Getting health and safety advice as a new and small business

Many business owners worry about the financial implications of a personal injury claim, but many forget that a personal injury claim could also affect your brand’s reputation, which can have a detrimental effect on sales, client and partner relationships, and recruitment efforts.

By implementing the correct regulations and procedures, employers can protect both employees and business.

According to the law, employers must uphold certain responsibilities including:

• Performing regular health and safety risk assessments

• Consulting your employees on their health and safety concerns

• Providing safety information and training to employees

• Ensuring the correct facilities are installed throughout the workplace, including access equipment for those with disabilities

• Implementing first aid procedures and providing adequate training and equipment

• Introducing an official reporting system for employees to record accidents and work-related diseases

• Displaying correct health and safety law material

• Keeping up to date with any legal or regulatory changes

Staying on top of your responsibilities as an employer may seem a daunting task. With detailed planning and help from your employees you can maintain a safe working environment.

The law does not require that you remove all risks; however, it does ask that you have adequate health and safety measures in place in order to keep your staff safe. This can be adhered to by performing regular risk assessments.

Carrying out a risk assessment:

1. Begin by walking around your workplace to identify potential hazards. Focus on accidents that might happen and equipment that has the potential to cause harm.

2. Next, you must consider the risk of a person coming to harm from the hazard and how serious that harm could be.

3. Once identified it is essential that the appropriate measures are put into place immediately in order to minimise each risk.

4. All hazards and safety measures must then be noted and kept for reference purposes.

All employees must be made aware of these procedures, which can be set out in regular training sessions. Once they have received this safety advice ensure all members of staff sign a document to say they have received and understood the information you have provided them with.