Health and Safety in the Workplace

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Why is health and safety in the workplace important?

As well as the various legal requirements a business has to protect its employees and the public (mentioned below), it is in the best interests of a business to keep its workforce healthy. Accidents and illness caused by inadequate or non-existent health and safety procedures/policies can result in staff having to take time off work, or even, if they can make it into work, can lead to lower happiness and motivation. In both cases, productivity will be greatly reduced, which will have an indirect effect on the financial performance of the company. Poor health and safety practices can also have a more direct impact on the company's figures. The failure to provide sufficient protective equipment, for example, allows an employee to sue the business for compensation as a result of any accident or illness which could have reasonably been prevented, and also includes the possibility of a fine being imposed by the court. Also, workers who are off work for a long time or who leave will need to be replaced, which can result in costly recruitment costs as well as the dip in output until that worker or workers are replaced.

What does health and safety in the workplace entail?

Health and safety provisions and practices will vary greatly depending on the industry of the firm, as the needs of workers in some industries, such as miners, will vary to workers in other environments such as office workers. However, they share the common theme that the intention is to provide a working environment which protects the worker from injury and illness caused by the equipment they use, the products they handle, and the environment in which they work.

Examples of creating a safe and healthy working environment:

  • Providing and maintaining clothing and equipment necessary from protecting the worker from harm
  • Providing necessary remedies in case of an accident (e.g. fire extinguishers, eye wash, bandages etc.)
  • Ensuring adequate washing facilities
  • Regular and sufficient cleaning of workspace
  • Providing sufficient break and rest periods
  • Regular tests and check-ups for staff (e.g. eye tests for workers who spend a lot of time staring at computer screens (Visual Display Units))
  • Frequent and adequate risk assessments

Other health and safety provisions

Many firms only consider the health and safety provisions necessary to cover their own workforce, and forget that they also have to follow legislation put in place to protect the general public as well. Examples of these include the removal/storage of hazardous waste, carbon dioxide and other gas emissions, noise levels etc.

What to do next

Here at Associated Training & Consultancy we offer a broad range of health and safety training courses, including accredited courses by world-renowned awarding bodies IOSH and NEBOSH. The NEBOSH General Certificate and the IOSH Managing Safely certificate provide a broad base of knowledge regarding health and safety, and upon completion the delegate will receive an accredited certificate.

We also offer our own courses on a number of health and safety topics, such as Office Safety, Manual Handling and Control of Substances Hazardous of Health (COSHH). To see our complete list of health and safety courses, click here. As well as our health and safety training courses, we also offer a comprehensive health and safety consultancy service which can be tailored to suit your company's specific requirements.


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