World Safety at Work Day

28th April 2023

The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is an annual international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work. It is held on 28 April and has been observed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) since 2003.

Here at QSC we are continuing to raise awareness of the importance of workplace Health and Safety and encourage everyone to evaluate their current approach.

123 workers were tragically killed in work-related accidents in 2021/22 ( RIDDOR – Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 ).

These following figures were also published by the Health and Safety Executive based on key figures for Great Britain in 2021/22).

1.8 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, of which 914,000 workers suffering work-related stress, depression or anxiety.

477,000 workers suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder.

123,000 workers suffering from COVID-19 which they believe may have been from exposure to coronavirus at work.

2,544 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2020).

565,000 working people sustained an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey.

61,713 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR.

36.8 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury.

£18.8 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2019/20).

Whatever sort of business you are, there is always the possibility of an accident or damage to someone’s health. All work exposes people to hazards, be they: loads which have to be manually handled; dangerous machinery; toxic substances; electricity; working with display screen equipment or even psychological hazards such as stress.

The reason there are not even more accidents and diseases caused by work is because systems of prevention are in place which have been built up over generations. Safety does not come about by accident: most accidents happen because they have not been prevented.

Even small businesses have accidents. Accident rates in small businesses can be higher than in large operations(for instance the fatality rate in SME manufacturers is twice that of large ones).

Attention to health and safety is not just about being socially responsible. It also makes good business sense and you should regard it as just as important as the achievement of any other key business objective.

Of course, working out what modern health and safety law means for your business can be quite a headache. But don’t be put off. Yes, on the face of it there do seem to be a lot of regulations and there is a lot of supporting guidance, but the underlying principles are really quite straightforward.

Essentially you have to ensure absence of risk to safety and health of employees and others ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’.

You have to have a system (e.g. have a policy, designate people and have clear procedures) in place to manage health and safety (and, if you employ more than five people, set this out in a written health and safety policy statement). You need to be able to show how you plan, organise, control, monitor and review preventative measures. And you need to appoint a competent person(s) to help you comply with your legal obligations.

You have to identify your main hazards (things that could cause harm).

You have to assess your risks (the probability that significant harm will occur) and again, if you employ more than five, record the results of your assessment.

Risk assessment is the key to working out what needs to be done – but don’t make it over-complicated. Remember, although you have to do it by law, it is really only any use if it can be used as a working tool – to help you prove to yourself and your employees that you have identified the main things in your business which could cause harm and that you are doing everything you should to prevent that harm from happening.

You have to make sure that your risk control measures are adequate and that they are used and maintained and that they continue to work. (You also have to put in place any back up measures that may be needed like health surveillance or emergency procedures). And you have to inform, train and supervise employees.

For the most part the law sets out certain health and safety goals to be achieved and indicates appropriate ‘benchmarks’ to help you work out whether your controls are up to ‘reasonably practicable’ standards. There is an underlying requirement to reduce or eliminate hazards at source, or isolate people from them (for example, by guarding machinery) before using other forms of control. Relying on the use of personal protective equipment – like respirators or protective footwear – is a last resort and is only acceptable when all other options have failed.

You also have to:

report and record accidents;

provide certain basic workplace, first aid and welfare facilities;

have employers’ liability insurance;

notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Local Authority of your existence;

consult your workforce and their representatives; and so on.

For the most part the law sets out certain health and safety goals to be achieved and indicates appropriate ‘benchmarks’ to help you work out whether your controls are up to ‘reasonably practicable’ standards. There is an underlying requirement to reduce or eliminate hazards at source, or isolate people from them (for example, by guarding machinery) before using other forms of control. Relying on the use of personal protective equipment – like respirators or protective footwear – is a last resort and is only acceptable when all other options have failed.

Above all, you need to remember that besides protecting people and the environment, action on health and safety can also make a major contribution to business success. Not only will it help stop accidents and work related ill health among your staff, but it will reduce your accident losses, improve your profit and loss statement and help you become more efficient. Don’t think accidents and occupational ill health can’t happen in your company. Above all don’t wait for things to go wrong and then go for the ‘quick fix’ – build health and safety in from the start.

QSC have developed a range of Health & Safety courses to ensure your organisation is compliant and protected. If you have several employees that require training, one of our qualified trainers can come to your premises or we can offer training at our training locations in Staffordshire and Wolverhampton. Quality Systems Consultancy are ‘approved IOSH training providers’ and offer the following training courses to support your Health and Safety arrangements:

IOSH Managing Safely Training

IOSH Managing Safely Refresher Training

IOSH Working Safely Training

QNUK Level 2 and 3 Health & Safety in the Workplace

QNUK Level 3 First Aid at Work

QNUK Level 3 First Aid Refresher

QNUK Emergency First Aid at Work

QNUK Level 1 and 2 Mental Health Training

Fire Safety Awareness Training

Fire Marshal Training

Manual Handling Training

ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015 and 45001:2015 Internal Audit Training

Our experienced, qualified and professional trainers have a background in training and supporting delegates throughout the understanding and learning process to enable them to achieve success.

As well as offering the above courses, QSC can also help with its ‘Health and Safety Review’ services which can provide a comprehensive diagnosis of strengths and weaknesses in your management of health and safety .

You can join the ILO global dialogue on how to implement a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work. https://live.ilo.org/events/how-can-we-promote-fundamental-right-safe-and-healthy-working-environment-2023-04-28

For more information or to discuss your requirements further please call the QSC team on 01889 881887 or email info@qscconsultancy.co.uk.