Legal Compliance

Compliance is a very broad term and while we focus on safety, the general principles apply to all manner of legal and regulatory processes of which an organisation needs to be aware. The time spent on minimising risk will always be far less than the time spent trying to control or resolve an unwanted and unplanned event.

Risk, in simple terms, is the effect of uncertainty; typically unplanned or simply unwanted events. For any owner/manager of an SME, writing down a list of things that keeps them awake at night is one good start.

An important aspect of understanding risk is accepting that risk exists. Confidence is part of the entrepreneurial spirit, yet over-confidence or ignoring reality can destroy what has already been achieved. That is why risk and compliance is important to an SME; in reality, complying with law and regulation is only one part of the equation.

Obtain accurate information about health and safety risks that relate to your business. External sources of information and your health and safety risk assessments (including fire risk assessments) will help you understand the probability of something happening.