Your questions, answered

A health and safety consultant provides professional advice to help businesses identify workplace risks, meet their legal responsibilities and improve their health and safety arrangements. This can include inspections, risk assessments, audits, policies, training and ongoing consultancy support.

Most businesses have health and safety responsibilities, and businesses with five or more employees are generally required to have a written health and safety policy. The policy should reflect the actual activities and risks within your organisation.

There is no single frequency that applies to every workplace. Assessments should be reviewed when there are significant changes, following incidents, or when existing controls may no longer be suitable. Regular reviews can also help ensure arrangements remain effective.

Yes. We can provide ongoing consultancy support as well as one-off assessments, audits and inspections. The level of support can be tailored to the size, activities and requirements of your business.

Yes. Health and safety support isn't just for large organisations. We can work with small and growing businesses to help them understand their responsibilities and put practical arrangements in place.

RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) requires employers to report certain workplace accidents, injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences to the relevant enforcing authority. We can help you understand whether an incident is reportable and support you through the reporting process.

Cost depends on the size of your site, the scope of work and the level of ongoing support you need. Contact us with some basic details about your business and we'll provide a quotation tailored to your requirements.

Yes. We can assist businesses with workplace risk assessments, identifying hazards, assessing risks and recommending suitable control measures.

Depending on your workplace and activities, we can support risk assessments covering areas such as general workplace risks, fire, hazardous substances, machinery, manual handling, working at height, contractors and other specific workplace hazards.

A risk assessment should be reviewed when there is reason to believe it is no longer valid or when there has been a significant change. Changes to equipment, processes, premises, substances or working practices may all require a review.

Yes. We can help businesses develop practical method statements that reflect the work being undertaken and the control measures required.

This depends on the size and complexity of your site and activities. A single office assessment can be quick, while a larger industrial or waste site with multiple activities will take longer. We'll give you a realistic timeframe once we understand your site.

Getting a quote is straightforward. Contact Safety First with some basic information about your premises, including the type of building, location, approximate size, number of occupants and any specific risks or requirements. We can then discuss what level of assessment or support may be appropriate and provide a quotation based on your requirements.

We provide fire risk assessment support for a range of workplaces, including offices, warehouses, commercial premises and industrial environments.

Most non-domestic premises in England require a suitable fire risk assessment. The assessment should consider the specific premises, people at risk, fire hazards and existing fire safety measures.

A fire risk assessment can consider ignition sources, combustible materials, escape routes, fire detection and warning systems, emergency arrangements, fire-fighting equipment and the management of fire safety.

Yes. Warehouse environments can present particular fire risks due to storage arrangements, combustible materials, machinery and workplace activities. Our assessments focus on the risks relevant to the individual premises.

Yes. We can provide fire risk assessment support for offices and other commercial workplaces.

A fire risk assessment should be reviewed regularly and whenever there's a significant change to the premises, occupancy, processes or fire safety measures, or following a fire safety incident. There's no fixed legal interval, but many businesses review annually as good practice.

This varies with the size and complexity of the premises. A small office may take a few hours on site, while a larger industrial or waste site will take longer to assess thoroughly. We'll confirm timings once we know more about your premises.

Yes. Safety First can provide support with DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations) assessments for workplaces where dangerous substances may create fire, explosion or other risks. This can include businesses storing, handling or using flammable liquids, gases, vapours or other dangerous substances.

A DSEAR assessment can help identify the hazards, assess the risks and establish appropriate control measures.

The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations. They require employers to assess and control risks from dangerous substances that could cause fire, explosion, or similar energetic events.

No. A fire risk assessment covers fire safety for people and premises more broadly. DSEAR focuses on dangerous substances and explosive atmospheres. Many industrial and waste sites need both, kept consistent.

Review when substances, processes, layout, or plant change, after relevant incidents, and at sensible intervals so the assessment still matches the live site. Don't leave a DSEAR report sitting while the process has moved on.

Often yes, where flammables, aerosols, gases, battery streams, solvents, or combustible dusts are stored or processed in a way that can create a dangerous atmosphere or fire/explosion risk. Scope depends on the activities on your permit and site.

COSHH covers the health risks from hazardous substances, such as exposure through breathing, skin contact or ingestion. DSEAR covers the safety risks from dangerous substances, such as fire, explosion and explosive atmospheres. Many substances need to be considered under both sets of regulations.

Yes. Safety First provides health and safety audits and inspections for waste sites, warehouses and other commercial and industrial workplaces. Our audits can review areas such as workplace conditions, risk assessments, safe systems of work, housekeeping, equipment, traffic management, emergency arrangements, staff competence and general health and safety compliance.

Our approach is practical and focused on identifying issues that need attention rather than simply producing paperwork.

Yes. We can provide WAMITAB competence support for waste-sector businesses and technically competent managers who need assistance understanding and maintaining their competence requirements. We can help businesses understand what is required, identify potential gaps and provide practical guidance around maintaining the appropriate level of competence for their operations.

If you're unsure about your current WAMITAB arrangements, speak to our team about your requirements.

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WAMITAB (the Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board) administers the CIWM/WAMITAB Operator Competence Scheme, the recognised framework for demonstrating technical competence at permitted waste facilities in the UK.

Most sites that store, treat or process waste need an environmental permit or registered exemption from the Environment Agency. The type of permit depends on the waste types, activities and scale of your operation. We can help with new applications, variations and understanding what your permit requires.

A Fire Prevention Plan sets out how a waste or recycling site manages fire risk, covering waste storage arrangements, maximum pile sizes, separation distances, detection, firefighting equipment and emergency response. Most permitted waste sites in England are required to have one, and it needs to reflect the site as it actually operates.

A competent health and safety professional can investigate a workplace accident and help identify the underlying causes and improvements required. Safety First can support businesses with workplace accident investigations, looking beyond the immediate cause of an incident to consider factors such as procedures, training, supervision, equipment, working conditions and management arrangements.

The objective is not simply to establish what happened, but to help identify practical corrective and preventative actions.

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