Occupational health and safety is a key feature to running any business successfully and should be prioritised by all businesses. In this blog, Centric HR will discuss the main benefits of occupational health and safety programmes as well the key legislation on this topic.
So, what are the benefits of occupational health and safety? The main benefits of occupational health and safety is that it can help to improve health and safety standards across the whole business as well as reducing the cost from accidents. What’s more, it helps to improve employee retention rate, and enhances company reputation.
Keep reading to find out more about occupational health and safety including the occupational health and safety requirements as well as why it is so important in the workplace.
Occupational health programmes are designed to alleviate or reduce the risk of workplace illness and injury as well as supporting businesses with how they manage health issues within the workplace. However, there are a variety of benefits that come with implementing an occupational health and safety programme in your business. Take a look at the main benefits of occupational health and safety below.
| Improved health and safety performance | By investing in occupational health and safety, you are helping your organisation to improve its overall health and safety performance. Whether it be through providing health and safety training to your employees or managing how incidents are reported. This is significant because it helps the team as a whole to become more aware and focussed on workplace safety which itself will help to reduce common safety issues. |
| Reduced cost of accidents | Another benefit of occupational health and safety is that it can help to save organisations a lot of money through the reduction in accidents. When an employee gets ill or injured whilst in the workplace, the employer can be responsible for damages. By encouraging the organisation to become actively more aware of any hazards or health and safety issues in the building, it helps to reduce the chances of the incidents taking place and therefore reduces costs. For example, if an employee slips over on a wet floor that was not signposted, they end up needing to take time off work, which will only cost the employer more money in finding cover staff. |
| Better employee retention rate | Implementing an occupational health and safety programme can also help to increase your employee retention rate. If your employees feel as though they have a fair system in place, whereby they and their health is valued, they are more likely to stay with the business. This is because employees appreciate when their workplaces offer additional incentives that show they care about their employees and would not be willing to risk losing that benefit. |
| Instant access to occupational health specialists | Another benefit of occupational health and safety management is that in the case of an emergency, you know exactly where to go and who to contact for support. For example, if your employee has a serious mental breakdown, it is very important that they receive some specialist support as soon as possible. By having a comprehensive occupational health and safety programme in place, you will be prepared for when instances such as these occur. As a result, you will be able to get access to specialists a lot faster than you would have without this organisation. |
| Enhances reputation | What’s more, occupational health and safety programmes can contribute to the company’s reputation. For example, if an employer has a particular health condition and a company works well with them to get them specialist support and advice that they need, word of mouth can definitely contribute to a good company reputation. Employees are becoming more concerned about what they expect from an employee, therefore hearing about how a company has treated someone’s health as a priority is only going to be attractive during the job search. Similarly, investors will also be drawn to the improved company reputation. |
When it comes to health and safety requirements, there are a variety of legislative guidelines in place to ensure that employees are treated fairly with regards to their health and safety in the workplace. Below we have detailed the key health and safety legislation so you can determine whether your business is providing the best occupational health and safety programme.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the primary piece of health and safety legislation for the workplace. This legislation explains the general responsibilities that employers have towards their employees, members of the public, and even between one and another. Some of the key aspects of this legislation includes:
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 refers to a document that is tailored towards assessing the potential risks within a workplace in order to address them and reduce them. The key features of this legislation include:
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 set of legislation is focused on the workplace environment and how it can impact the safety and welfare of employees. The main features of this legislative guidance are:
Occupational health and safety is important to any workplace because it relates to the physical and mental wellbeing of the employees. Without a healthy workforce, it can be quite difficult for businesses to run successfully on a daily basis. Therefore, ensuring that employees are provided with a safe working environment where they can complete their work without the risk of hazards seems like a worthwhile job.
Another reason why occupational health and safety is important is because of the standards it creates for the working environment. By setting these standards for your workplace, you are creating a company culture that puts the employee first, doesn’t allow for cutting corners, and takes responsibility for mistakes. This is a reputation that will be viewed as attractive to investors and potential job applicants.
To find out more about why occupational health and safety is so important, check out the video below.
Centric HR is a team of experienced HR consultants based in Staffordshire and Birmingham. We offer a comprehensive occupational health and safety service that is designed to support you with ensuring that your workplace is prepared to mitigate any safety risks.
Get in touch today to learn more about our occupational health and safety service.
