Is it time to change your health and safety culture?
Striving for a good health and safety culture in the workplace shouldn’t stop. With Halloween fast approaching this is a good time of year to clear out those skeletons in the workplace! In other words, think about changing habits.
Does your workplace have employees who are still thinking that the old ways are the best? Do they think, why should we change, we’ve never had a problem? Why should I change, the managers never help me so why should I help them? I just want to do my job and go home! I don’t want to think about health and safety, I just want to do my job!
Do any of these questions or statements sound familiar? Some of them do, but I can’t say that’s the case for everyone. Why don’t you find out? Why should I? As an employer surely it’s in your interest to find out how your workers think and what they think about working for you? I’m not sure I want to hear their real thoughts! Good point, but you could be creating some serious problems in your workplace! Why is that then?
Employers have a duty to consult
Employers have a duty to consult with the workforce, inform them of hazards in the workplace and work alongside them to make sure the workplace is safe and free of hazards as far as is reasonably practicable.
Simply ignoring your workers can lead to many issues; low morale levels are a contribution to work related stress and potentially more accidents at work. Well it’s their career choice, why should I care? It’s a career choice for them and lucky for you that they chose that career path. They are your talented workers who can help you as the employer achieve your sales and objectives. An unmotivated workforce will work less effectively and efficiently. They may try and cut corners to finish a job in order to go home earlier, cause more hazards and potentially more accidents as a result.
So what can we do? It’s actually simpler than you think, talk to your workers and ask them directly their thoughts and opinions. This is actually a good tool to help improve your health and safety onsite. There is a legal requirement to consult the workforce and inform them of hazards associated to their work. You can use these opportunities to discuss or review your risk assessments and safe working procedures. This not only clarifies that they are suitable, but also that the control measures are working and the duty of consultation is being achieved.
Make time for opinions on safety
Well it makes sense to ask for their input into safe working arrangements, but what if they are too busy? Find a suitable time, make time, arrange a workplace inspection and communicate your intentions. Asking them to have a ten-minute break to ask for opinions on safety can help support your duty of protecting the workforce. You will be appreciated and the workers will have respect for the management team.
There is nothing worse for a worker to go into work and feeling unappreciated by managers who don’t prioritise health and safety in the workplace. These talented individuals have an opinion and may even give ideas on improving performance whilst at the same time making the workplace a safer, cleaner and nicer place to be. Therefore, creating a good health and safety culture.
So change their habits, talk to the workers and show them that they are appreciated. Their opinions matter because ultimately without them, you don’t have a business model! This is a great way to implement change and improve your health and safety culture. If you need help implementing those changes, Qdos can help you.
Take a look at Health and Safety Outsourcing or why not take a free Health and Safety Health Check. And if you need a guide to Getting Started, we have that too.
