Copyright 2008
David Associates Ltd

During the continued Financial Crisis, there is a temptation to cut back on all expenses, but businesses must be aware of the potential risks that this may incur especially from a Health and Safety aspect. Trying to save money on this essential part of your business can be very narrow sighted as good health and safety performance gives many benefits:

• Happier employees

• Healthy workforce

• Lower incident / accident reports

• Increased moral and hence productivity.

When times are hard, attention to Safety is vital as that last minute order, the one that has to be done in a rush can be the one that causes the accident and all of the difficulties that arise from it.

How can a consultant help? - The smaller business often cannot afford to employ a full time Health and Safety person, so for many managers it becomes an 'add on' to their already busy schedule. A consultant will assist you to create the documentation and will advise on safe systems of work and speed up the route to compliance. They will train you and your staff in the essentials for successful H&S management and will monitor changes in the law and best practice then advise you how to comply with change.

The Secret of successful Health and Safety Management - Most businesses that survive their start up period have the necessary management skills to manage their Health and Safety issues too. What they lack is the time to research the legislation and guidance to enable them to be fully compliant and the background knowledge to create the systems necessary to facilitate H & S management.