Every business has legal responsibilities to ensure the health and safety of employees and other people and to protect the environment. But the right approach isn't about doing the minimum requires to comply with the legal requirements. It can also benefit your business. Poor health and safety leads to illness and accidents and significant costs for your business. Good health, safety and environmental practices pay for themselves. They also improve your reputation with customers, the local community and your own employees.
You have a legal responsibility for the health and safety of everyone affected by your business. Your duties include:
-Carrying out a thorough health and safetyrisk assessment
-Drawing up a health and safety policy
-Ensuring your workplace meets minimum standards of comfort and cleanliness
-Recording serious injuries, diseases to dangerous accidents in an accident book.
Failure to follow the rules can have severe consequences. You can be fined or even face a prison sentence.
Health
Health and Safety Commission
English: Health and Safety!In some circumstances, your business could be closed down.
Not putting good health and safety policies and procedures in place could be an expensive mistake. The illnesses and accidents you risk as a result could bring a range of costs.
In a small business, the costs can be particularly high. For example, if one key employee is off sick, you may be unable to complete an order in time. You could even lose a customer altogether.
Though you should have insurance in place, it's unlikely to cover all the costs that could result from an incident. And your insurance premium will probably rise if you have to make a claim. Remember, too, that company directors risk being held personally liable for environmental incidents. Don't forget the intangible costs as well. If you get a bad reputation, you can lose customers and find it hard...