Why Health and Safety Shouldn’t Be Overlooked by SME’s

As a small business there is a lot to take into account when ensuring the smooth day to day running of the company, and keeping on top of risk assessment and health and safety can often fall by the wayside. Many heads of businesses simply do not see it as a key business objective and therefore it can be overlooked quite easily; however, what is worth noting is that SME’s fail to understand the risks and costs that come with overlooking health and safety procedures and regulations, which could be detrimental to the future of the business.

Health and safety is one of the most important social responsibilities businesses should undertake to ensure they are looking after their employees during their working day, not only does it make good business sense – but it can also prevent serious accidents from occurring and costs mounting.

Risk Assessment and Compliance

Being compliant with health and safety regulations is important for any business, but for SME’s it can so often be overlooked; research undertaken in 2014 showed that health and safety standards are not being met by more than half of small and medium-sized enterprises. If this is you, it could be seriously affecting the way that you run your business, it might be that you are willing to implement certain health and safety rules but your lack of awareness is hindering the ability, and if this is the case there are many places you can undertake risk assessment courses to help you

Ensure you are complaint with health and safety in your SME by understanding certain risks that may be present; if your business involves employees working in an office environment, it might be safe to assume that the risks present might not be as dangerous as working in a more hazardous business.

Undertaking health and safety e-learning courses that are related to your business will help you understand what you should be compliant with, as well as showing you how to undertake risk assessment to prevent risks.

Don’t Underestimate A Slip or Trip Hazard!

One of the most common and costly workplace incidents for businesses involve slips and trips, the costs can amount to over £300 million in a year, with lost production and other costs amounting up. 20% of all injuries that result in workers being off work for a number of days, stem from a slip or trip, as well as this an average of two people die each year as the result of a fall in the workplace.

It’s important to not underestimate the risks that this kind of situation can present; taking reasonable steps to prevent accidents can prevent accidents from happening, as well as decreasing the costs that might amount through compensation claims from employees.

As an SME, you might think that health and safety compliance will never affect you, but the smallest incidents can amount to huge costs, and protecting your business, as well as protecting your employees could save you money in the long term.

If you are looking to raise health and safety awareness throughout your business, contact Praxis42 for a range of e-learning and health and safety courses.