N is for... non-compliance – and preventing it

Senior Consultant, Chris Mallinson, looks at the steps needed to achieve and maintain compliance with legislation.

Senior Consultant, Chris Mallinson, looks at the steps needed to achieve and maintain compliance with legislation.

It is vitally important to maintain a watchful eye, to monitor for changes in the law that impact the manufacturing, importing, use and marketing of materials and substances within the UK. Failure to comply with the relevant laws can lead to fines and prosecutions for business and their owners. Recognising this, we work with our clients to help them identify where their business might be non-compliant with legislation, and to enable them to prevent and address any non-compliance.

Our experts keep up to date with changes in materials’ laws, and identify the relevant materials’ legislation and policy that impacts upon businesses and their operations. This enables us to develop strategies to help businesses demonstrate that they are compliant with the law. With extensive experience in the investigation of the current regulatory status within a business, we are able to identify gaps within currently implemented policies, processes and procedures that may result in non-compliance with relevant laws.

What do we check? We:

  • Identify the work a business undertakes to determine applicable laws
  • Identify the processes affected by these laws
  • Audit and test any existing compliance processes
  • Analyse the impact of legal obligations, and the consequences of non-compliance upon a business
  • Identify any gaps in existing processes, and
  • Determine where a business sits within a supply chain.

Typically, as part of our service, we will include the development of a management plan, to provide guidance on achieving and maintaining compliance. This will outline processes and policy to demonstrate how the business is compliant with the law. We also provide guidance on internal auditing that can be undertaken, to show that the business is taking all reasonable steps to remain compliant in the event of external audits by regulators.

By acting to prevent non-compliance with the law, we help our clients ensure that their use of materials remains safe and legal.

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