Why is Health and Safety Training Important?

Health and safety gets a bad rap. The press, and consequently society at large, have constructed an image of ridiculous measures which defy all common sense and personify the New Labor years of over-regulation. However, the basic principles involved are sound ones.

What is the Purpose of Health and Safety Procedures?

There are two ideas which form the backbone of workplace regulations. Firstly, the desire to avoid legal liability for injuries occurring during the course of employment. As our society becomes increasingly litigious, it makes sense for both businesses and employees to defend themselves from accusations of negligence. Secondly, and perhaps more persuasively, neither the business nor the injured employee benefits when an accident happens. The employee suffers pain and potential disability, whilst the employer loses (at least temporarily) the skills of a trained worker.

How Can Health and Safety Training Help my Business?

Health and safety training offers you and your staff the chance to recognise the most dangerous situations within the workplace, as well as educate yourselves on how to avoid them. Over 600,000 workplace injuries occur annually, causing a combined loss of about 25 million working days. As you can imagine, that adds up to a lot of wasted money! Good quality DVD presentations or in-person courses teach managers and employees how to handle potentially disastrous assignments to the best of their abilities, reducing the chances of an accident arising.

What Are Some Basic Changes That I Can Implement Immediately?

First of all, make sure that your business holds an employers’ liability insurance policy. The certificate should be displayed somewhere in your office, showing that you are covered in case of employee injury. Secondly, conduct a risk assessment. This involves surveying the workplace, thinking about any obvious risks and detailing how those risks can be mitigated. It is the first step towards a comprehensive health and safety system. With regard to practical health and safety tips, try to bear the following in mind: common risks include situations in which an employee is made to lift heavy objects or compromise their stability.

This could be as simple as standing on the tip of your toes to reach a box on a high shelf, or the misuse of a stepladder. Employers should also remember that relatively common cleaning products can be caustic or poisonous, and that the risks attached to the utilization of such substances increases when they are of commercial strength or for a specialized purpose with which employees may be unfamiliar. In addition, it should be borne in mind that businesses are legally obligated to report certain incidents to the Health and Safety Executive. This includes, for example, injuries which result in an employee being absent for 7 days or more.

Be Responsible - Educate Yourself

As an employer, you owe a duty of care to your employees and the public. Don’t sacrifice their safety; make sure you’re keeping up with your responsibilities.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 29th, 2012 at 8:39 am and is filed under Career, Education, Legal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.