Why practice good health and safety?
Less injury
Good health and safety, including accurate and well documented risk assessments, will of course prevent serious injury and reduce staff downtime. If you have employees who slip and fall for example on something that should have been picked up by your health and safety representative then they are likely to be off work and you may be forced to pay them and a someone else to cover their absence; not to mention any injury suit they may choose to file against you.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is another thing to watch out for in the workplace. If you have your employees doing the same task day in and day out, such as working at a computer on a desk then you need to make sure they are properly equipped. Having an ergonomically designed desk and chair may save you a fortune in the long run because these things have been specifically designed to reduce RSI; the same goes for computer equipment like keyboards etc. The same kind of injuries can be sustained by lifting and carrying. Having signs and notices, not to mention training, on lifting and handling in the workplace can again be invaluable.
Not only will training and the appropriate equipment lessen absence and injury, they will also prevent an employee filing a claim against you for an injury when it has been clearly documented that there are measures, training and warnings in place to prevent such things happening. You can provide training, either in house or from an exterior provider, on virtually all aspects of your working environment, right down to how to best manage sitting in front of a screen and the precautions both you and your employees need to take.
Good morale
If you’re taking care of your employees well being and you are being seen to do so by publishing a health and safety policy in your workplace and updating risk assessments then you are sure to make your employees feel as though they matter; and this is of course of paramount importance.
Health issues
There are several serious health issues aside from RSI and other related injuries that regular health and safety checks can prevent and we’ve listed a few here for your convenience. It’s a good idea to keep your eyes open for them and if you run a risk of any of them ensure that you have appropriate measures in place to keep your employees healthy and protect yourself against legal claims.
- Keep tight controls on hazardous substances and make sure all employees who come into contact with them are informed of the relevant safety precautions to take in order to handle them. Protective clothing etc must be provided at all times and this is your responsibility.
- Consider noise pollution. This isn’t something that every business thinks about, but it can vary considerably from one place to another. You need to have regular checks on this from an exterior expert and always provide ear protection for employees where it’s needed.
- Occupational therapy. This is a very wide area and it includes many things. For example, if you have an internal occupational therapy department then you can help your employees deal with stress or other issues such as bullying and/or abuse in the workplace or harassment cases. If you don’t have an internal department then it’s wise to send your employees to relevant professionals when they need help and support.
Reputation
A business that practices good health and safety management will enjoy a good reputation as one that cares about its employees. This is useful for employee retention and to recruit new employees; when you can show a prospective employee that you operate not only within the law when it comes to health and safety, but above and beyond it too in order to make your employees happy, safe and comfortable, you are sure to win them over.
Overall
From a business angle, you need your employees happy; there is no argument here. But as well as this, with increased health and safety practice you can also lower insurance costs, cut down on absenteeism and increase overall productivity
