An Introduction to Health & Safety - how to identify and avoid safety management icebergs

Health & Safety in the workplace is an area where all companies need to be fully up to date with current best practice.

As a director or manager of a business, you have responsibilities. Are you up to date with the latest best practice? Do you have the relevant knowledge and understand what actions may be needed to effectively protect your workers and your business?

This interactive webinar explores health and safety management from the managers perspective. Dealing with key areas of risk that may not on first sight seem important but can become safety management icebergs.

A safety management iceberg is a potential issue which seems innocuous at first sight, yet which can cause immense damage if you run into it. It can harm not only the company and its employees but, in some cases, can also get senior managers into deep trouble. 

For example, it is a well-accepted principal of law that the accused must be considered innocent unless, and until, the accuser (the prosecution) can prove their guilt beyond all reasonable doubt. But the exception to the principle occurs when the charge is that a company failed in its duty of care to an employee – and this is a charge the HSE uses on a regular basis.

In such a case the law requires only that the prosecution (the HSE) prove that there was an accident in the workplace which resulted in somebody being injured. To avoid a finding of guilty, the company must prove that it did all it reasonably could to avoid the accident. If the company cannot meet this challenge they face substantial fines, and their senior staff may potentially be at risk of prosecution and heavy penalties.

Many companies, and H&S officers, misunderstand the challenge posed by these icebergs. This webinar will make sure you're fully up to date with what is expected of you to avoid these situations.