The next of our regular features where we will be exploring a range of common and not so common H&S terms.
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR MANAGING HEALTH AND SAFETY
Health and safety issues impact on all businesses and all areas of its activities, whether it is a hospital, factory or office. The best managed organisations ensure that health and safety is part of every job role rather than being the remit of the company health and safety advisor. Those with responsibilities include all managers, employees, directors as well as individuals dealing with just one aspect of health and safety such as fire wardens, maintenance engineers, human resource managers and first aiders. Often health & safety issues may conflict with other business goals and objectives, e.g. employees are meant to use a guard on a machine but they are encouraged to remove it if an order is overdue.
As more and more civil actions for compensation are being undertaken, insurance companies are taking a higher profile in the investigation accidents and gathering evidence especially in cases where they believe there is potential for a claim. Insurance companies may influence organisations by making recommendations on the control measures required as without Employer’s Liability insurance, organisations cannot legally trade.
Over the last 150 years since the very first health and safety specific legislation, the standards expected of both employers and employees have increased. It was once acceptable for the employer to set their employee any task, regardless of its hazardous nature, with any injuries incurred accepted as just part of the job. It is now legally and societally unacceptable for an employee to be put at risk without reasonable controls being implemented. There are a number of reasons why we need to work safely. They can be summarised in three main groups; ethical or moral considerations, legal requirements and financial or economic matters.
MORALS AND MONEY
Most people would agree that, whatever risks they choose to take themselves; it is unacceptable to put other people at risk, particularly when this is done without their knowledge or consent. Put simply, everyone is entitled to feel confident that they will go home in one piece at the end of the working day! No-one wants to suffer an injury or see a colleague injured.
Organisations both large and small have moral obligations to ensure that they do not put their employees in danger from accidents and ill health. Depending on the company, its location and scope this moral obligation may spread further. As some organizations could be putting a range of non-employees at risk if they do not manage health and safety standards adequately.
For instance, a large chemical manufacturer who uses and suppliers highly flammables gases and liquids could have an impact on a far wider scope of people than just their employees. This could include their neighbours, be they domestic residential homes or even neighboring businesses. Equally they could have an impact on the environment itself, plants, animals and birds, depending on the nature of the substances which are released there could be immediate safety ill health effects but also long-term ill health issues.
Employers have a duty to take reasonable care of their employees and the wide range of others who could be affected. If those who could be affected are at greater risk of harm then the employer’s moral obligations need to be taken even more seriously, for instance if what they do could impact on children or those who are already vulnerable.
Employers employee people and contractors so their duty can also extend to ensure they employee competent workers who are going to ensure they do not cause injury or rill health to others during the work they do for an organization.
Even though there are now a variety of statutory duties on the employer and organisation to ensure the health and safety of their employees, a range of these stem from their moral obligations to provide a safe place of work with a safe and healthy working environment.
FINANCIAL MATTERS
Financial penalties should be obvious. If you are injured and cannot work, insurance will never fully compensate you for the financial loss. Equally there are a number of financial implications for the organisations involved in any workplace accident or breach of law. There is also the risk of being fined following action by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), Environmental Health Officer (EHO) or Fire Authority.
Many companies and managers complain that health and safety initiatives cost them money. Fewer consider the costs which are incurred from any one incident, even those where an injury does not result. Consider the costs of a typical workplace accident where an employee is injured seriously enough to have to take 2 weeks off work. List your ideas of the costs incurred by the employer, the individual and finally consider what accident-related costs are incurred by the UK as a whole for all those thousands of accidents which occur each year in UK businesses.
There are a number of reasons why we need to work safely. They can be summarised in three main groups; ethical and moral considerations, legal requirements and financial matters.
THE TRUE COST OF ACCIDENTS
Many managers complain that health and safety initiatives cost them money, few consider the costs which are incurred from any one incident, even those where an injury does not result.
Consider the costs of a workplace accident where an employee is injured enough to have to take 2 weeks off from work.
Think of the costs incurred by the employer, the individual and then more generally what accident related costs are incurred by the nation. Consider those costs which can be stated in monetary terms, such as sick pay but also consider the intangible costs such as loss of business or quality.
HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLBEING SNIPPETS
Two recent cases one in Devon stopping the use of mains water and another animal petting farm were over 20reports of illness were reported.
Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by microscopic parasites of the genus Cryptosporidium. Once an animal or person is infected, the parasite lives in the intestine and passes in the stool. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants. Both the disease and the parasite are commonly known as “crypto.” During the past two decades, crypto has become recognised as one of the most common causes of waterborne disease within humans. The parasite
may be found in drinking water and recreational water. Cryptosporidium lives in the intestine of infected humans or animals. Millions of crypto germs can be released in a bowel movement from an infected human or animal. Consequently, Cryptosporidium is found in soil, food, water, or surfaces that have been contaminated with infected human or animal faeces. If a person swallows the parasite, they become infected. You cannot become infected through contact with blood.
Employee wellbeing is concerned with the physical and emotional health of staff, recognising that happy, healthy employees lead to better organisational performance. What is Employee Wellbeing?
Providing support and help for employees where they have problems, whether those arise from work or home, helps minimise the impact of these problems on the business. Why Invest in Employee Wellbeing?
As part of the employer’s duty of care, work should be properly defined and organised. Organising the Workplace
Where staff have specific problems, employers may be able to point them in the direction of professional help. Helping Those with Problems
Healthy lifestyle initiatives describe those that aim to encourage or prompt employees to adopt behaviours that have positive health outcomes for them, such as getting more exercise. Healthy
Lifestyle Initiatives
Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) are employer-funded arrangements that offer employees confidential counselling and advice on a wide range of work and personal issues. Employee Assistance Programmes
Employers need to evaluate the benefits of wellbeing initiatives from the perspective of both the employee and the employer. Evaluating the Im-
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