LAPS – How does the scheme operate?

long description of this image

LAs and organisations with multiple outlets in a number of LA areas and whose premises are allocated to those authorities for the purposes of the Health and Safety Enforcing Authority Regulations voluntarily enter into a partnership.

These organisations include:

• companies
• charitable organisations
• trade or other associations.

The basis of the partnership is an agreement signed by both parties setting out both LAPS partners' expectations of the partnership, its aims, objectives and limitations. LAU should be notified of the agreement. LAU will update the LAPS database and the LAPS index on the LAU Closed web site. At this stage the Lead Authority effectively enters into an arrangement to act as a point of liaison for other LAs on health and safety matters affecting the partner organisation. The Lead Authority will be in a position to advise on policy, procedures and operational matters with organisation-wide implications and keep the LAU informed about any issue that has potential significance outside the partnership.

The Lead Authority must take effective steps to familiarize itself with its partners’ structure, activities and objectives. A key part of that process, in the case of a business, will be the Safety Management Review (SMR). This will either take the form of a full review or more usually a review of similar detail but staged over a longer period of time to suit the resourcing and priorities of the partnership. The agreement should include the provisional timescales for completing the SMR together with details of the resource commitment by each partner.