29 May The prescribed person and health and safety
Since the new health and safety legislation came into place, the term “a prescribed person” has been appearing in several publications.
So what or who is this person, and is it a restriction on the home handyman?
Why is it important when it comes to health and safety management and especially when it comes to supplier and contractor management and the selection of these experts?
Definition
A prescribed person can be described as, where legislation, regulations, standards or local bylaws state that a prescribed person shall be used, then that person is to be used to perform the function.
These people are defined as having an approved accreditation, they are an approved operator, they have a trade or profession and are certified, qualified and/or registered.
For example – gas fitters, certified welders, drainlayers, electricians, qualified builders, etc.
To not engage these prescribed persons can be costly, as seen in this article: https://www.goodreturns.co.nz/article/976514811/beware-unauthorised-trades-work.html
The above is only one of a number of cases that have come before the courts in the past 15 years. When a business is considering a tender or onsite development, it will pay to ascertain those prescribed persons that need to be involved and that their employees are qualified and do hold the appropriate certification, licences, or registrations.
Please contact us if you wish to discuss this further.