A Big Client is Asking Us to Prove We Have Competent Health and Safety Support — What Do We Do?
This is one of the most common triggers for businesses contacting us at LESH, and it is a situation we deal with regularly. The good news is that it is entirely straightforward to resolve — and doing so will benefit your business well beyond satisfying this one client's request.
Larger clients, principal contractors and public sector organisations increasingly require their supply chain partners to demonstrate that they have robust health and safety arrangements in place. This might come in the form of a requirement for SSIP accreditation, a pre-qualification questionnaire asking you to name your competent person, or a direct audit of your health and safety management systems.
When a client asks you to prove you have competent health and safety support, what they typically want to see is evidence of three things: that you have a named competent person with appropriate qualifications and experience; that you have documented health and safety arrangements such as a policy, risk assessments and method statements; and that these arrangements are actively maintained and reflect your actual working practices.
Appointing LESH as your competent person addresses all three of these requirements. We are IOSH Chartered professionals with recognised qualifications up to MSc Degree, which satisfies the competence credential. We can put in place or review all of your health and safety documentation. And as your retained consultant, we provide the ongoing support that demonstrates your arrangements are actively maintained rather than simply a box-ticking exercise.
In many cases, we can also help you achieve formal SSIP accreditation — schemes like SafeContractor, CHAS or Constructionline — which provide your clients with independent third-party verification of your health and safety standards. This can be a significant commercial advantage, opening doors to contracts that would otherwise be unavailable to you.
If a client is pressing you on this issue, do not panic — but do act promptly. Contact us and we can advise you on exactly what is needed and how quickly we can help you get it in place. In many cases, we can move very quickly to give you what you need.
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