for a Health & Safety policy can easily be overlooked – particularly in smaller enterprises where owners juggle multiple priorities.

So, having Ellis Whittam’s Health & Safety support making sure you’re compliant is vital – especially as you otherwise risk more than a costly breach fine – the resulting negative publicity can damage your reputation beyond repair!  

Written Policy

If you employ five or more people you’re legally required to have a written Health & Safety policy.

Policy Contents   

The Health & Safety at Work etc Act (HSWA) 1974 says this policy must contain three separate parts:

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Part 1: Policy Statement of Intent

This part should briefly detail organisational Health & Safety aims and objectives. It should also set out how you intend to manage Health & Safety issues.

Clear and simple language should be used so things are readily understood. Regrettably, employers’ statements all too often use non-descript language and are impossible to achieve, for example, stating ‘We will use every means possible to prevent accidents’.

A statement of intent should rather commit to:

Targets importantly indicate your commitment to improving Health & Safety performance and can help motivate staff. Common targets include:

The statement of intent should also set out how the policy is to be communicated.

Your policy will need reviewing within 12 months (at the very least) and if required revised.

Part 2: Organisation of Health & Safety 

This part should clearly set out the names, positions and duties of those with specific responsibility for Health & Safety.

It should also precisely summarise the duties of employees – namely to take ‘reasonable care’ for their own and others’ Health & Safety.

NB: Non-compliance with the stated duties may be seen by the courts as amounting to negligence. 

Part 3: Arrangements for Health & Safety

This part identifies your arrangements for managing and controlling Health & Safety risks.

It should detail the specific systems and procedures used to implement the statement of intent. This will include your organisation’s Health & Safety rules and procedures as well as its facilities such as first aid and wash rooms.

This part commonly includes risk assessments (including COSHH, PPE and manual handling). Arrangements for fire and other emergencies and for information, instruction, training and supervision should be included. There should also be information about how particular arrangements are managed.

Arrangements is likely to be the biggest part of your policy. Policies though are not supposed to be longwinded or complicated – yours should simply reflect what you do and how you manage it.

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A written Health & Safety policy is the centrepiece of safety management – it should clearly persuade, explain, assign and insist on responsibilities.  

In writing a policy, much depends on the organisation and activity – there can be no ‘one size fits all’.

The written policy requirement is, therefore, most onerous.

But if you feel you don’t have the necessary skill, experience or time, then let Ellis Whittam tailor one to suit! (pun intended)

Our Health & Safety specialists can:

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Why Ellis Whittam?

Health & Safety law is complex and constantly changes.

While countless general Health & Safety consultants are available to help develop your Health & Safety systems – ask yourself, what do they know about the law?

Registered occupational safety and health consultants must have a degree level qualification. But rival consultants are typically geography or environmental studies graduates with little or no legal background. In plain English, such qualifications might be labelled ‘Mickey Mouse’ or little more rigorous than advanced colouring-in!

Talk to the Professionals

In stark contrast, Ellis Whittam’s consultants have outstanding relevant qualifications and are vastly experienced. Crucially, many advisers are professionally qualified lawyers with specific industry knowledge.

With a much more suitable skillset, Ellis Whittam’s consultants are best placed to keep your organisation on the right side of the law!

Contact us for more information.


HR Helpline

Employers and HR managers will be faced with unexpected employee issues that need to be resolved quickly and efficiently to avoid them escalating into claims.

The easiest way for employers to get answers to all their questions is through a HR helpline.

Think back to the last month. What types of issues did you experience? Did you have an employee who has raised a grievance during the disciplinary process? Did you want to dismiss someone on the spot, but were unsure if this was actually lawful? Did you spend hours trying to work out holiday pay for casual workers?

With a HR helpline, you can get access to a wealth of HR and Employment knowledge and expertise.

The definitive HR helpline for employers is at Ellis Whittam

At Ellis Whittam, our HR helpline will be answered by an Employment Law Adviser who is legally qualified and only focuses on Employment Law. You will be paired with an Adviser who will learn about you, have relevant experience of your sector and will understand the unique set of challenges you face when managing your employees.

They will not just tell you what the law says; they will explain in clear and jargon-free language how it applies to you and your set of circumstances in a view to achieving your commercial goals.

As a HR company, we do not provide you with templates but do the hard work for you. We will draft your contracts, Employee Handbook, letters and other documentation. Anything that you have currently in place will be carefully reviewed to ensure that it is robust, fit for purpose and complies with the law.

Whether you need hand-holding through your day to day HR challenges or want some strategic support, your Employment Law Adviser is at the end of the phone through the HR helpline to assist you.

Quality advice but without law firm fees

Often employment solicitors will charge by the hour, which can mean that costs run away from you.

But with Ellis Whittam’s fixed fee HR and Employment Law service, you have complete certainty of cost. We believe that outstanding quality advice from the HR helpline doesn’t translate to employers paying a fortune.

What makes Ellis Whittam stand out

What makes our HR helpline different is that:


HR Specialist | Helping you comply with the law

Compliance with the law is not an option, it’s a necessity.

But most employers do not have legally qualified Employment Law and HR expert in their in-house teams and many have no HR Manager or HR specialist at all. Others may have external support, but are unhappy with the quality of the service or the costs it generates. In either case, Ellis Whittam’s Employment Law experts and HR specialists can be the solution you are looking for.

How can Employment Law experts and HR specialists help you?

Seeking advice by outsourcing your HR will help you keep on the right side of the law and out of Employment Tribunals.

In a nutshell, our Employment Law experts and HR specialists can help you:

What types of problems can Employment Law experts and HR specialists help you with?

They can assist you with day to day HR matters, but also with navigating the complexities of Employment Law.  In particular, our Employment Law experts and HR specialists can advise you on:

Why choose our Employment Law experts and HR Specialists

Elis Whittam employs only highly qualified people. Nearly all of their Employment Law Advisors have qualified as solicitors and they specialise only in Employment Law.

With us, you will receive a personalised service. You will have a dedicated Employment Law Adviser who will have the knowledge and expertise of your sector and be able to use that to provide you with high quality and commercially sound advice. They will learn all about you and get a thorough understanding of what you are trying to achieve and what you need from them.

They can do all the drafting for you to ensure that your contracts of employment and Employee Handbook are robust, fit for purpose, legally compliant and protect your organisation’s interests.

Fixed Fee

No matter how much your contact your Employment Law experts and HR Specialist, it’s a fixed fee service. So even if unexpected challenges arise and you are going through a period of needing more support, your fees will remain the same.

Plus, in the event of an insured employment dispute, we will defend the claim and the insurance will pay Employment Tribunal compensation awarded against you or settlement monies.

To find out how Ellis Whittam’s HR specialists are the right approach for you, contact us to discuss your organisation’s needs.