Health and safety management can be a contentious issue. There is no doubt that modern improvements in health and safety have helped to save lives in the workplace. However navigating the many Health and Safety rules and regulations in place can be tricky for businesses. It can take time and money to put in place the right measures to help ensure the Health and Safety in your workforce. When you consider though that on average in the UK one person is fatally injured and 6,000 are injured every day at work you can see just how important the issue of Health and Safety is. As an employer it is an important responsibility to ensure that the working environment is safe for all employees.
What is Health and Safety Management?
Health and Safety is an on-going issue that will have to be managed every day. You cannot just put measures in place and then forget about them. Accidents and ill health cost UK businesses millions of pounds every year and can also have a devastating effect on workers and their families. Directors and managers can be held legally responsible for any failures to manage and control health and safety so this really is a prime consideration in any business plan. You need to keep on top of Health and Safety in your workplace and manage this issue properly to provide protection for you, your managers and your workforce.
How to Get Started
Health and Safety is a vast field that covers many different laws and regulations. It is essential that you seek advice from a fully trained Health and Safety expert. They will be able to investigate your work place and advise what measures you need to take to comply with Health and Safety in the UK. This may involve making changes to the actual workplace and also to your policies and procedures. Failure to comply with Health and Safety legislation can have a serious impact on businesses both financially and in terms of reputation so this is not an area you can afford to overlook. Here are just a few basic steps you will need to cover to start improving your Health and Safety management:
Set Your Policy
You will need to have proper Health and Safety policy in place. This will show your managers and workforce what potential hazards and risks are applicable to your workplace and activities and what precautions and safeguarding measures are in place. This policy will cover all of your business activities from daily procedures through to the equipment and materials used.
Staff Training
You need to ensure you have trained your staff in Health and Safety. This can mean allocating responsibility for this matter to certain managers and providing written and spoken training to all staff. This helps to create a culture of positive Health and Safety in the workplace.
Measure Your Performance
A part of good health and safety management is recording and understanding performance. This will help to measure how successful your policy and procedures have been. Put in place active health and safety monitoring to check that your standards are being adhered to and properly managed. This may involve on the spot internal inspections or audits by outside organisations. The results can help you understand if you are complying with legislation and if there are any areas where your standards require improvement.
Good health and safety management can help to ensure that your workplace is a safe environment for all of your employees. Get expert assistance now to write your health and safety policy and future proof your business.