CHAS Assessments - 100% success rate!

Are you thinking of hiring a consultant that has guaranteed a 100% success rate with CHAS assessments?

Think again!

If someone has promised this without visiting your site or office CHAS advise that it should set alarm bells ringing. While CHAS recognize that the vast majority of consultants are professional and competent, the fact is that the biggest cause of failure in the CHAS assessment process is due to a very small minority of consultants who provide generic, off-the-shelf documentation that obviously doesn't relate to the contractor being assessed.

If you were buying a new computer you wouldn’t just accept the first offer you saw, so why do it with health and safety advice? Take the same care when asking a consultant to do work for you, especially if you are a small contractor. You should know what services you need, obtain references from the consultant, ask for examples of their work and compare quotations with others.

It's CHAS's experience that in ninety five per cent of cases small contractors involved in low risk work can act as their own "competent health and safety person" and write their own competent policy, organisation and arrangements.

Extract from a report by the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (Health and safety in small organisations Reducing uncertainty, building confidence, improving outcomes): - http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file52340.pdf

"Some risk actors act as risk-mongers – by taking opportunities to inflate the perceptions of risk, often driven by self-interest, thanks to the confusion and uncertainty that can exist amongst small organisations. For example, whilst some health and safety consultants have a positive influence, others can inflate the perception of a risk leading to higher, unnecessary costs and further business for the consultant"

CHAS, the Health & Safety Executive and the Institution of Occupational Safety & Health all strongly recommend you read the HSE guidance on getting specialist help with health and safety.