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Health and safety certification scheme |
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Introduction The 2003 reviews of the Employers' Liability market led to the Association of British Insurers offering an independent verification scheme for sectoral H&S initiatives, entitled "Making the Market Work." Members of schemes which are approved by the ABI should receive discounts on their Employers' Liability premiums. BFM Ltd has been offering a variety of H&S services for many years. This certification scheme goes a step further. The scheme is voluntary and it is open to all BFM Ltd member companies. There are no fees to pay, but companies which join the scheme must demonstrate a genuine commitment to H&S management with continual improvement of their performance. Requirements which must be met to receive certification The scheme will involve: ¨ Requirement to nominate a director responsible for H&S. This director will commit the company to achieve a continual improvement of H&S performance and will agree to meet the reporting requirements of the scheme. ¨ Requirement to nominate a manager responsible for H&S. This manager will receive a monthly copy of Update together with any other H&S information generated by BFM Ltd. In smaller companies, the manager and director may be the same individual. ¨ Requirement to hold a current H&S policy which is complied with ¨ Initial site audit by BFM Ltd’s H&S consultant to evaluate a company’s performance relative to legal requirements and industry best practice ¨ An audit report will be provided and this will contain an improvement plan with deadlines. This plan will focus upon: o Implementation of H&S management system. Guidance on the implementation of a system based upon HSG65 has been made available to members in the “BFM Ltd Health and safety management system guidance” document, which can be requested via e-mail. o Progression towards full legal compliance and the implementation of industry best practice ¨ Members will be required to submit an interim progress report after six months to indicate the level of progress on the improvement plan ¨ Annual review: each year a review will be undertaken of the degree of progress to ensure continuing improvement. Depending upon variables such as the scale of the suggested improvements, the level of progress achieved and the degree of on-site change in the intervening period, members may either be required to submit a progress report after one year or another site review will be undertaken by BFM Ltd. All members of the scheme will receive an on-site audit at least every two years. ¨ Reporting: scheme members will be required to submit annual statistics on performance such as a summary of accidents. What to do next? If you would like to sign up to the scheme or discuss the requirements further, please contact Alistair Bromhead on 01494 450813 or alistair@abromhead.freeserve.co.uk |
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Certified companies Certification began in March 2004. The following companies have achieved certification under the scheme:
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