The benefits of taking health and safety seriously at board level include increased productivity, reduced risks and accidents and lower employee absenteeism. Make sure your company practises good health and safety management, which comes from the board down.
Tips to Help Directors Fulfil Their H&S Duties Effectively
- Always lead from the top. Ensure there is active board-level commitment to ensuring effective health and safety management within the company. Put health and safety on the agenda for board meetings, and regularly participate in inspections and walk arounds to demonstrate your involvement.
- Think about health and safety in relation to the business decisions made – it shouldn’t be an afterthought. Make it part of the tender process for all contracts.
- Provide suitable and targeted training for all employees to enable them to do their jobs safely.
- Seek competent health and safety advice, whether that be external or from within the company.
- Monitor, review and audit your company’s health and safety performance regularly. Facilitate the setting up of a health and safety committee if your company doesn’t have one, and ensure the significant risks identified within the business are fed back to director level and acted upon.
- Actively plan your health and safety management system – ensure that suitable and sufficient policies, procedures and risk assessments exist. Provide resources (both personnel and time) for those with health and safety responsibilities to undertake their roles properly.
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