Most people would probably agree with you if you said ‘health and safety measures cannot be taken lightly in the workplace.’ Aside from it being the law, you’re not going to find many people saying that the well-being of staff and faculty is of no value. For one, it is likely to jeopardize the reputation of your business, not to mention the potential legal action that could be taken against you and your business if those measures are not in place.

Photo by PAT Test North East on Flickr

Many businesses have mandatory health and safety courses for staff up through every level of the company. This also applies to all kinds of companies, even ones that require little in the way of manual labor. It is impossible to predict what or how health and safety concerns may arise within the company, so it’s important to stay on the safe side.

It is simply good practice and the mark of a good employer. Your employees are here to work for you, and thus it is your responsibility to ensure that injury and harm do not befall them while in your service. This responsibility extends to using the best equipment and technology to keep them safe too, preventing accidents while minimizing risk. For instance, companies like Septentrio develop advanced GPS and positioning technology that promotes safety when working in construction or agriculture. Tech like this not only reduces human error, it also improves precision. It’s easy to adopt tech in numerous ways, and by doing so, the end result is usually a safer working environment.

But, moreover, health and safety measures are there not only to ensure the well-being of your staff but to protect any visitors, customers, and clients as well as the general public.

While it may seem exhaustive and even unnecessary expense, companies that play fast and loose with health and safety measures and thus flout with the law face losing staff, recruitment costs, lower profitability, and legal expenses. Specific workplace training such as how to correctly move heavy goods or operate machinery will also prevent unseen long-term problems for staff in the future. For example, if an employee is not correctly trained on how to pick up heavy items such as crates, over time, they can experience long-term spinal damage and may need extra healthcare, healthcare that will come out of your pocket if they are insured. See how all this can financially damage your pockets. Furthermore, if an employee dies as a result of a workplace injury/accident, you may be liable for corporate manslaughter.

Health and safety measures should also cover the emotional and mental impact that may affect your employees, ensuring that they are not emotionally burned out by the job or that their mental health is adequate to work. These things can go unnoticed, so it is important to keep aware of them.

It can be a tedious process and can feel like bureaucratic form filing and pencil-pushing rather than the part of the job that you love, but in order for everyone to feel like they love what they’re doing, high standards need to be met.

Make sure you have a written codified policy even if you don’t have many people in your employ. It better protects you in the long run from legal action and puts your employees’ minds more at ease. Provide proper approved workplace training and ensure you have the best, most reliable, and right equipment for people to work with.

If you’ve been injured either in or out of work due to an unforeseen traffic accident and believe you’re entitled to compensation, consider consulting local truck accident lawyers.

About the Author: Garlak Theodorakis

My name is Garlak Theodorakis, I am graphic designer with almost 10 year experience in the field. Founded Tooft.com in january 2010 with idea to share my knowledge with the world.