Occupational health and safety is a must. Every workplace should have a health and safety plan in place in accordance with the health and safety law. EQM Ltd based in Hampshire, currently have clients in the surrounding areas including Dorset, Wiltshire, Sussex, Surrey and many more covering the whole of the UK. All areas home clients of ours based on health and safety. The legislative requirements for health and safety regulations have undergone many changes in recent years, placing additional responsibilities on employers who often find it difficult not only to keep abreast of the changes but also to introduce the necessary management systems required. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 introduced the concept of "goal-setting" legislation which specifies the end result that must be achieved. It is then up to the duty-holder to ensure that the goal is reached. While this system allows flexibility in approach, it also means that the employer has to possess an understanding of the principles of risk and risk control in order to meet these obligations. In addition, there is still a significant amount of "prescriptive" legislation in existence which allows the employer little latitude for decision-making. This portfolio of legislation and accompanying guidance has developed into a complex and extensive area of employment law. Experience has shown that occupational health and safety is a subject that is not often given the attention required, either through ignorance of the legislation or through effort being directed into the wrong areas. The risks to health and safety in the workplace are often underestimated with the result that many needless deaths and injuries occur each year; most of which could be prevented.
Some employers regard dealing with health and safety matters as a necessary evil; something that has to be done, but which provides little in the way of tangible benefits to the business.
By failing to secure adequate health and safety standards, however, the employer (or self-employed person) is running the risk of:
accidents and ill-health occurring to employees together with their associated costs
accidents occurring to third parties such as members of the public or employees of other employers, perhaps resulting in the loss of goodwill or contracts
civil claims for negligence
increased insurance premiums
enforcement action by health and safety inspectors
The costs of accidents and ill-health can have a significant impact on the financial viability of a business. Recent research carried out by the Health & Safety Executive (1) found that accidents:
cost one business 37% of its annual profits
equated to 8.5% of the tender price of another
made up 5% of the running costs of another
Complacency may exist with some managers believing that their business insurance will cover the costs of accidents, although in reality the insurance may cover typically 5?10% of the true costs. The rest of the costs have to be met by the business itself. The potential disruption to business when health and safety inspectors take enforcement action against a business can also be underestimated, particularly when work activities are prohibited until the situation is resolved.
During 1998/99, (2) health and safety inspectors:
served 11,493 improvement notices
served 11,822 prohibition notices
initiated 2,183 prosecutions
secured an average fine of ?3,800
Over 195,000 accidents are reported each year to the enforcing authorities. These are the more serious types of accidents which by law have to be reported. Even so, it is estimated that only 40% of notifiable accidents are actually reported.
During 1999/2000:
166 employees were killed at work
28,299 employees suffered a major injury
32,307 employees had to take more than 3 days away from work due to injury
References
1. The costs of accidents at work: HS(G)96. Health & Safety Executive 1993.
2. Health and Safety Statistics. Health and Safety Commission 1999/2000.
The above was reproduced from Jordans Publishers Health and Safety Management Manual
EQM Ltd can help you instal a management system that focuses on the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety legislation the governs your business or industry. We would prepare for and recommend certification to ISO 18001, although that is a secondary consideration, the primary one being full and demonstrable compliance with all relevant legislation.
In order to read this file you will need a programme capable of reading portable document format files, such as Adobe Acrobat.
Click here to download the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader free of charge.
Key Benefits
Comprehensive search of all current legislation to ensure all areas that need to be addressed are fully covered
Regular checking of the regulations to ensure you are working to the latest version
Takes all the guesswork out of compliance. What you do and how you do it is clearly represented in easy to follow Process Maps
All processes, procedures and other documentation is prepared for certification to ISO 18001, including an audit plan and training system
Option for your Occupational Health and Safety Management System to be integrated with your ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems and/or your ISO 14001 Environmental Management System. One Management System covering the whole company
Option for your Management System to be created as a "Paperless" Management Systems
Project Outline
The way that EQM Ltd consultants carry out their work leaves you in no doubt that you are dealing with a consultancy of the highest order. Please note that when we have constructed your OH&S system, it will fit your company like a well tailored suit. There is no such thing as an off-the-peg management system. Even if there were, would you really want to alter the successful running of your business to fit someone else's template?
Key areas of a project of this nature include attendance on site for a number of days to consult with the members of staff that carry out the tasks and with senior management to identify and document the business processes. This is consultancy at its best. The larger the company, the longer this phase of the operation will take.
This is followed up by a number of days producing the documentation. This involves extensive checking of the regulations covering your industry and other business activities. It also includes integrating your existing forms and standard documents within a pre-defined structure and cross-referring them to the processes and procedures as determined in phase 1 of the project.
Finally, the documents are presented back to you for final review and amendment. Any minor adjustments at this stage will be undertaken very quickly and your new occupational health and safety management system handed over a few days later.
changes in recent years, placing additional responsibilities on employers who often find it difficult not only to keep abreast of the changes but also to introduce the necessary management systems required. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 introduced the concept of "goal-setting" legislation which specifies the end result that must be achieved. It is then up to the duty-holder to ensure that the goal is reached. While this system allows flexibility in approach, it also means that the employer has to possess an understanding of the principles of risk and risk control in order to meet these obligations. In addition, there is still a significant amount of "prescriptive" legislation in existence which allows the employer little latitude for decision-making. This portfolio of legislation and accompanying guidance has developed into a complex and extensive area of employment law. Experience has shown that occupational health and safety is a subject that is not often given the attention required, either through ignorance of the legislation or through effort being directed into the wrong areas. The risks to health and safety in the workplace are often underestimated with the result that many needless deaths and injuries occur each year; most of which could be prevented. 
EQM Ltd can help you instal a management system that focuses on the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety legislation the governs your business or industry. We would prepare for and recommend certification to ISO 18001, although that is a secondary consideration, the primary one being full and demonstrable compliance with all relevant legislation.
