Helping Great Britain work well
Posted on 11th Jan, 2016 | By Lorretta Tatham
The UK has one of the most successful health and safety records in the world to date, but how can we improve and maintain this record? While the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) plays a major role in maintaining and improving the safety standards of the workplace, employers and employees have a role to play too. As well as following the guidance offered by safety boards and the HSE, workers and managers also need to use their own initiative, and be proactive in attending relevant health and safety training courses.
This year, leading industry figures and key influencers are set to have their say about health and safety in the workplace. They’re being urged help shape the future strategy for Great Britain’s health and safety system, which will encompass the next five years.
The five-year plan – Improving health and safety at work
For 2016, the HSE has published six themes that the five-year health and safety strategy will cover. These themes are the HSE’s priorities for the next few years and will be used to engage the people and organisations that can help all regions, within Great Britain, work well.
The six themes are as follows:
- Promoting broader ownership of workplace health and safety
- Highlighting and tackling the burden of work-related ill-health
- Supporting small firms
- Enabling productivity through proportionate risk management
- Anticipating and tackling the challenges of new technology and ways of working
- Sharing the benefits of Great Britain’s approach.
Over the months there will be a number of initiatives introduced to tackle the themes above, and create happier, healthier and safer workplaces. The HSE has highlighted that while there has been a huge reduction in the number of deaths and injuries at work in the 40 years since the Health and Safety at Work Act was introduced, in 1974, there is still room for improvement. Even though there were 86% fewer fatalities in 2014/15 than in 1974, there is still a need to increase the safety of the workplace and employee / employer awareness. 142 people still suffer a fatality at work annually, and over 1.2 million people suffer from work-related illness.
Of course, the injuries themselves are not the only problem of workplace accidents. There’s also a huge cost related to the number of injuries and ill-health – with businesses and government in Great Britain bearing the cost of over £14.3 billion.
Make your workplace a safer place today
While these new strategies haven’t been implemented as of yet, you can still take measures to look after your own safety in the workplace today. We have plenty of advice on our blog, covering a variety of topical safety issues. We’ve also got a number of fantastic safety training courses you might like to consider for 2016, ideal for upskilling you, your employees, and your peers. You can discover our whole range of training courses here.
To enquire about booking on to one of our safety training courses call the Course Enquiries team today. You can contact them on 01282 615517.
What would you do to improve the health and safety standards of the workplace in the UK? Share your suggestions in the comments below, or tweet your suggestions to us @BrownsLadders
