Over the course of the last few decades there has been an increasing emphasis on the importance and development of health and safety at work doctrine. As a small business owner/entrepreneur employing staff, you will ignore or disregard your responsibilities in this regard at your peril.
The requirements of health and safety law have been developed and have taken on their crucial significance in recent times as a result of a number of high profile health and safety related cases in the UK and growing pressure on employers to take better care of their employees. The rules and regulations cover, in some detail, the majority of workplace environments, providing employers with a source of guidance (requirements, actually) in relation to the health and safety of their workforces.
So what are your responsibilities? Employers and employees alike are expected to participate in the advancement of health and safety procedures in the workplace. Employers are subject to a wide range of responsibilities based on the concept of identifying hazards and then developing processes and systems to help minimize the risk represented by it. Minimum breaks for employees during the working day; equipment that’s suitable and safe to use for the job at hand; the establishment of policies and procedures for the creation and maintenance of, say, an incident record and having first aiders in the organization. In addition to designing and implementing these health and safety systems, employers are required to ensure that adequate training is given to all staff in health and safety generally, as well as specific training for the use of specific equipment for use in a particular job/process.
The general responsibility to implement, maintain and review systems designed to protect the workforce in a relevant and practical manner is key to the successful adoption of health and safety doctrine. As far as employees are concerned, their observance of the procedures and systems put in place by the employer is crucial if the policies of the company/business are to be effectively applied. Requiring, for example, employees to wear protective footwear on a construction site and providing the relevant equipment is about as far as a company can go in its efforts to protect its workforce. The second part of the equation requires that the employees themselves take it upon themselves to observe these requirements. As the saying goes, you can take a horse to water but you can’t make it wear protective eyewear, or something like that! The training programs put in place by the employers will, of course, help bring the employees on board with the company’s health and safety policies.
There are many examples of the reach of health and safety law one of which is the significant developments in recent years of the regulations regarding the use of visual display units (‘VDUs’). Many businesses nowadays require their employees to sit in front of computers for long periods every day, a process which, while sedentary and, at first glance, a low-risk activity, constitutes a number of hazards for the workforce requiring assessment and treatment to minimize the risk of injury to the employees.
The benefits of having a comprehensive health and safety policy in place at the workplace are varied and can include an improved safety record leading to less absenteeism, a happier and more productive workforce and a reduced risk of prosecution by both authorities or, indeed, aggrieved employees. Quite apart from the protection of a business’s most important assets, its employees, a sensible and comprehensive health & safety policy in the workplace will help to safeguard the interests of your business as a whole.