We have seen a good response to our offer of providing a DSEAR template for people to be able to use and are happy to supply this resource when requested. What has been interesting is the number of subsequent follow up calls received, which have identified that after viewing what needs to be covered under DSEAR, the complexities have made people rethink their approach.
What is being cited is the realisation that in-house they don’t really have the resources and often the skills needed to ensure a comprehensive assessment will be completed. However, pressure from senior management had been the driver to look at undertaking the assessment in-house. Clearly, too many businesses don’t really understand what DSEAR is all about and we would encourage them to firstly check out what the HSE advise at http://www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/dsear-regulations.htm . The HSE updated this information in 2014 and we think that it’s essential reading, providing impartial advice to business.
We have found in the past how easy it is for a business to tie itself in knots trying to address DSEAR, only for the HSE to subsequently reject the work done as not being completed by Competent Persons.
So our word of caution is to do your research first and ensure that you have the right resources at your disposal before looking at DSEAR. Otherwise it is easy to get wrong and end up costing your business in the longer term. Making the right decision based on competent advice really can make life easier for businesses and can prevent mistakes (such as spending more than is really necessary).
