21 February, 2011

A blog by Nick Hunkin, Senior Client Service Manager for Safety Revolution Ltd and Dairy Management Systems.

In winter the risk of accidents - especially those associated with slips, trips and falls - dramatically increases.  Even in the most regulated of situations, the risk of accidents can never be totally avoided but statistics show that organisations which take health and safety seriously - for example monitoring and assessing risks, introducing safe working practices and training their staff in good safety practice - enjoy a vastly reduced incidence of accidents, both great and small, and minimal risk of legal action from enforcing organisations like the HSE. 

Health and safety applies to all businesses including those employing contractors and self-employed people  - ignorance is never a defence in a court of law.  All employers must make provision for the health and safety of their employees.  This includes a safety policy which should be relevant to the organisation's activities and be up to date. The safety policy should include the following;

• Risk assessments - a documented record of the specific risks associated with a task or activity within a job of work. 
• First aid arrangements - Regulation 3 of the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 (Code of Practice) states "an employer shall provide, or ensure that there is provided, such number of suitable persons as is adequate and appropriate in the circumstances for rendering first aid to his employees if they are injured or become ill at work". 
• Fire and emergency arrangements including fire risk assessments where appropriate.  

 Associated with the above are safe working practices - documented safety instructions detailing how to go about a specific task or activity each time it is undertaken, for instance driving a tractor or operating a chain saw. 

Where organisations are dealing with potentially dangerous chemicals, a COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) policy and risk assessment should also be put into place. 

In the event of a serious accident or fatality, providing all the above has been well documented and kept up to date, the employer can then demonstrate that maximum due diligence had been applied and that everything possible had been done to avoid the incident. This should avoid avoid potentially distressing and costly litigation and all the ramifications associated with it.  The employer will also be able to give their liability insurer a much stronger hand when it comes to defending potential employee or public liability claims against them. 

Nick Hunkin is a Senior Client Service Manager for Safety Revolution Ltd and Dairy Management Systems - a specialist national company providing a complete health and safety service exclusively to farms and estates across the UK.  He can be contacted on 07795 385218, or by emailing n.hunkin@dairymanagementsystems.co.uk .