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All your Health & Safety requirements in one place

Insight by

amanda

Amanda Lambert

Published on

18 June 2025

Health and safety blog

All your H&S requirements in one place

Here at Seguro we can be a one stop shop for your safety needs. We can help you with one off client requests or by being your competent person providing you with our full Safety package the choice is yours.

All our our clients have different needs so we can tailor a package to fit your Health & Safety requirements.

Competent Person

We provide a full Health & Safety Management System including a policy, employee handbook and an environmental policy. Expert advice is available for you 24/7.

Accreditation

If your looking for an accreditation but not sure which one we can recommend one to suit your individual needs

We can help you to provide the paperwork needed to enable you to show you are capable of working safely. These vary depending on what accreditation you are looking to complete.

We stay with you until the accreditation is achieved.

Risk Assessments & Method Statements

We have a full library of Risk Assessments & Method Statements available for you to purchase from as little as £10. All of our documents are available in word format for you to be able to amend and use as you need in your business.

examples

Safety Advisor

This is a support service for less than 5 employees, this comes with expert advice as well as access to our online documents and Risk assessments. This can be purchased separately or comes free with accreditation applications for less than 5 employees.

We offer many more services including PQQ preparation, Construction Phase Plan preparation. Why not visit our website and see if we can help you with any issues you have now and throughout 2025.

Complete the form below, and we will be happy to provide you with assistance.







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    The difference between Safety Advisor and Competent Person

    Insight by

    amanda

    Amanda Lambert

    Published on

    12 June 2025

    Competent person

    The difference between Safety Advisor and Competent Person

    The main difference between a safety advisor and a competent person within your business (eg someone who seems themselves as competent) is that the safety advisor needs to be qualified to at least NEBOSH or IOSH standards.

    A competent person may be competent at running a construction site but not the health and safety management of the site, unless they have the above qualifications.

    When a business has more than five employees, health and safety legislation states the company must employ a competent person who is competent in health and safety. A person who is competent in the health and safety management of the business. This person will hold health and safety qualifications such as NEBOSH or IOSH.

    Ensuring you have the right level of support and advice for your Health & Safety is a bit of a mine field and can be defined simply by the number of employees you have.

    Less than 5 employees = Safety Advisor

    This service is where you are offered support and advice when needed, this tends to be a one of payment where you will be given a service agreement, certificate and a CV to show the qualifications of the person who is providing you with the advice. Paperwork such as off the shelf risk assessments and risk assessments and Method statements would be provided on an as and when basis should you need them.

    More than 5 employees = Safety Competent Person

    This service is where you pay a monthly retainer fee for continued support and advice should you need it. This service is where your consultant becomes part of your business and should be informed of anything that changes within the organisation. In this service you will be provided with a full Safety Management System including full Health & Safety Policy, Equal opportunities policy and Staff handbook. Your consultant will be on hand to be the link between you and the HSE should this ever be necessary.

    Whilst not every company is black and white like this the rule of thumb tends to be the details above. You may be asked by a client to prove you have a dedicated support for Health & Safety resource as well as a policy with less than 5 employees if that is the case you would need fall outside of the rule.

    If you are not sure about your personal circumstances please call 0800 031 5404 during working hours or complete the form using this link. We are happy to go through everything with you.

    Complimentary Safety Advisor Service

    Insight by

    amanda

    Amanda Lambert

    Published on

    5 June 2025

    Health and safety blog

    Complimentary Safety Advisor Service

    Discover our Complimentary Safety Advisor Service that supports clients during their accreditation process and beyond.

    Here at Seguro we pride ourselves on adding value to our services. When we help our clients to achieve an accreditation we also provide them with a Safety Advisory service.

    This is where we remain as their contact throughout the year of their accreditation to help them to:

    • Implement the new documentation into their business
    • Provide support ongoing should they need it.
    • Provide off the shelf risk assessments and method statements should they be needed (bespoke ones are chargeable)
    • Enable our clients to name us should they need to on PQQ documentation

    The following accreditations are eligible (less than 5 employees)

    • CHAS
    • Safe Contractor
    • Constructionline
    • Exor
    • Altius
    • Avetta
    • Builders Profile

    Remote Competent Safety Advisor Vs Onsite Visiting

    We often get asked the question about our Competent Safety Advisor Service to see what the benefits are compared to having someone employed onsite. The obvious one is cost, it is much more cost effective to have a remote competent person as a service, a service like ours starts from £50 per month compared to a full time salary.

    Why use an outsourced service?

    • We supply a comprehensive Health and Safety Management System
    • We develop a bespoke company Health and Safety Policy for your business
    • We work with you to develop a company employee handbook
    • We develop an Environmental Policy specific to you
    • We provide assistance in Accident Reporting to Enforcing Authorities/Accident Investigation
    • We will liaison with Enforcing Authorities on your behalf

    Ongoing support

    • Access to telephone advice on an unlimited number of occasions
    • Updates on any changes in Health and Safety legislation
    • Access to over 80 risk assessments and various supporting documentation held on our website
    • Yearly review of all documentation and revised documents issued
    • Monthly newsletters giving you latest Health & Safety News as well as legislation updates.

    With over 200 clients we provide a comprehensive service that is affordable and reliable so SME’s can have peace of mind that they are compliant with their legal obligations.

    There are no hidden fees and we pride ourselves with having an 95% retention record year on year. You can see testimonials on our website or on Trust pilot which is an independent review platform.

    Competent Safety Advisor Support

    Here at Seguro, we pride ourselves on being able to support all businesses regardless of their size. We can provide your business with less than five employees a service, ensuring you meet all your Health & Safety needs.

    Our service provides you with:

    • Support to implement new documentation into your business
    • Provide support ongoing should you need it for all Health & Safety advice.
    • Provide off-the-shelf risk assessments and method statements should they be needed (bespoke ones are chargeable)
    • Enable you to name us should you need to on PQQ documentation
    • Provide you with General pre-prepared COSHH from our library

    We are available throughout the working day by email or telephone, whichever way you prefer to communicate.

    This service is available to anyone who needs it, and there is a fixed cost for everyone.

    This service is also FREE with any accreditation we submit for you so if you are looking to get CHAS or a similar SSIP we can assist with that and provide this service for FREE.

    If you need more information about SSIP, we have lots of blogs to help or you can visit SSIP directly.

    Included in our competent safety advisor service

    • Put Seguro down as your named health & safety advisor.
    • Use our name when filling out pre-tender qualification questionnaires.
    • Use a CV from one of our Consultants.
    • We are here as back-up should you require advice and guidance on health & safety issues.

    If you are looking for any help in acquiring an accreditation and would like to take advantage of our complimentary service please get in touch on 0800 031 5404 or contact us

    What is SSIP Deem to Satisfy?

    Insight by

    amanda

    Amanda Lambert

    Published on

    14 May 2025

    Health and safety blog

    What is SSIP Deem to Satisfy?

    Deem to satisfy allows you to obtain an SSIP certificate from a supplier other than the supplier from which you obtained your SSIP certificate.

    For example, you can apply for a Constructionline certificate without going through a new accreditation process if you have a CHAS certificate.

    You can save money using deem to satisfy; for example, if you have a CHAS and wish to renew, you can renew with a more economical supplier and still get your CHAS certificate through the deem to satisfy system.

    All member schemes listed on the SSIP forum adhere to the SSIP Core Criteria, backed by the Health and Safety Executive.

    By mutually recognising each other’s schemes, suppliers benefit from only needing to complete one assessment, while buyers enjoy more efficient procurement processes. This approach reduces costs and has saved over £68 million since 2016.

    Registered Members

    Two-Way Deem to Satisfy between SSIP Registered Members

    Approval with a Registered Member can only be used to Deem to Satisfy with another Registered Member; it cannot be used to gain a Deem to Satisfy with a Certification Body Member.

    Below is the list of registered members you can use for deem to satisfy:

    3Core2 Certification Limited Trading As SafeArb SafeArb

    Achilles Information Ltd Building Confidence

    Alcumus SafeContractor Ltd Alcumus Safecontractor

    Altius VA Limited CDMComply

    Arboricultural Association ARB Approved Contractor

    Association for Project Safety APS Corporate Practice Membership

    Avetta Avetta Assessed

    CHAS 2013 Ltd Contractors Health & Safety Scheme

    Construction Safety Solutions PASS

    CQMS Ltd CQMS Safety-Scheme

    D W Health & Safety DW Health & Safety Contractor Competency Scheme

    Fall Arrest Safety Equipment Training Ltd FASET Membership Audit

    Fortius Ltd Acclaim Accreditation

    Greenlight Safety Assessment Scheme Ltd Greenlight Safety Assessment Scheme

    Hire Association Europe Ltd SafeHire Certification Scheme

    International Powered Access Federation [IPAF] IPAF SSIP

    MSL Property Care Services Ltd MSL Safepartner

    National Access & Scaffolding Confederation Ltd NASC SSIP Audit

    National Federation of Demolition Contractors NFDC Membership

    PQS Pre-Qualification Scheme PQS Health & Safety Approved

    Salus Certification Salus Certification

    Safe-T-Cert [NI] {Construction Employers Federation} Safe-T-Cert

    Safe-T-Cert [ROI] {Construction Industry Federation} Safe-T-Cert

    Safety Management Advisory Services Ltd SMAS Worksafe

    SSG Training and Consultancy Ltd SSG Assessed

    William Martin Compliance Limited Prosure 360

    We can support you if you are not sure what to do.

    How to get PQS Approved

    Insight by

    amanda

    Amanda Lambert

    Published on

    28 February 2025

    Accreditations

    Do you tick all the boxes to be PQS Approved?

    Getting PQS approval depends on satisfying the assessors on a wide range of compliance issues. The specific requirements will vary based on several factors related to your business. Therefore, the first step is to ensure you have applied for the most suitable assessment.

    There are several different assessment types available through PQS, so it’s important to apply for the right one. This depends on factors such as the number of employees you have and the level requested by your clients.

    • We support you every step of the way
    • Competitive pricing with no hidden costs
    • A quick, easy and hassle-free process

    Why PQS Accreditation?

    PQS accreditation is almost certain to open more doors and lead to more opportunities – in turn generating more business and profit for you and ensuring your own workforce is protected by robust health and safety practice.

    Our service includes:

    • Up to date professional advice when you need it most
    • You, your directors and managers have direct access with a service provider who understands your needs
    • An expedient response from a professional
    • A friendly company with wide networking contacts
    • Confidence that your legal duties are covered

    Call our experts on 0800 031 5404

    or alternatively fill out the quick quote form.

    PQS Accreditation

    Completing the PQS application takes time and resources, as well as completing lots of forms and health and safety documentation.

    We can make it easy for you by doing all the leg work for you. We carry out over 500 applications a year with 100% success.

    For a small fee, we can take the pain away for you.

    Complete the form, and we will tell you how it works and how much the whole process costs, including the PQS fee for your circumstances.

      PQS accreditation cost

      Insight by

      amanda

      Amanda Lambert

      Published on

      19 February 2025

      PQS accreditation

      Introduction

      Due to recent feedback from our clients, we would like to share the information we have on PQS accreditation costs and where it stands in the current market.

      PQS accreditation is the most competitive method for achieving SSIP accreditation. PQS can be used to obtain the majority of the SSIP umbrella group partners such as CHAS and Safe contractor under their deem to satisfy scheme

      We will explain all of the costs of achieving PQS accreditation and compare it to CHAS, one of the more popular alternatives.

      Cost Comparison

      CHAS have developed a membership-type offering. The cost of each type depends on how many people you employ.

      Costs per annum: You must renew the membership each year.

      CHAS accreditation costs

       

      Standard CHAS 1 Employee 2-4 Employees 5-15 Employees 16-30 Employees
      £409+vat £459+vat £749+vat £1,019+vat

       

      CHAS Advanced 1 Employee 2-4 Employees 5-15 Employees 16-30 Employees
      £639+vat £739+vat £1,139+vat £1,569+vat

       

      CHAS Elite 1 Employee 2-4 Employees 5-15 Employees 16-30 Employees
      £879+vat £919+vat £1,339+vat £1,979+vat

       

      PQS accreditation costs

       

      The costs for PQS accreditation are:

      Standard PQS Deem to satisfy 1 Employee 2-4 Employees 5-15 Employees
      £49 + vat £99+vat £119+vat £149+vat

       

      The fees above are correct as of January 2025.

      Training costs

      In terms of training that is required to achieve the standard needed for assessment, this can vary depending on your activities.

      The assessor will be looking to ensure all members of your workforce are trained for the task they are carrying out.

      This can be an industry standard that is needed such as:

      • Gas safe for gas engineers
      • Level 3 NVQ in Electrical Installations
      • CISRS Scaffolding Part 1 & 2 – Scaffolders

      They will also look to ensure that refresher training is carried out such as tool box talks and eLearning is often required.

      Courses that are often asked for include:

      Competent person costs

      Ensuring you have the right level of support and advice for your Health & Safety is a bit of a minefield and can be defined simply by the number of employees you have.

      Less than 5 employees = Safety Advisor

      This service is where you are offered support and advice when needed, this tends to be a one of payment where you will be given a service agreement, certificate and a CV to show the qualifications of the person who is providing you with the advice. Paperwork such as off the shelf risk assessments and risk assessment and Method statements would be provided on an as and when basis should you need them.

      5 or more employees = Competent Person

      This service is where you pay a monthly retainer fee for continued support and advice should you need it.  In this service you will be provided with a full Safety Management System including full Health & Safety Policy and Employee Handbook. A consultant will be on hand to provide advice and guidance should this ever be necessary.

      Whilst not every company is black and white like this, the rule of thumb tends to be the details above. You may be asked by a client to prove you have a dedicated support for Health & Safety resource as well as a full health & safety policy.

      Additional Information

      If you still have more questions  don’t hesitate to get in touch, and we will be happy to help you achieve your accreditation.

       

      PQS Support

      Completing the PQS application takes time and resources, as well as completing lots of forms and health and safety documentation.

      We can make it easy for you by doing all the leg work for you. We carry out over 500 applications a year with 100% success.

      For a small fee, we can take the pain away for you.

      Complete the form, and we will tell you how it works and how much the whole process costs, including the PQS fee for your circumstances.

         

        Bespoke Risk Assessment & Method Statements

        Insight by

        amanda

        Amanda Lambert

        Published on

        7 October 2024

        Health and safety blog

        Table of contents

        Bespoke risk assessment and method statement

        Get customised risk assessment & method statements for your projects, or select one of our many ready to go templates.

        You can easily tailor the template to meet your specific needs.

        We provide standard and bespoke RAMS (risk and method statements).

        Standard RAMS

        We provide a wide range of risk assessment & method statements in template format on our website. Each can be five to sixteen pages long and contain between 3,000 and 9,000 words.

        The RAMS are within a template and cover all the principal risks and methods to carry out a specific job. The RAM Templates need the client’s involvement as there will be a comprehensive sequence of work that could apply. As the client, you would be responsible for ensuring that this sequence was relevant to yourself and, if not amended to reflect your process.

        Our standard RAMS cost from £6 to £12 per RAM or are provided free as part of our Safety Advisory service or Competent person service.

        Review our standard RAMS

        Bespoke risk assessment and method statements

        Bespoke RAMS are when the client has a very specific request that does not fall into any template we have available. Bespoke RAMS are tailored to include the process you carry out and ensure that all risks are appropriate to the job and site you are working on.

        Writing a bespoke RAMS requires input from one of the consultants, so we will charge a fee. Whatever your requirements, we will have the solution to support you.

        Use the form on this page to tell us about your requirements, and we will give you an economical fee to write it up for you using one of our templates.

        Please complete the form below and give us some details about your requirements.

        Complete the form below and we will get in touch







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          Asbestos awareness training – Keep your team safe

          Insight by

          amanda

          Amanda Lambert

          Published on

          10 September 2024

          Asbestos

          Asbestos Awareness Training

          Stay compliant and prioritise safety with asbestos awareness training. Provide your employees with the necessary training to handle asbestos safely. Developed by health and safety training experts.

          It is your employers responsibility to ensure that any employee who may come into contact or disturb asbestos carrying out their normal daily work tasks have been given the correct level of training. Enabling employees to have the knowledge to ensure that they can work safely and competently without risk to themselves or others working around them.

          There are three main levels of information, instruction and training.

          • Asbestos awareness
          • Non-licensable work with asbestos including NNLW
          • Licensable work with asbestos.

          Asbestos Awareness

          Asbestos Awareness Training can be provided in a number of forms but the most common and easiest form is to provide employees with access to Asbestos Awareness Online Training. The training is intended to provide the employees with the the information you need to avoid work that may disturb asbestos during any normal work which could disturb the fabric of a building, or other item which might contain asbestos. The training is not intended for anyone who will be involved in the removal of Asbestos.

          Asbestos Awareness training should cover the following:

          • how to avoid the risk of exposure to asbestos
          • the effects of asbestos on health and its properties, including the increased risk of developing lung cancer for asbestos workers who smoke
          • asbestos materials in buildings and plant, the types, uses and likely hood of it being present
          • the general procedures to deal with an emergency, eg. an uncontrolled release of asbestos dust into the workplace

          We can provide access to an Asbestos Awareness Online Training for any employers looking to ensure their employees are covered.

          All other levels of asbestos and the information and training needed can be found on the HSE website.

          Available health and safety online training courses

          You can also select a course you are interested in and click on the free trial button on the course. Select any courses from the list below:

          The courses available are:

          Health and Safety Policy

          Insight by

          amanda

          Amanda Lambert

          Published on

          7 September 2024

          Health and safety blog

          Do I need a health and safety policy?

          Find out why even small businesses need a health and safety policy. Learn how to write a policy that meets legal requirements and keeps your employees safe.

          If you employ less than five people, you still need a health and safety policy; you can verbally communicate to employees or others who may be affected by your business activities.

          Businesses with more than five people must have a more detailed health and safety policy that includes the organisation and arrangements.

          The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain. It’s sometimes referred to as HSWA, the HSW Act, the 1974 Act or HASAWA.

          How to write the policy

          A policy is a written statement which has three essential parts:

          1) Health & Safety Policy

          The health and safety policy details a statement of intent. The statement of intent details your aims and objectives, health and safety policy, processes and systems to prevent accidents, train your employees, supply PPE, etc. The policy is signed and dated by the most senior person, the managing director.

          (2) Organisation of Health and Safety – Roles and Responsibilities

          The organisation of health and safety is best done by developing an organisation chart, with the most senior person at the top, then detailing the people who are responsible for the day-to-day running of all matters concerning health and safety. An example is:

          • Managing director
          • Health and safety advisor
          • Fire safety manager
          • Health and safety training manager
          • Risk assessments and method statements manager
          • PPE manager
          • Control of substances hazardous to health COSHH manager

          In small businesses, one person may have many roles

          3) Arrangements for health and safety – How are risks managed?

          The arrangements for health and safety should detail how the organisation aims to achieve its aims. For example:

          • Develop risk assessments
          • Training of people
          • Consulting with people
          • Fire and emergency arrangements
          • First aid arrangements
          • Reporting of accidents, injuries and dangerous incidents
          • Arrangements for working at height, manual handling, etc.

          Tips to write a health and safety policy

          Here are some tips for creating a health and safety policy:

          Be specific – Tailor it to your business and clearly state who is responsible for what. 

          Get buy-in – Involve all stakeholders, especially those with significant safety responsibilities, to ensure the policy is accurate. 

          Review regularly – Update the policy annually or when there are changes to the business, such as a new management structure or expansion. 

          The benefits of having a written policy for businesses of any size including: 

          • Demonstrating a commitment to the health and safety of employees, customers, contractors, and the public
          • Clarifying responsibilities
          • Building confidence when seeking new contracts or tenders

          Buy a policy

          We have written several health and safety policies. Click on the link to review them: Health and safety policies.

          We can write a policy for you if you can’t see your company type above.

          SEGURO Support

          If you would like and advice on a Health & Safety Policy, call us on 0800 031 5404 or complete the form below, and we will contact you.







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            What is Builders Profile?

            Insight by

            amanda

            Amanda Lambert

            Published on

            14 August 2024

            Health and safety blog

            What is Builders Profile?

            Find out how Builders Profile streamlines subcontractor procurement. Get all the details you need in one convenient location.

            Builder’s Profile provides a service enabling clients and contractors to procure the services of subcontractors who have demonstrated compliance and provided the necessary PQQ (pre-qualification questionnaire) information.

            The accessible database allows companies to submit their information and keep it up to date easily for clients and contractors to review. If you are a client or a contractor, it gives you one location to view all the details you need to manage a supply chain, no matter how large or small.

            The idea is that subcontractors are able to fill in one PQQ instead of having to fill in different ones for each contractor they want to work with.

            The benefit for contractors of Builder’s Profile is that all the information you need to select a subcontractor is in one place.  This can help reduce the cost of procurement as well as administration.

            There are various levels of membership available

            • Main Contractor Membership
            • Subcontractor Premium Membership
            • Subcontractor Basic Membership
            • Members of our Partner Trade Associations, Premium Membership
            • Members of Supporting Trade Associations share a discounted Premium Membership

            The Key Benefits

            • You do not need to manage multiple profiles and documents over several platforms.
            • A secure system that allows you to keep your PQQ files and documents all in one place.
            • Access to Marketplace allows you to see and tender for thousands of private and public construction market projects.
            • Access to Acclaim. Acclaim is one of the founding members of SSIP to obtain SSIP accreditation.

            What does a Builder’s Profile cost?

            For a sub-contractor, the membership fee depends on your turnover; the price range is between £149 to £349 + VAT per annum. (January 2025)

            If you hold a constructionline membership, a combined membership is possible.

            SEGURO Support

            The world of PQQ’s SSIP accreditation suppliers, such as CHAS, Constructionline, PQS, and Builders Profile, is complex.

            If you would like FREE support to help you work out the best option, please call us on 0800 031 5404, or we can contact you. Complete the form below, and we will get in touch.







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