When instigating good health and safety measures there are three main areas to consider. Health and safety relating to the business, your employees and employment law. However the areas of responsibility split into two elements when there is an accident in the workplace. When an investigation is carried out it tends to focus on either the individual or the system.

If the root cause of accident falls with the individual then a company can be accused of blaming the victim. On the other hand if an injury happened because the company processes were less than watertight the system can be blamed.

In order to create an environment that has strong health and safety processes it can be a good starting point to focus on these two types of ‘blame cultures'. If health and safety has been breached because of an employee failing to handle the situation appropriately then training and thorough education must be implemented. If the system is lacking then as an employer you risk being prosecuted unless you ensure you have the appropriate processes and equipment in place to protect your staff and your business.

Ultimately it is the employers responsibility to ensure that every measure has been taken to prevent work related accidents and unsafe situations from arising. By working with health and safety experts an employer can fully understand what his type of business require to have in place in the form of processes to protect from dangers and to inform staff how to handle certain situations. Health and safety training can do much to identify the areas that are lacking in detailed procedures and can motivate staff to be more aware of how they can impact the safety of their work colleagues.

At NorthgateArinso we offer a comprehensive range of health and safety training as well as professional advice on all aspects of human resources.