19
PRO INSTALLER MAY 2014
PRO NEWS
@proinstaller1
Health and Safety
Do we worry too much?
Health and safety is an issue that seems to come up again and again in the national press. Many examples
of health and safety taken to ridiculous extremes are often pointed out in the paper and laughed at; we
have all seen pictures of kids playing conkers in safety goggles! While some of the time it is obvious some
companies or councils have gone too far, health and safety plays a central role in businesses of all variety
and cannot be ignored. The repercussions of not following guidelines can be at best costly, at worst fatal.
The Health and Safety Act
(1974) is still the document
that guides most businesses
and requires employers to
ensure the wellbeing of all
their employees.
The first thing that businesses of
any kind need to do is to identify
all potential risks and look at safeguarding their employees against
these hazards. Obviously, these
risks vary from workplace to
workplace and usually a common
sense approach is the best way to
protect your employees.
Major risks common to many
businesses include: slips and trips,
carrying heavy loads, excessive
noise, extreme temperatures,
exposure to hazardous materials
and dangerous workplace equipment. Employers have the primary
responsibility of protecting their
employees and making all health
and safety guidelines crystal clear
to avoid hazards.
One or two businesses have
recently said that other companies
worry too much about health and
safety, but I believe it is about
striking a balance between not going over the top and making sure
you put in all the necessary procedures. These will vary from company to company, so getting some
outside advice can be useful. The
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
is a great place to start and offers
a wide range of information and
guidelines.
Written health and safety
guidelines are important as
they get everything straight and
allow employees to refresh their
knowledge when they need to.
Businesses with more than five
people are required by law to
create written health and safety
guidelines.
Businesses with poor health
and safety practices may find that
this causes an enormous drain on
their finances. As well as putting their employees in danger,
companies that fail to put proper
health and safety procedures in
place may find that they suffer
from reduced productivity, damage to products and equipment
and rising insurance premiums.
If an investigation concludes that
businesses do not put in proper
health and safety procedures, they
may be subject to fines and legal
costs, plus customers may be put
off dealing with that business.
Health and safety does not
always have to be hugely costly; many solutions are simple
and inexpensive. Good quality
personal protective equipment
often makes a huge difference
and is the best way to protect
employees from a range of hazards. Swedish workwear manufacturer Blåkläder is always the
first choice for me and offers a
complete range of equipment for
a variety of different trades. It is
the responsibility of the employer
to ensure they provide the correct
equipment for their employees.
Simple safe-working practices are
the one of the best way to protect
employees and making sure every
team member is well-versed in
them is your responsibility as an
employer.
I think the best advice I can
offer is to take the time to think
about health and safety. Though it
is often laughed at in the media, it is important and can save
your businesses time, money,
and more importantly, it protects your employees’ wellbeing.
Companies with good health and
safety records usually have a good
reputation amongst cust