7 Common Mistakes Businesses Make When Engaging Health And Safety Consultants

When you’re looking for a Health and Safety consultant, you want to find the best fit for your organisation. If you rush this decision, it can not only lead to problems down the road but it might end up being a waste of money and time as you’ll have to redo everything again.

To help you avoid this, we’ve got seven of the most common mistakes businesses make when they start working with Health and Safety consultants.

1. Choosing the Cheapest Quote

It’s true that you get what you pay for in a lot of cases, and it’s the same with Health and Safety consultants. This is an important part of any business, so cutting corners by option for the cheapest option will cause issues later – if what you get is right in the first place. Check the services they offer, ensure it’s tailored to your needs and look for references or testimonials.

What to look for?

• Health & Safety can’t be compromised; do they offer a high-quality, bespoke service?
• Are they able to offer all the services you require?
• Are they able to provide references from satisfied clients?

2. Not Checking Qualifications

Make sure you check the experience and qualifications of any Health and Safety consultant you think about working with. This will ensure that the services you’ll receive are the right ones and will deliver the outcomes you’re looking for.

What to look for

• Do they have the right standard of qualification your industry needs?
• Are they a member of any governing bodies such as the British Safety Council and ROSPA?

3. Not Checking Experience

Consultants come in companies of all sizes, including self-employed and freelancers. Each will have their own expertise and specialism, so make sure they can do what you want them to do. What you get is dictated by their experience, their desire to learn and improve and the price you pay, so make sure you get the right fit for your needs with a Health and Safety consultant who knows what’s needed for your business.

What to look for

• As well as qualifications, do they have experience in your industry?
• Is their experience up-to-date, with knowledge of current legislation and industry guidance?

4. Not Researching the Size of the Company

There’s nothing worse than finding a problem and not getting a quick response. With Health and Safety topics, this is essential. If the business is too small for your needs or for the number of clients, this could be a situation to deal with. The same is true of large companies, where you don’t have a dedicated contact or get passed around from team to team.

What to look for

• Do they have enough Health & Safety professionals to be able to provide efficient service, including urgent assistance if required?
• Are they small enough to ensure that you are always dealing with someone who knows and understands your business?
• Do they have an office team to assist with paperwork and queries?

5. Not Enquiring About their Business Relationships

It’s all well and good for someone to write on their website or tell you they can help, but what you really want to see is evidence of this. With enough time and experience, Health and Safety consultants will have connections that help them provide their services, so don’t be afraid to ask about this.

What to look for

• Do they have connections with and support from the HSE, Fire service, Council etc?
• Do they network and have relationships with local businesses e.g. Chamber of Commerce memberships?
• Do they work with SSIP’s and can assist your business in obtaining accreditations?
• Do they make recommendations for other service providers based on positive experiences rather than financial incentives?

6. Not Checking the Details of their Health and Safety Services

The devil is in the detail, which is something that most learn too late to fix before a serious issue highlights it. That’s what we want to help you avoid, and it runs through a consultant’s offering. Are they transparent about costs and flexible in their approach, for example?

What to look for

• Will they travel nationwide?
• Do their charges include all reasonable travel expenses?
• Is their quote clear and concise so that you know exactly what you are paying for?
• Can they provide additional, ad hoc services as required?

7. Not Choosing a Charitable and Caring Consultancy

Community is a big part of many businesses. You can get a feel for how they conduct themselves and their work ethic by looking at what they do to support others, both locally and further afield.

What to look for

• Do they support local charities not only by donating to them but also with their time and services?
• Have they won any awards for ‘contribution to the community’?

If you have come across any of these problems with your current Health and Safety consultant, it might be worth talking to other experts to see if they can help your businesses better.

Contact one of our experts at Rhino Safety and we’ll see if we’re the right fit to help your business with anything Health and Safety.