Choosing a Health and safety Consultant

Choosing a health and safety consultant is an important decision, so great care should be taken before you appoint one.  Whatever anyone may tell you, the management of Health and Safety risks cannot be outsourced to a consultant, and no consultant can make you 'fully compliant'.

However, a good safety consultant should:

1. Identify your significant health and safety risks
2. Advise you on how to either eliminate or reduce those risks
3. Help you to put in place systems and procedures to manage the remaining risks 

Some of the things that should be considered when looking for a consultant are included in the booklet on the right, published by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the World's leading professional health and safety organization. When considering using a consultant, it is important that you are not sold a generic package, but rather that the service you get is tailored to your business.  As it states in the IOSH booklet 'Getting help with health and safety':    'When you select a consultant, make sure they improve your health and safety management system (if you already have one).  Be careful that you don’t end up paying for a generic ‘package’ of information, a set of risk assessments that aren’t tailored to your circumstances, or just a health and safety manual.  One size doesn’t fit all.  Any information the consultant gives you should be specific to you.  You should look beyond general information that will merely help you ‘tick the box’ if an inspector calls or an insurer asks for it.  You need practical, proportionate and customized ways to manage your risks effectively and improve the health and safety of your business.'