Managing Health, Safety and Working Environment

Book excerpt: Are you looking to save your company money whilst improving employee well being? A safe, healthy working environment is good for business. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has identified companies where specific financial advantages were attributable to improved health and safety: one company saved £12 for every £1 it spent; a 73% reduction in employee insurance claims and 18% fewer days lost to injuries; a 50% reduction in civil claims. When you consider that in 2004-5 28 million working days were lost due to work-related ill-health and 7 million due to workplace injury, the benefits of a health and safety culture are obvious. This book explores the managerial roles and responsibilities with regard to safety. Applying key legal requirements to the workplace, it looks at how workplace facilities are managed and how materials and equipment are used, stored and maintained for optimum effectiveness. It not only aids organisations to achieve success, but to maintain it.