Why Do We Have It?

Health and Safety (H&S) may seem to have become a bit of an obsession over the last few years, but it is governed by a relatively old piece of legislation – The Health and Safety Work Act 1974.

The main point of this Act, is to ensure employers look after the health and safety of their staff as far as is ‘reasonably practical’. The exact meaning of this is open to interpretation.

H&S consultancy Croner says: “The core point is that health and safety is about sensible risk management. It is not about tying up employers with red tape.”

Every company has to have a H&S policy ,and if you have over five employees it should be written down. Your staff need to be able to access it, so you could try issuing it to managers or posting it as a ‘read only’ document on your network.

Keep Driving In Mind

You can find sample policies for free online, but you have to ensure that what is written in yours is complied to.

There are many other regulations that relate to specific industries to take heed to as well, so you must be aware of which ones apply to yours.  One of the most common themes among these however, is that staff must be trained to do their jobs as safely as possible.

One area entrepreneurs often neglect is driving. The Corporate Manslaughter Act can lead to companies paying unlimited fines, so this is more relevant than before. If your employees use cars for their work, besides driving too and from the building itself, ensure they are completely qualified and have the appropriate insurance and their vehicles are roadworthy. On top of this you should make sure they know they are expected to obey traffic laws.

Some companies bring in H&S consultants to do a risk assessment on, and train staff. This is a good idea, but you still need a responsible person on-site to manage tour policy and receive accident reports.

What Should You Ask Yourself?

You also need to think about the following:

• Is there a single person responsible for H&S?

• Do you have a written H&S policy and does everyone know where it is?

• Have all your employees conducted risk assessments of their workstations?

• Do you have an accurate accident book?

• Have you formally responded to all H&S concerns from staff and reported any accidents to the Health and Safety Executive?
 
• Have all electrical items in your workplace been tested in the last two years?

• Do you have copies of drivers’ licences, insurance documents and MOT certificates?

• Do you have an up-to-date H&S poster displayed on your office wall?

• Have your employees been trained to do their jobs in a safe fashion?

• Are all chemicals/cleaning fluids stored securely?

What Do You Think?

We would love to know your thoughts and opinions. Leave your comments here.

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