Answer to Question 1:
First off don’t panic! If you are in compliance with the Safety Health & Welfare at Work Act 1989 requirements then there is not a lot of change in the 2005 Act. The main things you need to look at are:
Do you review the Safety Statement and risk assessment when there are changes in your workplace?
Do you monitor and review your Safety Management system?
Are your key managers aware of their legal responsibilities in relation to Health & Safety and are these listed in your Safety Statement?
Are your risk assessments in writing and do you upgrade them when changes occur?
Do you carry out ongoing inspections and audits of all your work activities?
Do you regularly bring the Safety Statement and Risk Assessment to the attention of all your employees?
Does your training schedule cover all the areas identified in your Risk Assessment?
Have you a contractor control policy and, if yes do you evaluate their documentation (Safety Statement or Method Statement) prior to starting work on your site?
Do you have an induction programme to bring your rules, procedures and systems of work to the attention of contractors who are going to work on your site?
Do you have a competent person to advise on matters of health and safety either in-house or external?
Have you a method of consultation with staff on health and safety matters in place in the form of a Safety Representative or a Safety Committee. Does your Safety Statement identify frequency of meetings and action follow up?
Do you have policies in place covering stress, bullying, sexual harassment, violence and aggression in the workplace, and have they been brought to the attention of all your staff?
Are your management and staff aware of the legal requirements in relation to attending work under the influence of an intoxicant and the actions required by management?
Is your management aware of the increased penalties and criminal procedures including jail sentences for senior managers and directors for unsafe or uncontrolled workplaces?
If you answer yes to all of the above you are already in compliance with the 2005 Act.