Hello

Not sure if this is the right platform for this I am sure someone will advise.

My daughter works for an employer whereby she is sometimes required to go offsite and use premises to conduct specific types of interviews etc. This could be a church hall a leisure centre even a cafe virtually anywhere they can get a seat. After some rumblings about health and safety each employee has been sent out a form to complete. It is a full health and safety questionnaire regarding the places they visit. for example here are just a few questions on the form that my daughter is being asked to complete, there are many many more questions. Please bear in mind that she has no Health and Safety training or any associated qualification.

"Does the area to be occupied by us appear to be in a reasonable state of repair and without obvious health & safety hazards?

Are there adequate fire arrangements for the site, including:

means of escape from the areas that you intend to occupy, in case of an emergency?

all exits clear of obstructions?

adequate signage on fire exit routes?

clear fire evacuation arrangements, including Fire Action notices and Fire Wardens where necessary?

Are there adequate security arrangements, such as CCTV, panic alarms, security personnel etc.?

Is there adequate connectivity on site?

She has then to sign the form and return it to her employer.

To me, these assessments should be conducted by a fully qualified H&S officer prior to any scheduled visits by employees but like my daughter many others are visiting these places on a daily basis and have been for some time now.

Anyone give me some advice on this matter, is this the norm or is it bordering on the illegal.

To me, these assessments should be conducted by a fully qualified H&S officer prior to any scheduled visits by employees but like my daughter many others are visiting these places on a daily basis and have been for some time now.

Is she in a union ?

If I were presented with a form containing such questions and compelled to compete it, I would sign it off with "I am not trained or qualified to assess the premises". The next stage would be to raise the matter with the union and go down the formal grievance route. Further more, these sorts of questions should have been asked by whoever was sourcing the facilities long before any employee is required to go there.

Is she in a union ?

 

If I were presented with a form containing such questions and compelled to compete it, I would sign it off with "I am not trained or qualified to assess the premises". The next stage would be to raise the matter with the union and go down the formal grievance route. Further more, these sorts of questions should have been asked by whoever was sourcing the facilities long before any employee is required to go there.

No she is not in a union unfortunately. Totally agree that this should have been done prior to any employee going to such venues. The seating is poor a hard back plastic chair and a makeshift desk and in some cases they are expected to sit there for almost 7 hours

You start off by making a statement that is completely untrue. She DOES have H&S training, everyone in the country does to a certain extent as it is a requirement for any employment. Even if that training is as little as "you press this button and the machine works, you press the red one and it stops"

What she is being asked to do here is make a personal risk assessment regarding HER health and safety whilst being upon those premises.This is not the same as conducting a safety audit or inspection that an employer is required to do.

Top be honest it is no tougher than being asked whether she looks to see if there is any traffic before crossing the road to make sure she doesnt get run over. Now, if you told me that this form was to be used to sign off a premises as part of her employment for one of those audits then I would be worried.

The questions suggest that the employer will then decide if it is suitable to allow their employees to be there, not some sort of indemnity from being sued as an employer if things go wrong.

I see the form as being helpful because it gives her the power to effectively veto certain places if they dont come up to scratch and have the documentation to support that stance should someone decide that she should be there come hell or high water.

With regard to chairs, she can choose on that is suitable for her personal needs as long as it fulfils the requirements of the PUWER and it is arguable that there isnt a cheaper alternative so an adjustable swivel chair would be the norm. It would be considered HER chair as it is PERSONAL. read up on what was known as the "6 pack" for the EU regs that became the updated HASAWA