“Health & Safety” has a bad name, especially in the tabloid press, because it is all too often used as a feeble excuse by jobsworths, particularly in the public sector, to stifle mildly risky activities – especially if they’re fun. (by Jill Taylor)
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Of course what the jobsworths’ managers or employers are really concerned about is not the real health & safety issues, but the thought that, if something goes wrong and someone gets hurt, legal action, of some kind, will follow.
However, contrary to what the popular press would have you believe, it is not the purpose of health & safety regulations or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to stop anyone having fun or enjoying themselves, but to make sure that whatever we do, be it work, rest or play, that we are able to do it in a safe manner – and one of their main purposes hopefully one with which no right-minded person would debate – is to prosecute employers for workplace accidents.
Sadly, J T Consulting are made aware of & publicise, through various forms of social media & training sessions, a steady stream of reports of accidents & successful prosecutions for workbased incidences ranging from scrapes and bruising through disabling fractures, burns and amputations & even as far as deaths.
The most recent statistics from HSE show that in the UK 28.5 million working days was lost due to health and safety issues, 23.4 due to work related ill-health & 5.1 due to workplace injury!
152 workers were killed at work & 121,430 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR
How can we continue to afford this cost to our businesses in the current economic climate, actually, in any economic climate?
It’s easy to pontificate from behind a keyboard and screen – but these figures are totally unacceptable on both a human & financial scale so let’s do our very best to get those accident statistics down!
Here’s some good starting points to make changes:
- Ensure you have a valid, up to date & appropriate Health & Safety Policy (legal requirement if you employ 5 people or more).
- Carry out detailed Risk Assessments, including specialist Fire Risk Assessments
- Involve the workforce – assessments & policies written from behind a desk are often not what actually happens in “real life”
- Training – all employees should have the very basic training in Manual handling & Health & Safety awareness, obviously more in depth training may be needed for specialist or more involved job roles.
- Ensure Display Screen Equipment, & use thereof, is assessed
- Ensure Personal Protective Equipment & Clothing (PPE/C) is provided, maintained & worn where appropriate.
- Make sure your insurance is valid, adequate and up to date.
Please don’t shoot me down in flames – I would not dream of suggesting that Health and Safety is as easy or simplistic as the few pointers above, however if all this does is serve as a timely reminder & make you stop & think about whether the practices & procedures you have in place are adequate & appropriate to safeguard your valued employees then…..JOB DONE!!
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