How to Avoid Receiving Health and Safety Fines
After years in which the health and safety fines went up, sometimes even doubling, in 2018/2019 there was a decrease of £17.1 million. According to the Health and Safety Executive, this drop can be explained by the fall in the number of cases completed in the latest year as the average level of fines has not changed.
Here are the health and safety totals registered by the HSE since 2014:
- 2014/15 – £18m
- 2015/16 – £38.8m
- 2016/17 – £69.9m
- 2017/18 – £71.6m
- 2018/19 – £54.5m.
Avoiding workplace health and safety fines starts with deciding that health and safety is not an area to be overlooked in your organisation, regardless of its size.
The next step is making sure you comply with all the health and safety regulations in your industry. It’s important to have an expert internally or outsource your health and safety to a specialised organisation that would help your company be compliant and avoid the risk of a costly health and safety breach.
To avoid the possibility of health and safety fines for employees, it’s vital that you implement at least the following health and safety measures:
1. Provide suitable training to all your employees depending on their job role and the industry of your business.
2. Track all the accidents and injuries, including the ones that didn’t produce any harm, by registering them into an Incident Reporting Log. This way you can learn from your mistakes and continuously improve your health and safety.
3. Have efficient policies and procedures to identify and eliminate any potential hazards that could cause injury.
4. Implement procedures for effective and immediate assistance and communication of health and safety incidents.
Having a proactive attitude towards your health and safety will decrease your chances of getting fined. Not to mention, your organisation’s reputation will remain intact. Invest in your health and safety as the cost of compliance is much smaller than the cost of a health and safety fine.