Our approach
When considering what you look for in successfully managing your health, safety and environmental obligations, is it compliance, control, consistency, competence, collaboration or cost?
In truth, for most organisations, the answer will be something of all of them. But getting the right balance of what you want and need, like good health and safety, doesn’t happen by accident. In today’s world, it also must ensure you are not just legally compliant, but that your financial, moral and reputational risks are being well managed too.
At Assurity Consulting we see health, safety and environmental management as an investment, not a cost. And by partnering with us one of the first things you’ll notice is our commitment to building and maintaining long-term relationships with that in mind.
Offering solutions and no other remedial products and services - Whether system reviews and audits (e.g. air quality, water quality, F gas, noise, food safety, occupancy comfort), risk assessment, training management systems, support or online management with Assurity Plus, we offer a range of completely independent strategic, tactical and operational solutions tailored to your needs and requirements with no vested interest in selling remedial services.
100% customer focussed - With services subcontracted to third parties, associates, “independent parts of the same group” and/or specialist laboratories, you the customer can be separated from the work two possibly three times. Not only does this significantly increase the potential for error in the supply chain, but also a loss control around process and understanding. With our directly employed consultants, support teams and our inhouse laboratory you get all the traceability, accountability, reliability and ownership where it is needed, and results and information you can trust.
Checked, verified and quality assured - Our industry-leading accreditations and assurances, (ISO 17020, ISO 17000, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Primary Authority (fire and Legionella), LCA) backs the in-depth technical expertise of our consultants, from NEBOSH, OSHCR and IFE to NRAC, IIRSM and IOSH. We often get asked “who checks the checker”, well for the services we provide, a lot of different people do and that brings its own level of reassurance for us and our customers.
- We review all existing protocols and buildings to understand what is successful and what can be improved.
- We check all policies to make sure they are relevant and up to date.
- We confirm who takes responsibility for policies so that everyone is clear how it affects them.
- We develop risk assessments to help you prevent potential problems and their consequences.
- We provide written schemes documentation so that you know who does what, when
- and why.
- We deliver tailored training aimed at raising understanding in compliance and legislation issues.
- We guide you on your controls so they are relevant to your risk management strategy.
- We help you to monitor relevant practices so they continue to protect.
- We make sure your records provide the practical evidence of your compliance.
The basis of every service provided is the Assurity Consulting management loop. Every aspect of an organisation’s strategy, policy and operations are reviewed and each element of the loop can be undertaken in isolation or as part of a fully integrated approach.
Latest articles
Issue 9: COVID-19 contingencies for workplace fire evacuation, first aid and Test and Trace
24th September 2020
For those already remobilised to the workplace, those about to, or indeed those planning it, alongside COVID-19 precautions, what are the other considerations to make sure are in place?
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COVID-19 contingency planning: Managing water systems and services
25th June 2020
As our sector slowly starts its way back to normality (or adjusting to the ‘new normal’) following COVID-19 we are faced with yet another set of challenges as buildings begin to reoccupy; and we are having to, again, amend our approach to water management.
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COVID-19 contingency planning: Managing air systems and services
25th June 2020
As our sector responds to the new normal, we recognise that air quality, from an operations perspective, is a key consideration in helping to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission, while maintaining conditions as optimum as possible for occupants.
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Issue 6: Coronavirus - workplace remobilisation building systems and services information and guidance
11th June 2020
As remobilisation builds and we see more organisations opening back up for business, making sure our building systems and services are also ready and compliance is going to be important.
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Roffey Park Institute - Providing a safe learning environment for staff and visitors with Assurity Consulting
Roffey Park Institute is an international, research led learning and development organisation. They focus on personal, team and organisational learning in leadership, management, human resource development, and organisational development.
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Slaughter and May Believing in Workplace Compliance
Slaughter and May is regarded as one of the most prestigious law firms in the world. They advise on high profile and groundbreaking international transactions and have an excellent and varied client list that includes leading companies, organisations and governments.
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Frequently asked questions
- What to do when a fire is discovered
- How to raise the alarm
- What to do if you hear the fire alarm
- Where the assembly points are located
- Who contacts the emergency services
- Firefighting policy
- How to know it is safe to re-enter the building
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Practicability
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Effectiveness of measure
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Cost (availability of financial or other aid)
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The extent of disruption
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The extent of the company resources and considering other resources available
It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that their staff have had adequate training in order to ensure they know what they need to do in the event of a fire. Training should be provided on the first day of the induction stage with further training given throughout the length of employment to ensure that knowledge is refreshed and the information is correct. This is outlined in the British Standard BS9999:2017 Annex Q. Refresher training should be at least annually but if there is a higher turnover of staff or the risk of fire is more significant this frequency should be increased.
The level of training required should be dependant on the occupant's roles and responsibility. For example, a fire safety officer and fire warden would require more training than general office staff as they have greater fire responsibilities in the event of an evacuation. Fire evacuation drill’s training may potentially be considered sufficient refresher training for general office staff and fire wardens depending on the risk profile.
Things to include in fire awareness training should include the following:
Related services: Fire Safety
Reasonable adjustments must be made for workers with disabilities under The Equality Act 2010 to remove any potential barriers or provide auxiliary aids to assist them in their job role. Reasonableness is determined by the following;
These factors will vary dependent on the nature of the business, location and for each disabled person. Our access auditor experts are able to offer advice on what would be considered reasonable in your situation.
There is no requirement to have an asbestos survey carried out. Regulation 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012 states the duty is to manage asbestos not a duty to survey. However, in order to manage asbestos that may be within your building, you need to know where it is, what type of asbestos it is and importantly, what condition it is in.
If your building was built before 1999, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, there is a good chance that some materials used within construction or fit-out contain asbestos. The only way that you can be totally certain of this is by carrying out a management survey which will help you assess, prioritise and manage these materials and allow you to carry out regular assessments to ensure that they remain in good condition.
You can assume that all unknown or suspect items contain asbestos, but in a larger building, this can quickly become unmanageable.
A management survey should be carried out by an independent organisation that is not linked to any removal or remediation company so that you can be sure that any recommendations given are made to help you with effective management.
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Section 2(3)) states “It shall be the duty of every employer to prepare and as often as may be appropriate revise a written statement of his general policy with respect to the health and safety at work of his employees and the organisation and arrangements for the time being in force for carrying out that policy, and to bring the statement and any revision of it to the notice of all of his employees.”
However, if you have fewer than five employees, you do not need to have your health and safety policy written down.
There is no formal requirement to sign a policy, but as the purpose of the document is to demonstrate management from the top, most organisations do. The example policies on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also have boxes for signature.
It is far more important that the policy and arrangements are shared and implemented (for which top drive is usually needed). You can have a beautifully documented and signed policy, however, if it isn’t shared and implemented it, means little legally or organisationally.
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Assurity Plus
The workplace compliance solution for monitoring and managing compliance across your building portfolio.
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