Health & Safety

The most effective way to manage health and safety is to ensure it is part of the everyday process of running your business. Making your organisation a safer place to work can help reduce workplace accidents and injury, levels of absenteeism, and improve communication, team morale, and productivity.

The key principles to effectively managing your organisations’ health and safety are:

• Clear and positive leadership and management (including appropriate business processes)
• A trained and skilled workforce relevant to the type of business and activities
• A work environment where people are trusted and involved

Health and Safety legislation is designed to protect you, your employees, and the public from workplace dangers. Organisations have a legal duty to put in place suitable arrangements to manage health and safety; however it can often be a confusing process. The Health and Safety Executive encourages a common-sense and practical approach to managing health and safety.

Ref: ONS – sickness absence in labour market , 2014

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is part of the Department for Work and Pensions.  It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks. HSE works to prevent people getting killed, injured or made ill by work. HSE Wales works closely with the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) particularly in areas of common interest, eg health and safety in agriculture, health and social care, education and public services.

Below is some advice and guidance promoted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). For all HSE guidance, click here.

Health and Safety Guidance Booklets

• Health and safety toolbox  – this website provides helpful advice on a range of health and safety topics. Each section links to more detailed guidance if necessary.
• Managing health and safety  – this microsite can help you implement a simple health and safety management system and create a positive safety culture

Understanding risk assessments and policies

• Understanding risk assessments and policies  – guidance available on developing a health and safety policy and risk assessments.
• Example and interactive risk assessments – The HSE website contains some worked example risk assessments  and some online interactive risk assessments  for low risk environments.

Updates and Further Information

• Keep up to date with changes to health and safety with the HSEs newsletter.

• Access free downloads and support resources from the Health and Safety for Beginners  website.
• Find out more about latest health and safety campaigns  from the HSE website.