Whilst Health and Safety in the workplace might not be the sexiest of topics, as a manager or business owner, it is one of the most important to get right.  The costs of getting it wrong are high – you could be at risk of future litigation, have increased staff turnover, risk damaging your brand name and suffer reduced profitability.  Plus, do you really want the guilt of knowing that one of your employees has been hurt whilst ‘under your watch’?

All employers have a legal responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to ensure the health safety and welfare at work of their employees. This applies to MENTAL and PHYSICAL health.

Here we’ll look at the main health and safety responsibilities for employers and employees:

Manager’s step by step guide to health and safety:

Managers aren’t the only ones with responsibilities  - employee’s have them too

1. Employee’s should attend and follow any health and safety training.

2. Employee’s need to take reasonable care of their own and other people’s health and safety.

3. All staff should co-operate with their employer on health and safety.

4. Everyone working in the business has a responsibility to tell someone (your employer, supervisor, or health and safety representative) if you think the work or inadequate precautions are putting anyone’s health and safety at serious risk.

The law surrounding Health and Safety in the workplace can seem complicated and it is always worth getting expert advice if you aren’t sure about something.  The HSE has lots of resources that can help organisations understand their responsibilities more fully or you can talk to a member of our Clinical Partners Occupational Health team who will be able to offer training and advice to your organisation. 

For more information visit www.clinical-partners.co.uk/occupational-health or ring 0203 326 9160 and ask to speak to our Occupational Health team.