Question 1

What health and safety law applies to a builders merchant?

Accepted Answer

In Great Britain, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets the general duties: section 2 of the Act to your employees, and section 3 of the Act to customers, drivers and anyone else on site. Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires a suitable and sufficient risk assessment covering both groups. Specific regulations then cover the merchant's main hazards: the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 for yard traffic routes, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 for forklifts, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 for wood dust and the chemicals you sell, and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.

Question 2

How do we keep customers safe in the yard?

Accepted Answer

Plan for them as part of the operation. Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 requires you to conduct your undertaking so that people who are not your employees are not exposed to risks, so far as is reasonably practicable, and a customer injured in your yard is an enforcement matter. In practice that means a customer route that stays clear of the forklift route, signage people actually read, a clear policy on what staff will load into a customer's vehicle, and an active team who direct customers to the right places.

Question 3

Do we need a COSHH assessment for our timber cutting service?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Regulation 6 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 requires an assessment before any work that exposes employees to a substance hazardous to health, and dust from cutting timber is one: hardwood dust is a carcinogen and softwood dust is a respiratory sensitiser. Extraction on the saw then needs a thorough examination and test at least once every 14 months under regulation 9 of the same Regulations, and the assessment decides whether the operators need health surveillance under regulation 11 of the same Regulations.

Question 4

Who can act as the competent person for a builders merchant?

Accepted Answer

Regulation 7 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires you to appoint one or more competent persons, and where someone competent is already in your employment, regulation 7(8) of the same Regulations requires them to be appointed in preference to an outside person. An external consultant fills the role where nobody in the business has the competence for the yard risks. With Opus that is one named consultant, the same person at every visit.

Question 5

What does a health and safety consultant do for a builders merchant?

Accepted Answer

It starts with a site walk across the yard, the warehouse and the counter, which shows you where each part of the site stands today, followed by a priority-ranked action list. After that your consultant keeps the risk assessments current, prepares the evidence and briefs you ahead of inspections, and runs training for the people who need it. Your business stays the duty holder; the consultant makes sure the work gets done.

Question 6

What training do builders merchant staff need?

Accepted Answer

Regulation 13 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires adequate health and safety training when people are recruited and whenever their risks change, repeated periodically where appropriate. Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 adds training for everyone who uses work equipment, and for those who supervise its use, which covers your forklift operators and yard foremen. For a merchant that means induction for counter and seasonal staff, lift truck training and refreshers, and topic courses such as working at height and COSHH assessment.

Question 7

Can one consultant cover several branches?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Under the Opus Safety Partnership, your named consultant works across your branches on the same Compliance Cloud platform you use, and findings from each site audit become tracked tasks, so the actions for every branch sit in one place. The hazards guide sets out what a branch review covers.

Health & safety built for builders merchants

We understand your yards

Mixed pedestrian and vehicle zones

Fire risk across outdoor stock

COSHH across wide product ranges

Constant training demand

What you get as a partner

Know exactly where you stand

Pass inspections without the scramble

Meet regulatory requirements

One named consultant, not a call centre

Two ways to work with Opus Safety

Software Only

Opus Safety Partnership

What non-compliance can cost a business

Everything your people need, from one team

Health and Safety

Occupational Health

Human Resources

Training

Lawsons

Frequently asked questions

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