Health & Safety Advice Pack for Smaller Firms

Sheet 1: Why health and safety is important

Hazards at Work Whatever sort of business you are, there is always the possibility of an accident or damage to someones health. All work exposes people to hazards, be they: loads which have to be manually handled dangerous machinery toxic substances electricity working with display screen e!uipment or even psychological hazards such as stress. The Cost of Safety Failure "he reason there are not even more accidents and diseases caused by work is because systems of prevention are in place which have been built up over generations. #afety does not come about by accident: most accidents happen because they have not been prevented. $et despite all the precautions that are taken in the %&, there are still over '((, ((( workplace in)uries every year as well as *.+ million cases of ill health caused or made more by work. ,1.n /(*(0** /'.1 million working days were lost due to work2related illness and workplace in)ury. ,13ven small businesses have accidents. Accident rates in small businesses can be higher than in large operations,for instance the fatality rate in #43 manufacturers is twice that of large ones. ,2Underlying Principles Attention to health and safety is not )ust about being socially responsible. .t also makes good business sense and you should regard it as )ust as important as the achievement of any other key business ob)ective. 5f course, working out what modern health and safety law means for your business can be !uite a headache. 6ut dont be put off. $es, on the face of it there do seem to be a lot of regulations and there is a lot of supporting guidance, but the underlying principles are really !uite straightforward. 3ssentially you have to ensure absence of risk to safety and health of employees and others 7so far as is reasonably practicable.

System in place to anage Health ! Safety You have to have a system (e.g. have a policy, designate people and have clear procedures) in place to manage health and safety (and, if you employ more than five people, set this out in a written health and safety policy statement). You need to be able to show how you plan, organise, control, monitor and review preventative measures. And you need to appoint a competent person(s) to help you comply with your legal obligations. "dentify hazards You have to identify your main hazards (things that could cause harm).

#ssess $isk You have to assess your risks (the probability that significant harm will occur) and again, if you employ more than five, record the results of your assessment. Risk assessment is the key to working out what needs to be done but don!t make it over complicated. Remember, although you have to do it by law, it is really only any use if it can be used as a working tool to help you prove to yourself and your employees that you have identified the main things in your business which could cause harm and that you are doing everything you should to prevent that harm from happening.

$isk Control easures You have to make sure that your risk control measures are ade"uate and that they are used and maintained and that they continue to work. (You also have to put in place any back up measures that may be needed like health surveillance or emergency procedures). And you have to inform, train and supervise employees. #or the most part the law sets out certain health and safety goals to be achieved and indicates appropriate $benchmarks! to help you work out whether your controls are up to $reasonably practicable! standards. %here is an underlying re"uirement to reduce or eliminate hazards at source, or isolate people from them (for e&ample, by guarding machinery) before using other forms of control. Relying on the use of personal protective e"uipment like respirators or protective footwear is a last resort and is only acceptable when all other options have failed.

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%ou also ha&e to' report and record accidents' provide certain basic workplace, first aid and welfare facilities' have employers! liability insurance' notify the (ealth and )afety *&ecutive (()*) and the +ocal Authority of your e&istence' consult your workforce and their representatives' and so on.

$isk Control easures 8or the most part the law sets out certain health and safety goals to be achieved and indicates appropriate 7benchmarks to help you work out whether your controls are up to 7reasonably practicable standards. "here is an underlying re!uirement to reduce or eliminate hazards at source, or isolate people from them ,for example, by guarding machinery- before using other forms of control. 9elying on the use of personal protective e!uipment 2 like respirators or protective footwear 2 is a last resort and is only acceptable when all other options have failed. (etting Started .f all this is new to you, where do you start: Well, first of all, you need to get a good overview of the sub)ect. #tart with some basic reading such as free ;#3 leaflets ,http'))***+hse+go&+uk)pu,ns)leaflets+htm- or download a free copy of ;#3s 73ssentials of ;ealth and #afety at Work ,http'))***+hse+go&+uk)pu,ns)priced)essentials+pdf-. $ou can visit the ;#3 web site Health and safety made simple The basics for your business which is for employers and those who

want some basic information on what they must do to make sure their businesses comply with health and safety law. <ontact 9o#=A ,"el >11 ,(-*/* /1+ //??- and consider going on a basic training course. 9o#=A can also help with its 7;ealth and #afety 9eview services for smaller businesses which can provide a comprehensive diagnosis of strengths and weaknesses in your management of health and safety ,more information on Sheet --. $ou might also consider becoming a mem,er ,-embership. of 9o#=A or )oining a local 9o#=A affiliated health and safety group ,see Sheet 1.-. /Where #re %ou 0o*12 Armed with the knowledge you have gained, try to answer the following !uestions: @When it comes to health and safety, where are we now as a company:@ and @Where do we want to be this time next year:@ )tart by looking at your firm!s health and safety policy statement. /t should be the basis of your firm!s health and safety action plan.

Ask yourself whether you have an effective health and safety management system in place in other words, a planned way of tackling problems. (ave you got clear policies and ob0ectives for health and safety1 (ave you organised key people to achieve them1 2hat training do they need1 (ave you appointed a competent person to help you comply with your duties1 (ave you identified your main hazards and assessed the risks involved1 (ave you selected the right control measures to tackle these main risks Are they ade"uate or do you need to do more1 Are they actually being applied in practice1 Are you monitoring progress for e&ample, by inspecting the workplace regularly or investigating accidents and $near misses! to learn from your mistakes1 (ave you set a date to review your health and safety performance against your plans1

Working Together Although if you are the person in overall control of your business, 7the buck stops with you, you cannot achieve a safe and healthy working environment on your own. .t has to be a team effort and you need to consult your employees and, where appointed, their safety representatives. $ou need to get proper health and safety co2ordination going with other businesses with which you come into contact such as clients, customers, suppliers or contractors. $ou need to build ownership and commitment to safety throughout your workforce. 3on2t 3elay 4 (et Started Today5 Above all, you need to remember that besides protecting people and the environment, action on health and safety can also make a ma)or contribution to business success. Aot only will it help stop accidents and work related ill health among your staff, but it will reduce your accident losses, improve your profit and loss statement and help you become more efficient. Bont think accidents and occupational ill health cant happen in your company. Above all dont wait for things to go wrong and then go for the 7!uick fix. 6uild health and safety in from the start. Bont delay 2 make time and space to get started todayC

References
1. (ealth and )afety *&ecutive Annual )tatistics Report 345644 (***+hse+go&+uk)statistics)sources)inde6+htm) 3. -aking an impact on )-* compliance behaviour7 An evaluation of the effect of interventions upon compliance with health and safety legislation in )-*s, 8repared by 9ings :ollege +ondon for the (ealth and )afety *&ecutive 355; http'))***+hse+go&+uk)research)rrpdf)rr788+pdf D9o#=A cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or completeness of any pages on linked websites. =age 9ef. Ao.: 5#(((*1 0 Bate <reated: /((/ 0 Bate %pdated: (E0(/0/(*/ 0 Author: 960<;