There is a mounting body of evidence that indicates good Health and Safety performance can result in real business benefit.

The HSE website advises: "It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees, and other people who might be affected by their business", and that "the employer must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this." Good management of workplace safety represents not only good business practice, but also it can improve both performance of staff and the business in general. Unfortunately whilst complying and keeping pace with statutory change is extremely time consuming - especially given the growth of the compensation culture - it is essential to ensure you are not left exposed in the event of an accident or injury in your workplace. Workplace Safety Training & Inspection By outsourcing to a specialized health and safety advisor, you will be provided with bespoke safety awareness training and inspections which can be used to promote workplace safety, leading to an improved safety culture for all your staff. From shop floor to senior management, specialized training courses are tailored to suit your organisation’s needs. Workplace Safety Management Health and Safety management systems will help you to ensure that your staff are adequately trained and that they buy-in to the concept that managing risks within the workplace is as much their responsibility as yours. This will further reduce your exposure to accidents in the work place and subsequent investigations by the Local Authority or the HSE. Writing a Health & Safety Policy from scratch Any organisation with five or more employees is legally required to have a written Health & Safety Policy (Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 section 2(3)). It shouldn't be a complicated document but it does need to be a concise summary, stating how your business manages safety. If you're thinking about writing your own Health and Safety Policy there are a few things you'll need to consider. Your Policy should clearly set out how you manage Health and Safety, who is responsible and when things must be done. Starting a policy from scratch isn't easy, particularly if you haven't written one before and you don’t have access to professional advisors. Some of the things you need to consider are: A general statement Responsibilities Health and safety risks Consultation with employees Safe plant and equipment Safe handling and use of substances Information, instruction and supervision Competency for tasks Accidents, first aid and work related ill health Monitoring - accidents and work related sickness Emergency procedures Specialized Health and Safety advisors can write Health and Safety policies and managements systems for almost every industry; from construction through to care homes and retail to restaurants. Updating an existing Health & Safety Policy Once a Health and Safety policy has been written it's important that it’s regularly reviewed and not just left on the shelf. This should be done whenever changes occur within the business and on a regular basis (at least annually). Examples of when a Health and Safety Policy will need reviewing include: If the work process changes At the introduction of new technology or equipment When any organisational changes occur When Changes in legislation occur If you need help writing a Health and Safety Policy or reviewing one that you have already written, contact specialized health and safety advisors.

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