Any business no matter how small is responsible for creating a safe and healthy environment for all its employees. In order to do this, one key element of staff development is that of Health and Safety training. There are a number of benefits to ensuring that all staff are trained to an appropriate level, and we will be discussing some of them here.
Adherence to legislation
There is a legal obligation of every employer to ensure that any working environment they are responsible for is safe and that proper training has been undertaken to promote safe practices and procedures. In order to meet this legislative rule, health and safety training courses are a must. Although this is not the most important point to note, it is a mandatory rule that needs to be considered.
Staff morale and well being
Although it may seem obvious, some organisations don’t consider their own benefits of keeping staff well and working. If a staff member injures themselves at work, this could result in time off at the employer’s expense. So it’s not unfair to say that by integrating safe practices in the workplace, that you are doing your part to ensure the continued operation of your workforce.
Aside from the organisational benefit of using health and safety training courses to ensure safe practice at work, there is an element of improved staff morale that can be achieved too. You need your workforce to feel looked after, valued and important to the organisation. By giving them the training they need to work safer, you will be promoting their value and importance which will in turn improve morale, which is always a good thing for any organisation.
What about the cost?
Although on the face of it, it may seem that there is a significant investment in getting all staff to partake in health and safety training, you need to compare this to some of the benefits we have mentioned above. It may an initial investment and financial outlay to acquire the training, but all you need to do is imagine the financial impact on the organisation if someone has a trip or fall in the workplace, and ends up suing the organisation.
There are ways to maximize on the efficiency of the training. You could look at on site training or open day courses near you. The other option is to get external training provides to tailor a health and safety training course to the needs of your organisation.
No matter how you look at it, health and safety is an important consideration in any workplace. One that should be taken seriously, as the repercussions of ignorance could be severe. There is a wealth of information online about what should and must be done, it would be wise to review this guidance to ensure you are doing all you should be for your organisation.
