Handling Health and Defense in the Company

Managing health and safety in the workplace is of major importance in practically any business. To make this happen you need to take into consideration what may cause injury to people, both your staff and customers, and decide whether you are doing enough to stop that harm. This is recognized as a risk assessment. Once you've identified the risks, you need to ascertain how to control them and put the proper measures in place.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (known whilst the Management Rags) introduced a legal duty on business/employers to recognize and control workplace hazards where the possibility of injury is significant.

A chance assessment isn't about creating huge amounts of paperwork, but instead about identifying sensible measures to control the risks in your workplace. What what the law states states doesn't expect you to eliminate all risks, but to shield people by setting up place measures to control those risks. You're probably already taking steps to shield your employees, your risk assessment can tell you whether you should be doing more.

Just how can I gauge the risks in my workplace?

A great kick off point is obviously to walk around your workplace and look for any hazards - a hazard is anything which could cause harm. Then go through the risks - a risk is the possibility, high or low, of somebody being harmed by the hazard, and how serious the harm could be.

Consider how accidents could happen and who might be harmed. Ask your employees what they believe the hazards are, as they could notice things that are not obvious for you and may possess good quality ideas on what best to regulate the risks. Focus on the real risks - those that are most likely to cause harm. Look at the measures you're already taking to control the risks and ask when you have anything you must do to create your workplace safer. Once you've identified the risks and things you need to accomplish to control them, you must put the proper measures in place.

Then record your findings. When you yourself have fewer than five employees you do not have to create anything down, but it's good practice to keep a record. A good way to record your findings is to utilize a risk assessment form. No standard legal form exists that can be utilized, but so long as you record the possibility and everything you are doing to control it, that's all that's required. It's definitely better to keep it simple and straightforward and not give it time to be harder than it must be.

Few workplaces stay the exact same and sooner or later you can take in new equipment, substances or procedures that could lead to new hazards. It makes sense to review your risk assessment on a regular basis. If anything significant changes, check your risk assessment and update it.

By following these simple steps, managing health and safety in the workplace won't be an arduous task, but something that's an all-natural task in practically any business.

Nigel J Welford is often a qualified Health & Safety professional and believes in making the method of health and safety in the workplace as simple as you can whilst still being effective and meeting all of the regulations. Obtain a copy of his free report "The Secret To How Health & Safety Can Improve Your Business And Profits: 7 Everyday Pitfalls To Avoid" from  https://www.centerforworklife.com/