New Office / Construction and Contractors

[sdpphilp]

Good afternoon everyone!

...exciting times here at my office as we continue to grow: it means we will soon move to the city center of Manchester. Yey! No more 3hour commutes.

Heads of Terms with the new landlord agreed and we have appointed a workplace design agency to complete the fit out and build.

My question is: what next? Where should I start?

My boss, who has zero H&S interests or knowledge appointed the workplace design team a while back and so I do not have any documents on their H&S etc. Do I still need to see their H&S policy, as well as their “safe systems of work” / “safety method statements”?

There will be no doubt in my mind that the agency will use sub-contractors (we are taking a huge chunk of the inner building out to make way for a large central staircase and fitting out three floors of office space from scratch) - what should I be asking so that I am comfortable that they satisfy themselves with their contractors competence in health and safety?

Would welcome your comments/past experiences etc.

(I know, I need to do my NGC - and I will start it soooon!)

[ddlh]

I think you will find that the landlord is in charge of the site at all times - the contractors there should have supplied him with their RAMS - as its his building, so leave well alone.

Once the building handover is complete and your team move in - you will then have to liaise with the landlord as you will find that he has accountability for things like infrastructure, roads, office floors, lift as well as waste management and environment.

What you should be doing is risk assessing the actual move to the new premises and making your team aware of any hazards or special requirements.

Dave