Some parts of business are optional, some are unnecessary and bureaucratic. Others aren’t – they’re mandatory. Maintaining adequate certification in health and safety training could make or break your company. Yes, maybe getting lax sometimes with employees won’t hurt, but if the employee does manage to suffer and injury or accident while on the job, and you don’t have modern documented proof that they were aware of the safety risks? You could be facing a lawsuit on your hands.
The statistics
In the UK alone, 200 people die on the job, 1 million get injured on the job and 2 million suffer illnesses caused or exacerbated by their workplace. The figures speak for themselves. Adequate health and safety training is necessary to make sure your staff remain able bodied and fit for work, as after all, they are the driving force behind your business. In cases of injury employees must often be covered by the employer, which will quickly seep into and float away company profits.
International Standards
Internationally recognized Health and safety certificates for businesses now exist that help you and your company comply with rules and regulations that ensure the safety of yourself and your co-workers. The cost effectiveness of such certificates can easily be measured by pricing the necessary training versus the cost of an operational or site failure, which not only puts staff out of work but also may affect your company’s product. Good places to find such international standards are online through a search engine, as many of the training and certificate products are localized according to your region or business location. Furthermore, looking for safety training particular to your industry is important, as for example the hazards and difficulties faced in day to day health and safety within the forestry sector (falling weight, mechanical failure) would be vastly different from those faced in the business of deep sea drilling (rapid depressurization, nitrogen toxicity).
Cutting on Certifications: Increasing Risks
Choose smart depending on your business and choose to give your employees regular health and safety training combined with a recognized certification. Not only does this signify to others that you look after your employees, it also signals to business partners and competitors that you are both responsible and reliable. After all, it’s cheaper to train staff than to pay for a lawyer.
Alexander Droujinine