Health and Safety FAQ

Yes, Croner's health and safety advice line is available to all businesses, no matter their size or industry. For expert advice – available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Call 0808 501 6651.

Whilst some organisations may charge a fee to provide advice to new clients, Croner provides expert Health & Safety advice completely free initially. If you decide to sign on with us long-term, the cost of our always-on solution may vary depending on your goals and objectives. However, what you get in return is the peace of mind that your Health & Safety documents, standards, and processes are fully compliant, drastically decreasing the risk of workplace accidents and injury, which can typically cost upwards of £10,000 in fines and damages if you are found guilty of negligence by the HSE.

Yes, Croner Health and Safety experts provide best-in-class. UK-standardised consultancy.

If you don't undertake comprehensive risk assessments, you could fail to meet critical H&S regulations, leaving your business at risk of prosecution.

Croner draft risk assessments in line with UK-recognised standards, and our pre-written templates are checked by our in-house Health and Safety team ahead of publication.

Organisations that employ comprehensive Health and Safety policies and procedures often experience increased staff health and wellbeing levels, which leads to happier, more productive employees and, ultimately, more profitable organisations.

The foremost risk to your business of not conducting proper fire risk assessments is serious occupational injury and, in the worst case, fatality in the event of a serious fire. Other significant risks include property and equipment damage. Always conduct thorough fire risk assessments via a qualified professional.

All our fire risk assessors have either completed a fire safety qualification or are in the process of doing so. This is normally a Level 5 qualification. Additionally, we complete stringent in-house training, and every single fire risk assessment is quality checked before being sent to our clients.

Other than protecting staff safety, health, and wellbeing, achieving full fire safety compliance often leads to insurers in the UK being able to offer lower premiums on property insurance, while non-compliance can lead to higher costs or even being refused coverage.

Safety Schemes in Procurement, or SSIP, is an umbrella body that promotes several health and safety assessment and accreditation schemes with the aim of reducing accreditation costs and the need for duplication for service providers in the construction industry.

Obtaining an SSIP accreditation prevents you from having to continuously repeat the accreditation process for several health and safety schemes and professional accreditations that regulate construction industry service providers.

Obtaining SSIP accreditation can often be time consuming and arduous. Croner can help you skip this wait and set you up with an SSIP accreditation within your business itself, so you're always prepared and ready to go when working with contractors and third parties.

Food safety risks fall into the following categories:
1. Microbial contamination (causing food poisoning)
2. Physical contamination (from foreign objects, leading to injury)
3. Chemical contamination (from harmful substances, causing illness)
4. Allergens (posing a serious threat to sensitive individuals)

An independent audit of your food safety rating involves using HACCP principles to comprehensively and thoroughly evaluate all critical food safety hazards present in both your organisation and its processes. Croner's independent audit empowers you to significantly limit food safety risks and, in some cases, eliminate them entirely.

Croner can assist with food safety compliance by providing a suitable HACCP document, and numerous additional template forms for things such as fridge checks, other guidance documentation, and e-learning. Croner can also assist you with closing actions from the independent audit, and we can also complete an audit for your company inline so you can check if you are ready to be reaudited by the EHO/council.

The best thing to do would be to give one of our Health and Safety experts a call on 0808 501 6651. We can help you undertake RIDDOR correctly and then guide on the next steps you need to take.

If your staff work at fixed workstations, are mobile workers, home workers, or use hot desks (those who change desks regularly), then you are required by law to undertake Display Screen Equipment Assessments (DSEA).

A pregnancy risk assessment is the process of evaluating a workplace for risks to a new or expectant mother, such as physical, chemical, and biological hazards, as well as risks from working conditions and manual handling. If risks are identified, you must implement measures, such as adjusting the working environment, offering alternative duties, and/or informing the employee of the risks and preventative actions required.

A risk assessment should be completed, alongside vehicle checks for both private and company owned cars You will also need to check drivers' licences and any endorsements, your risk assessment will reflect the frequency of these checks. Additionally, occupational driving training should be given, this could be in the form of the e-learning provided on BrightSafe.

For staff who are struggling with mental ill health as a result of work-related stress, having an Employee Assistance Programme in place can support them in managing their work-related stress and getting back on track.

A Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection involves an assessment team who evaluate your service's safety, effectiveness, caring nature, responsiveness, and leadership. Inspectors gather evidence through record reviews, direct observation of care practices, and interviews with staff, service users, and their families.

One of the biggest risks associated with failing to comply with CQC standards is the issuance of a CQC caution/warning notice which is a legal statement indicating that the quality of your care you are responsible for falls below what is legally required.

Yes. All UK-based social and residential care organisations are subject to continuous CQC inspections and regulations.

The best place to learn about the CQC is their website. Here you will find all the resources you need to stay CQC compliant.

Wellbeing in the workplace can be defined as a key aspect of worker health, encompassing mental, emotional, and physical health. Wellbeing in the workplace can be negatively affected by a physically or emotionally unsafe working environment. Therefore, it falls under your duty of care as an employer to foster workspaces that create positive and safe experiences for your staff. Remember, when your workers feel safe and comfortable at work, their productivity and engagement at work increases

Your duty of care as an employer encompasses workplace wellbeing, of which mental health forms a part. As an employer, your duty of care includes providing resources like Employee Assistance Programmes to support mental health, fulfilling your obligation to promote overall workplace wellbeing.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of key factors that affect wellbeing at work:
· Work design (workload, autonomy, control)
· Leadership and culture (good management, fair systems, trust, inclusion)
· Work-life balance (flexible hours, personal commitments)
· Relationships (collegial support, avoiding bullying)
· Physical & mental health (safe environments, mental health support)
· Reward & recognition (fair pay, feeling valued)

Croner's Health and Safety legal insurance covers the cost of any legal fees you may incur in the case that any enforcement action is taken against you due to Health and Safety negligence.

The biggest risk is not being able to afford quality legal representation in the case of prosecution related to health and safety incidents. Comprehensive legal representation can mean the difference between a financially crippling fine, potential imprisonment, and lasting reputational damage on one hand, and a substantially reduced penalty, avoidance of jail time, and protection of your business's viability on the other.

Croner use Irwell insurance to insure our HR and H&S services, however we do not provide EL or PL insurance.

Certificates are given to all participants of our e-learning courses. Several of Croner's Health & Safety courses are ROSPA and CPD certified.

We continuously update our events and seminars page so you know exactly what's happening, when, where, and at what time.

We can provide training to nearly all areas, and seminars and conferences are held across the UK at regular intervals. We also host frequent online webinars.

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations. It is essentially a legal protocol that, if certain types of workplace accidents happen, requires employers to report them to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE is a governing body that regulates workplace safety standards. They show businesses ways to prevent injuries, ill health, and dangerous occurrences.

Croner can provide guidance on how to complete risk assessments, and we have a dedicated e-learning course providing training on how to complete them.

Our SafeCheck covers all key safety aspects, and we have industry specific questions and topics depending on the client we are seeing. They are regularly updated with any legislative changes and requirements.

Our consultants offer award-winning expertise in conducting on-site audits. If you opt to conduct a Health and Safety risk assessment yourself, you may miss things, opening your business up to several legal and financial risks. With us, you get the peace of mind in knowing that we've helped you cover all Health and Safety risks and aspects in your workplace.

Croner will check this at your annual review, and you can use your BrightSafe system to track when all your H&S tasks are due, including policy updates.

Croner will provide you with a full health and safety management system, which will include a safety arrangements policy, helpful checklist, induction pack, and employee safety handbook. We also provide reference documents, checklists, toolbox talks, guidance, posters, and much more.

This will cover the information you legally need to provide employees with, and will cover Health and Safety responsibilities, key safety topics such as first aid and fire, and how to raise health and safety concerns.