Legal, Moral & Financial

12/10/2017

There are many reasons why businesses should care about the health and safety of its employees and those that it comes into contact with through its business activities. However, they can be roughly broken down into three main areas; legal, moral and financial.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a duty of care to their employees, and those they come into contact with through their business undertakings. Put simply, businesses are responsible for ensuring their acts do not affect the health and safety of others. For businesses with more than 5 employees, this includes having a written health and safety policy which includes a statement of intent, an organisation for health and safety, and arrangements for health and safety. This is often referred to as a Health and Safety Management System (HSMS) Failure to have these in place can lead to prosecution or even a custodial sentence for directors, should the lack of health and safety policy be found to have caused a serious injury or death.

Morally we should ensure all employees go home from work safely. No one should suffer a serious injury or death from going to work. Effective health and safety management systems keep people safe and make employees feel valued. This leads to less staff turnover and more productivity, reducing costs to a business and often improving output and efficiency.

Financially the cost of health and safety infringements can be huge. These costs include fines, civil claims, sick pay, hiring and training costs, decreased production, time and costs for incident investigation, increased insurance premiums and damage to business reputation. Takingthe time to ensure you have an effecting health and safety management system greatly reduces the likelihood of these financial burdens.

So, why not take a look at your management system and ask yourself if it is effective in managing the health and safety of your employees and others who you come into contact with. With effective review and audit processes, there are often opportunities for improvement which will benefit your business. If you require more information on setting up your health and safety management system, or you need help with reviewing and auditing your existing health and safety management system, please contact us today.