Bury, England (March 26, 2010) - NorthgateArinso Employer Services, leading UK suppliers of HR services, employment law and health and safety support, advise companies to conduct their risk assessment procedures in-house as opposed to outsourcing the task.
NorthgateArinso Employer Services get numerous requests on a monthly basis from companies looking to outsource their risk assessment practices. They would like to underline their stance however that they feel such a measure should be left to an in-house employee to conduct in line with The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations - section 8.
Section 8 states that a competent person can assist the employer when they are looking at risk assessment within their company. Best practise is for it to remain in-house is due to the person knowing the internal undertakings within the company and the specific risks that could befall the business should an emergency situation ever arise.
NorthgateArinso Employer Services point to cases where companies have been scrutinised for outsourcing their health and safety risk assessment, and also point out that a manslaughter charge could be brought against the company should a serious accident occur at work where the risk assessment hasn't been undertaken.
"Our policy is to train, support and assist, but not to undertake the risk assessment itself, as ultimately it is the key stake-holder of the business that is responsible for ensuring the safety of the employees, clients and members of the public.
It could be the director/owner, that could potentially face heavy fines or even a corporate manslaughter charge, if a serious accident or death occurred," commented Stuart Field, Health & Safety Consultancy Manager of NorthgateArinso Employer Services. "It can also be cost-effective to bring this skill set in-house, particularly if there is an ongoing need for risk assessment, which in most businesses, there invariably is. We are able to advise people and clarify the law should they ever have any confusion about specific legislation, and can offer effective risk assessment training to interested clients to assist with this."
To find out more about NorthgateArinso Employer Services and their business ethos, visit their website at http://www.northgatearinsoemployerservices.com/ or telephone 0845 073 0260 during normal office hours.