With new health and safety guidelines small businesses might find it difficult to comply and understand their new responsibilities so EEF are here to help.
There is now a backdrop of increasing pressure on businesses to take responsibility for health & safety. New guidelines have brought increased fines and prison sentences, whilst there is also increasing pressure from consumers and the public, especially in the light of high profile disasters such as the Grenfell Fire. Whilst Health & Safety has been a priority for business for some time, and many successful businesses of all sizes have it deep in their culture, there is no doubt it has taken on an increased urgency.
Whilst large companies have always had the resources to manage health & safety, small businesses have found it much more difficult. Despite considerable evidence showing that they want to manage health and safety effectively many say they don’t have the time, knowledge, skills or financial resource to do so.
To help small companies address this EEF has launched a specialist, tailored health & safety service specially aimed at small manufacturing businesses to help their business become compliant and overcome the many obstacles they can face in understanding their responsibilities.
The unique package takes small businesses through the complexities and jargon often associated with health & safety and provides the practical expertise, tools and resources that will enable the company to take ownership of risk management.
The tailored advice begins with an on-site evaluation of ten key health and safety aspects, working with senior management to understand business objectives and drivers for health and safety. It is followed by a graded action plan focussed on delivering practical action and priorities, with access to online guidance covering tools, model documents and template policies. All this is delivered by a Health and Safety expert who becomes a mentor for the company.
Furthermore, the new package provides access to EEF member briefings which include regular Health & safety updates and preferential rates for further training and consultancy.
For many businesses, Health and Safety is now much more then what the law says and more about being responsible and, taking responsibility for, the health and safety of the workforce. It is about building a culture throughout the company that puts health & safety on a par with any other business priority. For many SMEs, however, the development of this, even amongst the senior management team, can often appear a daunting task with the fear of being caught up in complex jargon or without the skills and resource to manage it effectively.
This new cost-effective service takes the senior team at companies on a journey towards a practical understanding of their responsibilities so that they can effectively mage risk and promote a culture of best practice approach to health and safety throughout their business. For more information visit www.eef.org.uk/safesme.
