Before you read this, think of all the times someone has told you what you need to do in relation to SFAIRP? "You need to demonstrate this"; "you need to fill in a form a this way"; "we expect it done this way"; and so on. Most, if not all, of this will have been incorrect advice based on people’s own views and personal experience. Let me explain.

The main duty in safety legislation is for the Duty Holder to ensure safety risks are managed So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable (SFAIRP). There are other specific duties in safety legislation, but I will focus on this one for this article. These principles can also apply to Duty Holders in other pieces of legislation.

I regularly see people challenging competent professionals and have been subjected to a lot of it myself recently by some of our client’s clients. By challenging professionals, I mean refusing to accept work from competent people, questioning every choice that has been made, insisting that evidence be provided for every decision, challenging the very ability of the individual to do their job. This leads to rework that adds little or no value, but at the same time requires additional effort and introdcues delays to delivery.

Assurance is a fundamental risk management tool and key principle of business and the basis of legislation in many industries. But an individual’s perspectives on what Assurance means can vary from person to person, with a lot of people and organisations missing the mark completely.