Invest NI No Nonsense Guide 11 (PDF) - Invest Northern Ireland

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Premises andhealth and safetydisabilities● You must review your servicesand premises with disabledaccess in mind● Contact the EqualityCommission for NorthernIreland: 028 90 890 890;www.equalityni.org● Read: Goods, facilities,services and premises - ashort guide to discriminationlaw.Contact 028 90 890 890;www.equalityni.orgManaging andtransporting wasteand packagingYour business is responsiblefor any waste it creates.Remember that good wastemanagement could save youmoneyYou must store waste safelyand securely in suitable sacks,containers or skips, making sureit does not harm the environment.All waste collected from yourbusiness must be disposed ofcorrectly using an ‘authorisedperson’ such as the districtcouncil or a waste contractor.When you hand over yourwaste, you must complete awaste transfer note clearlydescribing the waste and itsorigin and keep the note for atleast two years.Special rules apply if youdispose of hazardous waste suchas oils, acids, solvents andsolvent-based products (includingpaints) or fluorescent light tubes.A good indication that materialis covered by these rules is if ithas a hazard symbol or safetydatasheets. You must complete aconsignment note when this typeof waste is moved or disposed of.Everyone involved must retain acopy of the note, with copiespassed to the Northern IrelandEnvironment Agency.Businesses that turn overmore than £2m and handle morethan 50 tonnes of packaginga year must register with theNorthern Ireland EnvironmentAgency or join an approvedcompliance scheme. You mustprovide evidence that you arerecovering and recycling a setamount of packaging waste (acompliance scheme can do thisfor you). Handling packagingcan mean manufacturing rawmaterials used for packaging,turning these raw materials intopackaging, putting goods intopackaging, selling packaging orpackaged goods, or importingpackaging.Businesses that transportwaste, or arrange to collect ortransport waste on behalf ofothers need a licence from theNorthern Ireland EnvironmentAgency.If you manufacture electricaland electronic equipment(EEE) you must join a producercompliance scheme, mark yourgoods with a crossed-out wheeliebinsymbol, and meet recoveryand recycling targets. Sellers ofEEE must enable users to returntheir waste goods (WEEE) freeof charge when buying newreplacements — this can alsobe done through a collectivedistributor takeback scheme.Next steps● Visit www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/environment● Envirowise gives free,independent and confidentialadvice designed to help you toreduce waste and save money.Contact 0800 585794;http://envirowise.wrap.org.uk● For advice on packagingwaste legislation, andthe management andtransportation of waste,contact the Northern IrelandEnvironment Agency:0845 302 0008;www.doeni.gov.uk/nieaOther environmentalconcernsYour business can affect peopleand property around youBusinesses that dischargewaste water from their premisesinto the sewerage system mustget consent from NorthernIreland Water.If waste water from yourpremises goes directly intorivers, streams, lakes, ponds,canals, estuaries, coastal watersor groundwater, you must applyfor a permit from the NorthernIreland Environment AgencyWater Management Unit.Businesses that cannot meettheir water needs through the33The No-Nonsense Guide
It worked for meHow Imade surewe got ourpremisesrightAaron McCracken/Harrison Photography34Brian McMahon, co-founderof McMahon Engineering,leased the most cost-effectivepremises when his businesswas starting up. But as thefirm grew he needed morespace, so has since foundnew land and premises thathave significantly helped hisexpansion efforts}When I set up the businesswith my son back in 2001we knew we had to leasesome premises because wecouldn’t afford to buy or buildour own. We needed to getthe business up and runningwithout spending too muchmoney. Our firm does a rangeof engineering work, frommanufacturing metal gatesto producing steel supportsfor buildings, so we neededenough space for a workshopbut nowhere too expensive.Initially, we leased a smallplace on the outskirts ofArmagh. Contacts in theengineering industry helped usfind a property within budget.The premises were just anopen-plan shed, so we had toput in all the wiring and installthe basics.We got an insuranceassessor in straightaway tohave a look at the place andadvise us on the cover weneeded.We also asked the Healthand Safety Executive to visit ourpremises and carry out a riskassessment. It’s essential to keepon top of your health and safetyobligations, whether it’s carryingout training that staff need orremoving the risk of trips andfalls. Because we do weldingon the premises a key safetyrequirement for us is ensuringour paint and oil supplies arestored securely — there's a firerisk if they're not.The location met our needsfor the first few years, but as webuilt up the business we grewout of it. We didn’t have enoughspace to do structural steel workand were restricted in the workwe could do until we moved.Looking back, our first premisesshould have had plenty of roomto expand, as it’s difficult topredict how much or how quicklyyour business will grow.But when we wanted to movethere was a shortage of suitablepremises in our area. We had towait and look further afield andeventually acquired the land weLooking ahead: room to expandis a priority for Brianneeded, with premises whichwere substantially larger thanwhat we had before.As it turned out, the newlocation has been good forus — it's closer to the borderwith the Republic of Irelandand has much better transportlinks, which enable us to easilydistribute our products to bothDublin and Belfast. And theincreased work space allowsus to take on bigger jobs anda greater volume of work. Wealso put in new toilets for ouremployees and a rest areawith kitchen facilities.~McMahon EngineeringCounty ArmaghTel 07881587701Email: info@mcmahonengineering.comThe No-Nonsense Guide
Page 1 and 2: The No-Nonsense Guide 2012 NI editi
Page 3 and 4: ContentsForming a business 4Sole tr
Page 5 and 6: When you are setting up a business,
Page 7 and 8: It worked for meHow I wentaboutform
Page 10 and 11: Forming a businessCheck for changes
Page 12 and 13: Sorting out your taxand National In
Page 26 and 27: What VAT will meanfor youCheck for
Page 28 and 29: What VAT will meanfor youYou also n
Page 31 and 32: All you need to know about the rule
Page 33: You also need business adviceThis g
Page 37 and 38: You also need business adviceThis g
Page 39 and 40: 38implement the health and safetypo
Page 41 and 42: All businesses own assets called in
Page 43: It worked for meHow Iprotectedmybus
Page 46 and 47: Protecting yourintellectual propert
Page 48 and 49: Is your business in aspecialised se
Page 50 and 51: Trading regulationsand data protect
Page 60 and 61: Recruiting yourfirst employeeCheck
Page 62 and 63: Recruiting yourfirst employeeYou al
Page 64 and 65: Understandingemployees’ rightsChe
Page 66 and 67: Understandingemployees’ rightssch
Page 70 and 71: Understandingemployees’ rightsor
Page 74 and 75: Understandingemployees’ rightsAar
Page 76 and 77: Understandingemployees’ rightsYou
Page 78 and 79: Understandingemployees’ rights}Re
Page 80 and 81: Understandingemployees’ rightsYou
Page 82 and 83: Resolving problemswith employeesChe
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Resolving problemswith employees}If
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Resolving problemswith employeesThe
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Resolving problemswith employeesYou
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Resolving problemswith employeeswee
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Government advice andsupport for yo
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Useful contactsNow you have reached
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Useful contactsVenture Capital Asso
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