Almost all companies are faced with risks in their jobs. This is not the risk of loosing the job. But risks associated with health and safety. Even a clerk is faced with such risks. Merely sitting down for 8 straight hours can have health consequences. It would mean back pains, strained eyes, or stiff necks. For more sensitive bodies, it could lead to anal hemorrhoids. Then there is the ergonomics and eyes issue in using computers. Not every business can see these details. They would notice this only when the employee got sick already. When this happens, there is high rate of absenteeism. And for the business, this is truly not advantageous.
Before a business could ever experience the consequence of absenteeism of employees due to sickness, it is important that they recognize the causes of such illness. Surely, since employees spend considerable amount of time at work, it must be that the set-up or the business environment has a contributory factor of the employee’s health. It is then important that businesses call health and safety consultant to evaluate the working environment as well as any factors that can possibly be detrimental to the employees’ health. Remember that it is hard to regret. What is important is prevention of illness before illness of employees ever strikes. And preventions mean knowing what would affect the health of the employees in the working environment.
Relevance of Health and Safety Consultancy
Businesses owners and employers who are truly concerned on the welfare of the employees can call upon health and safety consultancy. Those who are concerned are those who see that people are important in the function of the business. If you are one of the business owners or employers who value the works of your employers, then you are most likely concerned with the health and safety of the employees. Otherwise, it would not matter to you if they leave their work because of sickness. You would not also mind if employees have frequent absences. In which case, this means that it’s better that you have no workers at all. What does it leave you then? Would your business continue to operate without people working for you? Do you want to invest in employment only to find out that there are no people who are willing to work for you because they are faced with health risks? If the answers to these questions are a big NO, then you truly need to be concerned about the health of your employees. If you don’t know how to start getting concerned, you need to talk to health and safety consultant.
Function of the Health and Safety Consultant
When you find health and safety consultant like Proactive Health & Safety, they would give you comprehensive health and safety consultancy. The business environment, set up, and any employee concerns will be taken into account. Then matched with the consultant’s expertise on how general health and safety of the working environment, they will give suggestions, rules, and policies that you can employ in your business. The aim is to provide utmost health and safety consultancy so that employers can utilize the employees’ function.
Overall, it is important that businesses go into health and safety consultancy. This is to avoid employee absenteeism due to sickness. This is also to prevent fast turnover of employees who find it risky to work in the hazardous and unsafe working environment. With health and safety consultant like Proactive Health & Safety available, businesses can create a safe and employee-concerned working environment.
Archive for the ‘Health And Safety’ Category
Health and Safety Consultant: What?s With Health and Safety Consultancy
Friday, August 6th, 2010Better Safe Than Sorry: Health and Safety in the Modern Workplace
Saturday, June 5th, 2010Today, every workplace in Britain is subject to health and safety regulations, as laid out by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), reporting to the Health and Safety Commission (HSC). Formed in 1974 following the Health and Safety at Work etc Act, their mission is to protect employee’s health and safety by ensuring risks in the changing workspace are properly controlled.
A fundamental principle of the British regulations on health and safety is that the responsibility for their compliance lies with those who own, manage and work in commercial and industrial concerns. This includes the self-employed, who must themselves assess the risks attached to their activity and take appropriate action. This involvement from the workforce, particularly appointed health and safety representatives, has been instrumental in raising health and safety standards in the last 30 years.
Still, accidents do happen, and high-profile industrial accidents such as the BP oil refinery explosion in Texas in 2005 remind us that adherence to health and safety regulations is more than just bureaucratic legislation to allow employers to avoid punitive measures. The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, inspecting the Texas-based oil refinery, released its findings earlier this year, identifying numerous failings in equipment, staff management, risk assessment, maintenance, working culture at the site and general health and safety assessments. This negligence led to a major explosion in an isomerisation unit at the site, which claimed the life of 15 workers and left over 170 others injured.
The need to reduce risks and take appropriate action under British health and safety law lies behind the qualification ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. This essentially requires that good practice should be followed whenever it is established, and sets the high standard that is ‘reasonably practicable’ for the duty holder to take precautionary measures, such as maintaining the standard of the on-site safety equipment up to the point where taking further measures would be grossly disproportionate to any residual risk.
Ultimately a common goal for both employers and employees is to ensure a productive and safe working life for all employees and a retirement free from long-term consequences of occupational injury and disease. Changes in technology and our culture may change the way business is done and the demand for new products, but it is still vital for employers to keep up-to-date on new legislation and continuously asses risks associated with the processes within their business.
Our Guide to Health and Safety in the Kitchen
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010The kitchen is the focal point of the British home; the social hub of a party; the place where culinary delights are created; and the location for families to exchange dinnertime stories. It is a well known fact that the majority of accidents happen in the home, and it is no surprise that most of these occur in the kitchen. The elderly and children are particularly susceptible when navigating around the various surfaces, often greeted with unstable objects and protruding corners.
Whichever relates to you, health and safety in the kitchen applies to everyone. If you have a kitchen at work, you are constantly reminded of the potential hazards with the help of animated signs, reinforced by the HR manager. Unfortunately, these guidelines do not exist in the average home, so we all have to be more vigilant of the dangers that can happen in the kitchen in order to enjoy our time in it.
Your kitchen should be ergonomically designed to reduce unnecessary movement and awkward manoeuvres. This applies particularly to the hob and oven area. Burns and scalding usually occur as a consequence of distraction, but there is some further protection if you use triple-glazed or cooling system ovens. These have a low surface temperature as they operate, and so prevent burning through accidental touches or leaning by children.
Hob areas are the most potentially dangerous, though they should all now have an automatic cut off installed so that the gas stops if the flame accidentally goes out. The hob should never be placed in front of a window precisely to prevent this from happening, and also to prevent curtains or blinds flapping dangerously near naked flames. When cooking, ensure that pan handles are not receiving heat from another hob or ring, and that you do not leave the handle hanging over the edge.
Always allocate sufficient space around the cooking surface. You will need an amount of worktop by the oven and hob so that hot and heavy items can be put down quickly. Fit plug sockets on either side of the hob so that appliances and their leads won’t need to be pulled across the hot surface. Lastly, always position the hob near to the sink so that it won’t be necessary to carry full pans very far and never put the units either side of a door. You do not want to collide with someone coming in whilst you are carrying boiling water.
Store your kitchen items wisely to minimise the risk of accidents. Heavy items and awkward pots and pans should be stored in the lower cupboards, while glassware and other lighter goods can be stored in wall cupboards. If items are exposed, they must be positioned on a level worktop and so it cannot be dislodged.
Kitchens can easily become the dirtiest room in the house, but it is vitally important that they are also one of the most hygienic. Using certain materials in your fittings can make the kitchen easier to clean; granite and quartz worktops for example, are smooth, seamless and stain resistant. A well designed kitchen will try to avoid the common dirt and grime traps such as the joins around the sink and between worktops.
Changing your kitchen work surfaces is not only a good way to improve overall heath and safety, but one of the simplest methods of upgrading without being a major upheaval. John Porter worktops and kitchens understand the significance of health and safety, and offer a comprehensive range of quality kitchen worktops that guarantee peace of mind for their customers.
“Health and safety in the kitchen can and does get forgotten, particularly when rushing in back from work, or preparing a stressful dinner for the family, so we try to ensure that our worktops are fitted to the highest standard,” says John Porter. “This is why ensure we only recommend expert fitters, use the finest materials and adhere to the rigorous safety standards that are set. If all of this is achieved, then we know our customers are receiving the best possible service.”
So remember, the kitchen can be safe place to inhabit, we just need to be aware that accidents can and do happen. That reminds me, I have a dinner party next weekend….