We wanted to give you plenty of notice to our operating hours over the Christmas period:

Close – 23rd December 12pm

Open – 3rd January 9am

All services are still available via the website, including risk assessments and making enquiries. All E-learning purchased will run as normal as the system is automated.

We will be monitoring emails on an adhoc basis so send any enquiries to: info@seguro-safety.co.uk

70 FREE Toolbox Talks

Toolbox talks are short health and safety talks. The talks are designed to inform workers about potential hazards they may encounter while performing their duties on site.

The topics discussed directly relate to the tasks and hazards at the worksite. For example, if drainage trenches are to be excavated on site, the site supervisor can talk about the dangers, hazards, good practice and working close to deep excavations, to keep people safe.

Key Benefits of Tool box Talks

Our Free tool box talk documents are written in house by our consultants and cover all the main topics including:

• Abrasive Wheels
• Asbestos
• COSHH
• First Aid
• Manual Handling
• PPE
• Slips, Trips and Falls

Free Toolbox Talks Download

All toolbox talk documents are in MS Word Format so you can easily amend them and bespoke them to your needs. There are over 70 in the pack including an attendance register.

Download 70 FREE toolbox talks

Welcome to the December edition of our Health & Safety Questions

Please find below the five questions we thought were worth sharing from this months queries that have come into our office here at Seguro.

Why don’t I just go straight to CHAS?

We provide a service to help companies prepare their documentation to demonstrate their ability for carrying out their works safety.  Many companies have the skills but not the paperwork, we work with those companies providing a safety advisor service for the duration of their CHAS to ensure they implement the documents produced. (companies less than 5)

What does it mean that a company has a CHAS accreditation?

This means that a company has had their Health & Safety assessed by an SSIP umbrella body.

How do i get an SSIP certificate?

You can approach one of the many companies found on ssip or you can enquire with us how we can help you gain accreditation.

Do Constructionline carry out an onsite inspection?

No all assessments are carried out on the documentation you provide with your application.

How long does it take for Constructionline to do my assessment?

Constructionline can take up to two weeks to assess the documentation that you submit.

Save up to £500 with your SSIP assessment renewal.

The problem

CHAS and other SSIP providers raise their assessment fees yearly, increasing the cost. Corporations have taken over CHAS, and their fees are pretty high.

We at Seguro have kept our fees the same for over ten years due to improving our efficiency and keeping your costs as low as we can. We will continue to do this for as long as we can.

We have a solution

The PQS is an accreditation supplier and SSIP member. PQS charge a much lower fee than CHAS, saving you up to £500 depending on your type of accreditation.

There is no difference between CHAS and PQS; they are SSIP members and work according to the same rules and guidance.

If you are worried that your customers are asking for CHAS, it’s OK, as SSIP allow you to obtain a CHAS certificate even when PQS has accredited you through their deen to satisfy process.

If your SSIP accreditation is coming up for renewal, contact us, and we can advise you on the best solution for your business and budget.

Email me amanda@seguro-safety.co.uk or call 0800 031 5404

What is SSIP Deem to Satisfy?

Deem to satisfy allows you to obtain an SSIP certificate from a supplier other than the supplier from which you obtained your SSIP certificate.

For example, you can apply for a construction line certificate without going through a new accreditation process if you have a CHAS certificate.

You can save money using deem to satisfy; for example, if you have a CHAS and wish to renew, you can renew with a more economical supplier and still get your CHAS certificate through the deem to satisfy system.

All member schemes listed on the SSIP forum adhere to the SSIP Core Criteria, backed by the Health and Safety Executive.

By mutually recognising each other’s schemes, suppliers benefit from only needing to complete one assessment, while buyers enjoy more efficient procurement processes. This approach reduces costs and has saved over £68 million since 2016.

Deem to satisfy can be complex, we can do the hard lifting for you, the fee is very small.

Registered Members

Two-Way Deem to Satisfy between SSIP Registered Members

Approval with a Registered Member can only be used to Deem to Satisfy with another Registered Member; it cannot be used to gain a Deem to Satisfy with a Certification Body Member.

Below is the list of registered members you can use for deem to satisfy:

3Core2 Certification Limited Trading As SafeArb SafeArb

Achilles Information Ltd Building Confidence

Alcumus SafeContractor Ltd Alcumus Safecontractor

Altius VA Limited CDMComply

Arboricultural Association ARB Approved Contractor

Association for Project Safety APS Corporate Practice Membership

Avetta Avetta Assessed

CHAS 2013 Ltd Contractors Health & Safety Scheme

Construction Safety Solutions PASS

CQMS Ltd CQMS Safety-Scheme

D W Health & Safety DW Health & Safety Contractor Competency Scheme

Fall Arrest Safety Equipment Training Ltd FASET Membership Audit

Fortius Ltd Acclaim Accreditation

Greenlight Safety Assessment Scheme Ltd Greenlight Safety Assessment Scheme

Hire Association Europe Ltd SafeHire Certification Scheme

International Powered Access Federation [IPAF] IPAF SSIP

MSL Property Care Services Ltd MSL Safepartner

National Access & Scaffolding Confederation Ltd NASC SSIP Audit

National Federation of Demolition Contractors NFDC Membership

PQS Pre-Qualification Scheme PQS Health & Safety Approved

Salus Certification Salus Certification

Safe-T-Cert [NI] {Construction Employers Federation} Safe-T-Cert

Safe-T-Cert [ROI] {Construction Industry Federation} Safe-T-Cert

Safety Management Advisory Services Ltd SMAS Worksafe

SSG Training and Consultancy Ltd SSG Assessed

William Martin Compliance Limited Prosure 360

We can support you if you are not sure what to do.

Asbestos Awareness E-learning

It is your employers responsibility to ensure that any employee who may come into contact or disturb asbestos carrying out their normal daily work tasks have been given the correct level of training. Enabling employees to have the knowledge to ensure that they can work safely and competently without risk to themselves or others working around them.

There are three main levels of information, instruction and training.

• Asbestos awareness
• Non-licensable work with asbestos including NNLW
• Licensable work with asbestos.

Asbestos Awareness

Asbestos Awareness Training can be provided in a number of forms but the most common and easiest form is to provide employees with access to Asbestos Awareness E-learning. The training is intended  to provide the employees with the the information you need to avoid work that may disturb asbestos during any normal work which could disturb the fabric of a building, or other item which might contain asbestos. The training is not intended for anyone who will be involved in the removal of Asbestos.

Asbestos Awareness E-learning should cover the following:

• how to avoid the risk of exposure to asbestos
• the effects of asbestos on health and its properties, including the increased risk of developing lung cancer for asbestos workers who smoke
• asbestos materials in buildings and plant, the types, uses and likely hood of it being present
• the general procedures to deal with an emergency, eg. an uncontrolled release of asbestos dust into the workplace

We can provide access to an Asbestos Awareness E-learning course for any employers looking to ensure their employees are covered.

All other levels of asbestos and the information and training needed can be found on the HSE website.

Why have a health and safety policy?

All companies  that employ 5 or more direct employees (on the PAYE and tax for the company) must have a written Health and Safety Policy in place. The Health and Safety Policy should cover all aspects of the companies activities and be relevant to all employees.

A Health and Safety Policy is required by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) the policy shows that the company takes its health and safety responsibilities seriously.

The policy has no maximum or minimum number of pages it should be bespoke to the company and cover all the necessary activities.

What is a health and safety policy?

A policy is a written statement, which has three basic parts:

• a statement section (often a single page) detailing how safety will be managed and the priority that the company gives to Health & Safety.
• an organisation section that details where responsibilities are allocated and how employees fit into the overall safety management system
• an arrangements section that contains details of how specific activities and functions are managed.

This arrangements section could include such matters as risk assessments, fire safety, first aid, accident reporting, electrical safety, work equipment, hazardous substances, manual handling and other workplace issues.

If you think you may need to get a policy for your company but your not sure where to start you can write your own policy or we can provide you with help.

Welcome to the November edition of ask Seguro

Please find below the five questions we thought were worth sharing from this months queries that have come into our office here at Seguro.

Should i apply for CHAS or Safe Contractor?

Which accreditation is very much a business decision and tends to be dictated by the client you are working for. They are both part of the SSIP umbrella group so you can deem to satisfy for the other one should you need it.

Im a sole trader why do i need CHAS?

CHAS is an assessment of your companies Health & Safety so the number of employees is not applicable, even as a sole trader you still need to be able to demonstrate that you know how to carry out your work activities safely.

I cant download your free toolbox talks.

We offer a free Toolbox talk pack which you can download by clicking here, as long as you follow the instructions you will be sent an email with the link to download.

How long does it take for CHAS to do my assessment?

CHAS can take up to two weeks to assess the documentation that you submit. You will receive all communication through the new portal.

How do i know which level i need on constructionline?

Your client should let you know which one their require, if not we would suggest going for Silver as you can always upgrade to Gold if needed.

I’m up for renewal of my CHAS isn’t it a case of just pressing submit?

CHAS is processed online, there is an option to use last years application. There will be new legislation as well as dated documents that need amending so please don’t just press submit.

Do i need a competent person?

This service is needed if you have more than 5 employees as you have to ensure you have professional advice.

Getting third party help?

Ensure that the company you are looking to work with has a history of being in the industry or you will have to go through the same process next year when renewal is due. We have been trading for over 20 years and more than happy to work with you as your partner.