Take a health and safety risk assessment

Anthony Tetlow, Managing Director of Safety Smart says health and safety compliance doesn't have to be complicated.

Implementing a Health and Safety management system encompassing topics as diverse as fire, dermatitis and lone working, coupled with the other demands of running a business, is an arduous task no matter how good your time management skills are.

Draw up a plan

This may seem obvious but you would be surprised at the amount of businesses who try to implement health and safety without first determining exactly what needs doing and when. Having clear priorities will help to ensure that improvements are made effectively.

Also, a structured plan will help to satisfy any enforcement bodies and insurance companies that you take health and safety seriously.

The plan will also help you to set realistic targets. Rome was not built in a day and in these challenging financial times you need to make sure you are using your resources wisely. If you are not sure, get some help.

Make sure though that the advice you get is good. Shop around - unfortunately there are plenty of bad Health and Safety practitioners who will sell you lots of unnecessary paperwork at a high price.

Don't be afraid

Some health and safety terminology can be hard to handle. Take 'Risk Assessment' - what does it mean? Well simply put, you do risk assessments every day.

Every time you cross a road you do a risk assessment; you listen for traffic and look both ways before crossing. That is a risk assessment. The only difference is that at work we have to look at lots of hazards and decide on other controls such as training, maintenance regimes or protective equipment such as gloves.

Write down your findings, tell your staff, and take the time to review .

Communicate with your staff

Make sure you involve all your staff from the start. It is also a good idea to give your staff responsibilities. Empowerment and generating a team mentality is one of the best ways to improve morale and performance within any workplace.

Set an example

Make sure that you are doing what you ask everybody else to do. health and safety simply does not work if senior management set a bad example or turn a blind eye. As part of your plan set targets and take the time to hold regular reviews to ensure you are achieving what you want to achieve.

Anthony Tetlow is managing director of Safety Smart and creator of the world's first industry specific Health and Safety application for the iPhone, iTouch, iPad. www.safety-smart.co.uk