The working environment
In order
for businesses to be efficient, productive and successful, their employees need
to be happy, healthy and feel safe. Research shows that those people that are
happy within their working environment work far more effectively and happily
than those who are uncomfortable. Thus it is well worth investing in acquiring
the knowledge to ensure that you consider certain aspects of your employees’
workspace quite carefully and implement safe working practices.
All working environments are different, and thus there is no general rule for all businesses to follow. However in most instances, considerations include noise, ventilation, lighting, temperature and stress levels to ensure a healthier and safer working environment for your employees.
Creating a positive, healthy and safe working environment is a diverse area and includes aspects such as:
- work / life balance
- stress management
- career coaching
- leisure and welfare activities
- equality and diversity
Rules and regulations
Keeping up-to-date with the legislation withing your business area will ensure that you maintain a safe working environment and avoid accidents. According to UK official statistics, every year about 2,000 lives are
lost through occupational disease or injury, about 20,000 major industrial
injuries occur (e.g. skull fracture, loss of sight) and there are about
200,000 injuries resulting in a work disability of 3 days or more.
Better your
business with Health and Safety
Good
practice in health and safety makes good business sense, and in the UK it is the
law to follow health and safety policies. Employers have legal responsibilities that
they must follow with regards to health and safety.
As the owner of a company,
you are obliged to provide free health and safety training and supervision for everyone who works for you,
including self-employed people, as everyone needs to know how to work safely
and without risks to health. This means that you need to train them and
supervise their work.
- Protect your workers from the suffering caused by accidents and ill-health
- Reduce and manage absences and sick leave
- Retain valued staff
- Create better workplace relations
- Maintain your organisation's reputation
- Boost productivity and profits
- Reduce your insurance premiums and legal costs
Leadership: promote safety in your
workplace
For health and safety practices to be
effective, performance must come from the top, and members of the board have both a collective and individual responsibility for
health and safety. Taking a course in health and safety will provide you with
the guidance you will need to implement and manage health and safety policies.
There are training courses for all directors, governors, trustees, officers and
their equivalents in the private, public and third sectors. It’s up to those in
positions of leadership to plan, deliver, monitor and review the health and
safety practices in their organisation.
» Courses in leadership
Healthier and safer working environments: employee involvement
In order to make your
workplace healthier and safer, you can learn how talking to, listening to and
involving your employees help to improve and raise standards in your
organisation.
Being prepared and familiar
with the health and safety regulations helps you to gain the commitment of your
employees and their representatives, so that they feel involved and
enthusiastic about tackling health and safety together. A health and safety
training course will
teach you how to prepare, plan, consult and improve your working environment.
» Courses in team building
Health and Safety: First Aid
St Johns Ambulance believes everyone should have basic first aid skills, including life saving procedures, wounds and bleeding, burns and scolds, heart attacks and shock. It is necessary that employers keep up-to-date with the first aid regulations (which change annually) and ensure that they have assessed the number of first aiders necessary for their workplace, as well as the level of emergency first aid knowledge required for their risk environment. People at work can suffer from accidents or sudden deteriorating health and it is necessary that employers have made arrangement for employees to be cared for and receive the immediate attention necessary.
» First aid training courses
Health and Safety: Fire Safety
Depending on the nature of your business, it is most likely necessary that legislation requires you to assess the fire risks within your working environment and have put into practice fire precautions and safety procedures to eliminate and manage the risk of fire. The designated fire marshal will be required to have the certification to prove that your organisation is taking responsibility for fire safety.
» Fire Safety training courses
Health and Safety: Food and Hygiene Safety
In order to ensure that your workplace is in compliance with the main general food law requirements, including the provisions on food safety, you must keep up-to-date with legislation. Being familiar with the handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness will allow your workplace to operate legally, and help your understanding of the number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards.
» Food Safety training courses
Safety and Security
Ensuring your workplace is both safety and secure is very important for all employers. Courses within security and safety can for example contain how dangerous matters should be transported, but also how workplaces should be created from security aspect.
» Safety and Security training courses
