Bristol-based human resources outsourcing specialist The HR Dept has made a major appointment to strength its newly restructured health and safety offering The HS Dept.
The firm has offered health and safety advice and support for several years using experts based in its Emersons Green office and via a network of associates across the country.
Now The HS Dept have a new and more comprehensive corporate structure with HS Dept franchisees around the UK. Based in Edinburgh, Durham, London these will deliver health and services directly to small and medium-business across their regions.
To coincide with the restructuring, Duncan Payne has been appointed The HS Dept’s health and safety manager and UK professional lead for the service.
He joins from Bristol-headquartered national law firm Burges Salmon, where he was health safety and environmental compliance specialist for nearly two years. Prior to that he was head of estates and facilities at The Ridings’ Federation of Academies.
He will deliver health and safety services for the South West, particularly in Bristol, Bath and North Somerset, with health and safety advisor Hayley Smith as they look to expand into markets including construction, education and agriculture.
The HR Dept’s founder and executive director Sue Tumelty, pictured with Duncan Payne, saw the potential in further coordinating the company’s HR and health and safety offering.
She said: “Good HR and health and safety go hand in hand. If you employ people, there’s invariably a health and safety requirement as well.
“Whether those employees are in an office or not, you have to make sure that you are employing them in a way that does not harm their health or their safety. Their working environment should be fit for purpose and you have to take reasonably practical steps to do so.
“For several years The HR Dept has been offering health and safety advice, but it’s become apparent that it’s becoming increasingly requested by our diverse client base, which consists of more than 6,000 SMEs around the UK.
“This new and more structured offering allows us to use the health and safety expertise of some of our HR franchisees wanting to expand their offering to their customers, while supporting them and their health and safety staff with additional know-how and experience from Bristol, via Duncan.
“In Bristol, Bath and North Somerset we are looking to link up and cross refer HR and health and safety work between our existing and new client bases.”
Mr Payne added: “I am looking forward to bringing almost 12 years of high-level health and safety expertise to a growing company with a defined and exciting offering.
“We are looking to develop The HS Dept offering the same culture of personal and local service that has made The HR Dept a success for so many years.
“It’s going to be a varied role for me – not only business development but also mentoring my colleague in Bristol as well as supporting the franchisees of The HS Dept around the UK.
“Health and safety often has a reputation for being an unwanted burden on business, but it can have a personality of its own and can deliver great improvements to the growth and prosperity potential for any company.
“The HR Dept was founded on values of excellence, locality and personality, so we’re keen to continue those characteristics with The HS Dept.”
