• Protects employees – Good health and safety practices reduce the risk of accidents, injuries and illnesses. This helps to guarantee the well-being of employees.

• Legal Compliance – Organizations have obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act, and complying with the legislation means employers avoid legal repercussions.

• Increased productivity – A safe workplace promotes employee morale and motivation, leading to increased productivity and efficiency.

• Reduced absenteeism – A workplace that keeps its employees safe leads to less absenteeism. This has a positive impact on performance and productivity.

• Reputation management – Companies known for prioritizing health and safety are more likely to attract and retain talent, as well as earn customer trust.
• Cost savings – Preventing accidents can lead to significant savings by avoiding medical expenses, compensation claims and potential business losses.

How can businesses comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act?

To avoid legal repercussions due to health and safety violations, it is essential that small business owners and human resources professionals are aware of what they must do to comply with health and safety legislations. health and safety at work.

It is important to keep in mind that HSWA legislation does not only apply to full-time employees. Indeed, it also emphasizes the health and safety of:

• Temporary and casual staff
• Subcontractors and freelancers
• Customers, customers and partners
• Visitors and the general public in professional premises

If you are unsure of your obligations, we have detailed them for you. Follow these ten steps and you’ll stay in HSWA’s good books!

Have a health and safety policy

If you have five or more employees, the law requires you to have a written health and safety policy. A comprehensive policy should include:

• Statement of Intent
• Responsibilities
• Risk assessment procedures
• Emergency procedures
• Training and communication
• Health and safety standards
• Reporting procedures
• Monitoring and review
• Employee involvement
• Resources and support

We know that developing a comprehensive policy takes time, and as a human resources professional or small business owner, time is precious. In an effort to save you time and make your life easier, we have a policy template available through Employment Hero.

Perform risk assessments

To comply with UK employment law, you must carry out regular risk assessments. A risk assessment is a process that identifies potential hazards and analyzes the consequences of those hazards. It can be used to determine how to control or reduce risks.

Companies must:

• Identify what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazards)
• Determine the likelihood that someone will be injured and the severity (risk)
• Take steps to eliminate the hazard, or if this is not possible, control the risk

The health and safety manager risk assessment document template can be used for this purpose.

Report and record accidents and illnesses

Businesses that employ 10 or more employees must keep a written record of all accidents, illnesses and injuries that may occur at work. Staying organized can be a challenge, which is why Employment Hero has a Incident report functionality, to simplify the process.

It is also important to note that businesses must report on certain work injuriesnear accidents and cases of occupational illness the health and safety manager.

Provide all workers with information and training

Businesses are responsible for ensuring that all staff members are informed of health and safety measures and procedures. Therefore, employers must provide appropriate induction into health and safety issues alongside ongoing training. This is essential as it allows workers to carry out their roles safely and efficiently.

The government created a Health and Safety Onboarding Checklist This is useful for conducting training.

Consult workers on health and safety issues

Having an open line of communication with your staff is important when it comes to health and safety in a work environment. This allows businesses to better understand security-related areas that need improvement and the risks employees face while performing their duties. Under UK law, you must regularly consult your staff on:

• Health and safety and the work they do
• How risks are controlled
• The best ways to inform and train

There is no specific way in which this should be achieved, so it is up to the business owner or HR professional to decide. However, here are some great ways to collect this information:

• 1:1 meetings
• Regular meetings focused on health and safety
• Health and safety as a standard point to discuss during weekly meetings
• Employee surveys

Have the right work facilities

It’s important to set your business up for success and make health and safety easy to follow. UK law states that employers must maintain a safe and healthy workplace and provide adequate social facilities.

Facilities that employers must provide include:

• Access to toilets and sinks
• Drinking water
• A space to rest and eat meals

Have access to first aid

First aid is non-negotiable if you want to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act. Employers must ensure that:

• All workers have access to adequate first aid, this usually means ensuring they can access a properly stocked first aid kit and have the ability to call an ambulance in the event of an emergency.
• There are one or more people designated to take care of first aid (you may be)
• Information is provided to all workers to explain the first aid arrangements to be made.

Display the Health and Safety Act poster or provide a leaflet

The British government created a health and safety law poster for businesses, and you must either:

• Display the Health & Safety Executive’s Health and Safety Act poster where your workers can easily read it.
• Provide each worker with the equivalent health and safety legislation leaflet

Provide free eye exam and glasses to workers using screens

As an employer, it is important to protect your employees from the health risks associated with working with display screen equipment, such as computer monitors, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

A good way to do this is to arrange free eye exams for workers who regularly use screens, if they request them. Employers should also provide glasses to their staff if an employee requires them solely to use a display screen.

If an employee routinely requires glasses, the employer does not have to pay for them. This is only when glasses are needed solely for the use of display equipment, which will be quite rare.

See more information here.

Appoint a competent person

A big part of ensuring all health and safety laws are met by your business is having a member of staff responsible. Without assigning someone to this task, it can often be forgotten.

In small businesses the owner or founder may be the person responsible for looking after health and safety, in others a human resources professional may be the most appropriate person. For larger businesses, you might consider hiring a health and safety officer.

Conclusion

Prioritizing health and safety in a workplace is not just another legal obligation that organizations must consider; it is a fundamental aspect to foster a positive and productive environment. These processes can help businesses improve employee morale and protect their most valuable asset: their people.

A commitment to health and safety compliance also mitigates risks, protects your business, reduces costs while building a positive reputation and attracting top talent.

However, keeping up to date with the latest health and safety laws isn’t always an easy task to put on your to-do list. This is where Employment Hero can help. Our next-generation, all-in-one HR and payroll platform is designed to scale with your business. Offering everything from finding and hiring top talent to managing complex payroll and providing HR support with our HR consulting service. Let us take care of the administrative tasks so you can focus on what really matters: your employees.

Learn more and speak to one of our specialists today.