Health and safety regulations are important because they help to protect people and businesses. This area of law helps to ensure that people have a safe working environment and that employers take their responsibilities seriously. Managing health and safety properly helps businesses to minimise the risks of accidents and the possibility of being prosecuted.
Why is health and safety important in the workplace?
Employers have a legal responsibility to provide a safe working environment for the people who work for them, along with any visitors or members of the public. Assessing and minimising the risks of accidents, injuries and illness is only one part of this; employers also need to take into account the general welfare of their staff, which can include areas like managing stress and factoring in mental health.
By law, every business needs to have a health and safety policy, which outlines their goals and commitments to health and safety in the workplace, who is responsible for what in terms o health and safety, and also how things work practically, which might include:
- Training for staff – who needs it and how will it be done?
- Safety signage – what safety information should be displayed and where?
- Risk assessments – how will they be done, how often, and how does the process work in your setting?
- Fire safety – how can all staff and visitors be made aware of how to exit the building in the event of a fire or a drill?
How health and safety protects businesses
Health and safety needs to be an integral part of every business, and not simply because it is a legal obligation. Taking the welfare of staff and visitors seriously shows that you value them and want to protect them from harm. Being compliant with all of the relevant health and safety regulations also helps to protect the business in ways that include:
- It reduces the risk of prosecution and/or fines for breaking health and safety law
- It protects you from potential employee claims if they are injured in an accident at work
- It protects you from reputational damage if an incident does occur
- It can minimise employee absences through work-related illness, injuries or other welfare issues
If you would like some expert assistance with your health and safety policy and making sure that your company is compliant with the law in all areas, we can help.
Why might you need legal support with health and safety?
Understanding what your business needs to do in order to be fully compliant with health and safety laws is essential. Ensuring that your policy is comprehensive and offers all the protection required for your employees, along with minimising the risks to your business, can sometimes be complex and requires specialist input.
As an experienced firm of health and safety and regulatory solicitors, we fully understand all aspects of what is required from businesses with regard to health and safety law. Call us on 0161 696 6250 to find out more.
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