Needing a special safety sign? Why not create your own?
There are risks in every workplace, whether we know about them or not. Unfortunately, these risks can often lead to accidents and even deaths if they are not handled correctly, and employees are not made aware of them. If you are asking yourself, ‘why is health and safety important’, there are a plethora of answers to explore.
Unfortunately, the required HSE health and safety law poster isn’t always enough to prevent incidents from occurring in the workplace, and it certainly doesn’t tell you everything that you need to know. Because of this, robust health and safety measures and training is required in all workplaces, and failing to comply can result in prosecution and fines, and occasionally even prison sentences.
If you want to find out why health and safety is important, read on.
Simply put, health and safety is there to protect employers and employees alike. It works to prevent accidents from happening, ill health, and a wide array of incidents that can be avoided. Health and safety is legally required in workplaces, but it won’t look the same everywhere, since different workplaces have different risks.
However, there are a number of common accidents that can happen in any kind of workplace. Three of the most common are slips, and trips on a single level (33% of all H&S cases); lifting, carrying, and handling-related incidents (18% of all cases), and incidents around being hit by moving objects (10%).
Employers are obliged to carry out risk assessments on premises to determine risks in the workplace, and take action against them. In some cases, this could mean levelling staircases, while in others it will require significant trailing to, for example, handle hazardous substances effectively and safely.
Health and safety is crucial in any workplace, no matter what kind of location you work in – from an office to a construction site. From fire safety signs and construction site signs to workplace safety signs and general safety, there are legal obligations for employers and employees alike.
Things like information signs and first aid posters are critical for all workplaces. Depending on the location, first aid boxes might contain different equipment, and first aid posters may vary to a degree. However, things like training and first aid posters are a legal requirement in workplaces – as outlined in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Health and safety is one of the foundations of any business, and should always be treated with the care and time that it needs. Unfortunately, a lot of people view it to be boring, but this couldn’t be further from the truth – keeping people safe and alive is not boring, and certainly not something that should ever be overlooked.
From employee benefits to it benefiting the company, health and safety impacts day-to-day life in an organisation. However, it’s up to those who run the company to decide if that impact will be positive (if they implement H&S), or negative (if they neglect it).
Below, we will answer the question ‘why is health and safety important’ in three categories, and you can see for yourself why every business should take this seriously.
The top reason why health and safety is important comes down to morals – it is ethical to make sure that your employees are safe when they come into work, and that they get to go home to their lives at the end of every day. Your employee’s safety should be something that everyone wants, even if it doesn’t benefit you in some way.
However, there are notable benefits to health and safety that you may not immediately think of. For example, when you take measures to protect your employees, they are less likely to suffer from injuries. As a side effect, they will have to take less time off work, which will increase productivity and efficiency – something that all businesses benefit from.
Another benefit of having good health and safety at work is that customers appreciate it. Over the years, more and more customers want to purchase products that have been ethically produced – and they will go out of their way to do this. By implementing good health and safety, your goods will be ethical, and more appealing to customers as a side effect.
There are lots of ethical benefits to having good health and safety at work, and it will impact the wider community in a way that you might not expect.
Of course, health and safety legislation is something that everyone in the UK is legally obliged to comply with. While this is not the case in many other countries, the UK prides itself in its standards to keep employees safe in their roles.
Failing to comply with health and safety can land a business in a lot of trouble and lead to prosecution. This will often lead to fines at a minimum, but it isn’t uncommon for senior executives to face prison time for their negligence and willingness to turn a blind eye to potentially deadly risks.
Over the years, there have been numerous sizable fines handed out to companies due to health and safety. One notable example is the Valero Energy UK & B&A Contracts in 2019, which breached Sections 2 (1) & 3 (1) of the H&S at Work Act, resulting in a £5.1m fine plus £1m in costs. This incident happened back in 2011 and resulted in four deaths and a critical injury, so even older incidents can be brought back to light for justice.
There are lots of business benefits to having a robust health and safety strategy implemented in your organisation. From a decrease in workplace illnesses that would cost the company money to an increased number of job hunters who are keen to work there, it cannot be overlooked.
In recent years, more and more people looking for work (primarily Millennials and Gen Z) are seeking out employers who put the work in and share their values. They know their rights – as they should – and want to work somewhere that will treat them with the care and respect that they deserve. Failing to have good health and safety can make it incredibly difficult to retain employees once they realise the downfalls of the company.
Health and safety is also excellent for partnerships and attracting investors. It improves your reputation and builds trust as well as performance. Staying on top of health and safety will only benefit your company, while neglecting it can mean reduced trade, mistrust, and potentially even your company closing.
Below are some ideas that can be implemented for anyone who wishes to improve health and safety in the workplace:
So, why is health and safety important? Health and safety protects people and saves lives, no matter what industry you work in. While there are differences in health and safety policies depending on your workplace, there are standards that all employers need to meet, or else they can be prosecuted.
