Why Safety Matters
Protecting Your People, Your Business, and Your Legal Duties
Protecting Your People, Your Business, and Your Legal Duties creating a safe work environment isn’t just good practice — it’s a legal requirement, a moral obligation, and a necessary part of running a successful organisation. We help businesses build strong, compliant, and practical safety arrangements that protect people and reduce risk.
Your Legal Responsibilities: Meeting the Standards That Matter
UK health and safety law sets clear expectations for all employers, building owners, and those responsible for premises. Working with a competent safety professional ensures your organisation meets those obligations with confidence.
Core Legislation We Help You Comply With
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA)
You must protect employees and others “so far as is reasonably practicable.” Failure can lead to prosecution, fines, and civil claims.
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR)
Requires employers to:
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Assess risks
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Plan preventive and protective measures
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Appoint competent persons
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Provide training
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Monitor and review arrangements
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO)
The Responsible Person must ensure fire safety measures are suitable and sufficient, supported by a competent fire risk assessment.
Building Safety Act 2022 (where applicable)
In higher-risk buildings, Accountable Persons must demonstrate effective safety management, maintain the Golden Thread, and prove competence.
We ensure your documentation, systems, and controls are defensible, compliant, and appropriate for your risk profile.
Your Moral Duty: Protecting People Because It’s the Right Thing to Do
Beyond legal compliance, organisations have a moral and ethical responsibility to protect
the people who work for them and those who visit their premises.
Strong safety arrangements help you:
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Prevent injuries, stress, and long-term harm
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Reduce downtime and business disruption
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Increase staff morale and engagement
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Build trust with clients, stakeholders, and regulators
Safe workplaces are productive workplaces.
Roles & Responsibilities: Who Is Accountable?
Clear roles and responsibilities are essential for safe operations. We help you understand exactly who is responsible for what — legally and practically.
Responsible Person (RP)
Under the Fire Safety Order, the RP is typically the employer or person with control of the premises. They must:
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Carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment
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Maintain fire safety measures
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Provide information and training
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Appoint competent persons
Accountable Person (AP) – Building Safety Act
For higher-risk residential buildings, the AP must:
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Assess building safety risks
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Maintain a Safety Case
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Manage the Golden Thread
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Engage and communicate with residents
Principal Accountable Person (PAP)
Where more than one AP exists, the PAP holds overarching responsibility for managing structural and fire safety risks.
Nominated & Competent Persons (NP / CP)
These are individuals appointed to help the RP or employer carry out key tasks, such as:
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Fire wardens
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First aiders
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Safety advisors
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Maintenance leads
They support the RP — but responsibility ultimately remains with senior management.
Competence: What the Law and Standards Require
Employers must appoint competent people to assist in meeting health and safety obligations.
Legal Definition of Competence (MHSWR, Reg 7)
A competent person is someone with:
“sufficient training, experience, knowledge and other qualities to properly assist in undertaking the measures required under health and safety law.”
Competence must be proportionate, evidenced, and maintained.
Competence in Modern British Standards
Recent British Standards place greater emphasis on proving organisational and individual competence.
BS 8670:2022 – Built Environment Competence Framework
Sets out competency principles based on:
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Skills
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Knowledge
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Experience
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Behaviour (SKEB)
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Leadership and accountability
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Ongoing CPD
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Evidence-based performance
PAS 8671 / 8672 / 8673
These guide competence for:
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Principal Designers
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Principal Contractors
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Building Safety Managers
They require organisations to:
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Define roles clearly
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Assess competence
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Maintain training and development records
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Demonstrate behavioural capability
Fire Safety Standards (PAS 79, BS 7974, BS 9997)
Emphasise that fire risk assessors must be demonstrably competent and appropriate to the building type and level of complexity.
Why Businesses Choose EVENKEEL
We support organisations across the South West, the UK, and internationally with:
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Competent, fully qualified advisors
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Clear, practical advice without unnecessary bureaucracy
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Support tailored to your sector, size, and risk profile
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Help understanding and fulfilling RP/AP/PAP responsibilities
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Robust policies and arrangements that stand up to audit and enforcement scrutiny
Our approach is professional, proportionate, and designed to help you meet your legal duties while creating a safer, more productive workplace.