Health and safety guide for employers
Providing a secure and safe workplace is a matter of law. Taking health and safety seriously - and being seen to do so - enhances a company's reputation as employer and business partner. There is also commercial sense in getting it right first time, rather than bear the risk of greater cost when things go wrong.
The IoD worked with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to create this guide on how directors can drive health and safety improvements:
Leading Health and Safety at Work – Leadership actions for Directors and Board Members
An up to date source of bulletins on health and safety issues is provided by the British Safety Industry Federation:
What are my responsibilities as an employer?
Looking after health, safety and welfare is not just a legal requirement — it makes commercial sense. Failing to manage health and safety properly can be far more costly than getting it right in the first place. While the sheer mass of legislation can be daunting, most of it is straightforward and help and advice is widely available. Here the IoD takes a look at some key areas for employers:
- Health and Safety Law (PDF)
Risk assessment
Faced with the mass of legislation, meeting your health and safety requirements can seem a daunting task. Fortunately, the most critical part of managing health and safety — risk assessment — is relatively straightforward.
As a director, your actions start with a detailed assessment of risks and hazards. These IoD resources explain what a risk assessment comprises and how it is conducted:
Further information is available from the Health and Safety Executive on Risk management.
Health & Safety guidance
A selection of official and expert guides on health and safety in the workplace. Beyond legal obligations, these guides include discussion of wellbeing and other factors which can impact productivity and retention:
- Health and safety at work (Gov.uk)
- Health, work and wellbeing (ACAS) PDF
- British Safety Council
- Barbour
- Health & Safety Executive publications
- Fire safety guides (TSO) – official guides available to order from the Stationary Office.
Health & Safety associations
- The British Safety Council
- The Health & Safety Executive
- The Health and Safety Sign Association
- The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
- The Institute of Risk Management
Further information resources
- Fatal injury statistics (HSE)
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