The numbers of businesses out there are on the constant rise, but all of them have one thing in common and that is a well-planned health and safety program.
This is more applicable today than it was in the past. The only easy way to do this is to provide all the employees with clear instructions, information, and training regarding the health and safety hazards at their workplace.
There is no different way of doing things. The employees of a company must be made aware of the advantages of health and safety training. This has become mandatory and needs to be done even if it means hiring health and safety consultants to do the job.
In fact, the process of health and safety for an employee begins right from the first day or prior to hiring where it is necessary to inform them of the risks involved in working with the company.
The reason:
image courtesy: safetyfirstconsulting.ca
The advantages of providing many employees with such training are only beneficial but are amazing that many still skip health and safety training, thus exposing the employees to potentially dangerous accidents and fatalities.
This has a direct relation to the many deaths and injuries reported each year due to the lack of awareness and negligence of the employee regarding the safety issues related to their workplace.
This is a global problem. It is not only the accidents but also many fall prey to hazardous diseases again due to the lack of sufficient guidance and training.
Ideal World:
In an ideal world, each and every company should meet the government’s requirements for health and safety.
It is not likely that any company would like to be responsible for the fatalities caused due to their negligence at the workplace or even responsible for some long-term effect on some employee health again due to negligence on their part.
Make the effort:
image courtesy: oasystss.co.uk
Thus it is essential that the companies have a good health and safety plan tailor-made for their company; this should include education, training, and mandatory compliance.
It is necessary to include this into the company’s system thus making sure everyone concerned receives the appropriate training.
The aim of health and safety plans is to generate awareness among employees and employers regarding the health and safety issues prevalent and also educate them regarding the risks involved while at the workplace.
There is a very big misconception that this kind of training is only for the employees but the fact is that the employer needs to be trained first.
The safety consultants on the job should make sure that the employer receives sufficient training and be a mentor to their employees as far as health and safety issues are concerned.
The ideal person for the job of managing health and safety in a company is the manager or supervisor. Thus this person should be the first person to receive the health and safety training and should be in a position to guide all the employees if any questions related to health and safety arise.
The fact that this kind of training can prepare your employees for just about any eventuality should be enough to motivate all companies to get their own health and safety training.
How this is good for all concerned:
This not only prevents human tragedies but also helps in protecting against property damage, costs of legal and medical fees, hefty compensation costs, and the high price you pay due to loss in production.
The reputation of the company is also at stake here since the company has frequent accidents and few fatalities, which is soon to become the talk of the town.
And that could only mean bad for business. At the same time if the employees are well looked after they are bound to spread the work and such news spreads really fast.
This is bound to have a positive effect on your sales figures. The added advantage is low insurance premiums. Having trained managers will only work in your favor when it comes to reducing your insurance premiums since it means that you are less likely to make a claim.
In addition to that these actions with prevent injuries and illness and keep the premiums low as no claims are made. A fit workforce means a productive workforce. At times it is possible that the employees don’t come out and mention their discomfort felt at the workplace. It is thus necessary to scrutinize the work style of every employee and make sure they are not in any discomfort.
For example, it is possible that an employee working on a computer all day is suffering from wrist ache or backache but is not quite sure what to do about it.
At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the employer to make sure that all the employees are fine and in good health.
If the employer shows negligence in protecting their staff against any illness and accidents they can be fined and even imprisoned. With a staff trained in health and safety issues, when accidents do occur it is possible to make insurance claims and be covered in such eventualities.
This is possible only if you can prove without a doubt that you have provided sufficient training and that all the necessary precautions were taken.
Taking a transparent approach:
The company policy in place to identify the risks and hazards should be very thorough and the training should be conducted at a personal level.
Thus taking extra special care that everyone understands what is at stake here and that they are required to comply with the instruction provided. It is necessary to include such instruction procedures and training in the induction process of every new employee.
This includes everyone; even the contractors who work part-time should be included and need to be trained to identify hazards and risks faced while at work.
Thus there are many advantages to providing a comprehensive health and safety plan that includes a decent level of employee training. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough.
This helps in avoiding unnecessary incidents to start with but also reduces expenses such as claims and premiums and at the same time improves your productivity thus boosting your reputation.
About The Author:
I am Katelin Lewis. I am interested in writing about health and safety, science, technology & Web-related stuff. Follow me on Twitter or on Google +Katelin.
