Why We Need Health & Safety in the Workplace

A healthy and safe atmosphere exerts positivity and relaxation irrespective of whether it’s your workplace or your home. However, employers need to take special care for the health, safety, and well-being of their employees. Not only does it increase the productivity of their employees but it is an obligation that they must follow, and non-adherence to it can get them into trouble legally.

What is the importance of workplace health and safety?

Apart from legal restrictions, providing a healthy and safe environment to the employees should be the top-most priority of the employer owing to the following reasons.

There are many benefits that an employer can derive from giving their employees a safe and healthy environment. Some of these benefits include a positive work environment, lower staff turnover, enhanced productivity etc.

The main benefit of keeping the office atmosphere safe comes in the form of enhanced productivity of employees. This brings with it workplace positivity and offers employees a relaxed environment in the knowledge that they are not at risk. An office that is fully equipped with safety measures and employees that understand their responsibility (and yours as an employer) will help them focus on their own abilities resulting in increased productivity.

Any accident in the office premises can cost the employer a lot financially, and if an employee gets injured, the severity of the problem increases dramatically. The financial loss will depend on the accident, but the cost of injury to the employee will have to be borne by the employer. A safe and secure environment will reduce the insurance cost a great deal.

A workplace with no proper health and safety maintenance will definitely see a lot of employees quitting for better prospects. No person likes to work in an environment where they are not provided with proper safety gear or equipment. Ultimately, the employer is responsible for this. If there is heavy machinery installed in the workplace, it is the duty of the employer to check all the security concerns associated with it, ensuring it is well maintained. It is also their responsibility to communicate the safety precautions to the employees for their well-being as well as making them understand the implications of ignoring any safety guidelines.

The employer needs to address all the risks and concerns associated with the office premises, the business, subcontractors and employees. It is useful in most cases to assign an individual to oversee all health and safety aspects within the business. Training can then be brought in-house not only for the employees but also for the designated Health and Safety person.

Not offering a safe, secure, and healthy environment to the employees will have the employer's reputation at stake. Accidents can ruin reputations as well as lives.

Flexebee's online Health and Safety courses discuss the importance of employee’s health and safety, and why it should be the first priority for any employer. A Manual Handling of Inanimate Objects course will train staff in workplace safety to ensure your organisation can minimise the risk of injury to employees and customers. Learners can take their training a step further by undertaking a Manual Handling of Inanimate Objects Train the Trainer course, allowing them to train colleagues themselves, a very effective training method for an organisation to invest in.