Small businesses are still citing lack of good-quality, accessible guidance and information as a major reason why they don’t do more to improve their health and safety management, a new survey from IOSH has found.
Despite the considerable efforts made by the HSE, IOSH and others to engage and help small businesses by providing tailored information in formats that are easy to understand and access, more than 75 per cent of those questioned by IOSH said “better access to free, high-quality health and safety guidance” would benefit their companies.
They also stipulated that employer-liability insurance premiums should be reduced to recognise good health and safety management – another benefit that has been available and heavily publicised for some time.
In all, 1001 decision-makers in businesses with workforces of up to 250 employees took part in the Safety in numbers? survey, published today (10 May). Almost two thirds of them said they would also welcome tax breaks to provide subsidised employee access to public gyms, or sports facilities, while around half felt that tax breaks for employee therapy for non work-related injury or illness would encourage them to provide more health support.
These findings support the recommendations of Dame Carol Black and David Frost’s recent review of sickness absence for the Government. In it, the authors suggest tax breaks for employers who invest in helping retain injured, or ill workers to speed their return to work via treatments or vocational rehabilitation, as well as the continuation of tax relief for employee assistance programmes. The Government has yet to respond to the review.
Commented IOSH chief executive, Rob Strange OBE: “We think modest Government investment could yield enormous benefits in productivity and fewer demands on the State. Firms wanting to the do the right thing and support their workers should be helped to do so. Good health and safety is good for business and for tax-payers, too!”
Just how good for business health and safety interventions can be was underlined by the finding that one in seven survey respondents were able to pinpoint financial gains of more than £1000 for their businesses. Furthermore, 31 per cent felt better health and safety management would result in higher productivity, 26 per cent said it would improve staff retention, and 20 per cent believed it would lead to increased business for their companies.
However, such positive beliefs were more common in the larger SMEs. From among the smaller companies IOSH quotes a variety of comments received from respondents, including one who described their company’s attitude to health and safety as “blasé”, another as “lackadaisical”, and another as “lacklustre”.
Richard Jones, head of policy and public affairs at IOSH, while welcoming the positive nature of the majority of responses, said: “The negative comments are very concerning, and we think better guidance, education and training are all vital for improving attitudes.”
The HSE, asked by SHP to comment on the apparent lack of awareness among SMEs of the many resources available, said: “[We] seek to provide effective guidance and are currently overhauling our guidance portfolio to ensure it offers a practical, proportionate approach for organizations to help them comply with the law.
“We are focusing on externally-facing publications, Web guidance and tools that have application across business sectors. Early indications are that the revised guidance is easier both to locate and read.”
At a special lunch for IOSH’s honorary vice-presidents hosted by The Lord Brougham and Vaux at the House of Lords today (10 May), the Institution’s president, Subash Ludhra, emphasised that there is “much more to be done in a sector that makes up the bulk of the UK workforce”.
He added: “The bottom line is that, with a few changes, those working for SMEs could have a better quality of life, better health, and become more productive. A modest investment by government should yield huge benefits. Basically, firms wanting to do the right thing should be helped as much as possible to do so.”
There is plenty of free easily accessible Health & Safety information on the HSE website alone. On the one hand, I read ‘“better access ……. safety guidance” would benefit their companies’ as “someone else to take the responsibility and do everything for me”
However on the other hand. Some HSE inspectors sometimes forget they are also there to advise – that’s ADVISE – not immediately threaten with improvement notices. That could be on reason why many SME’s don’t look too hard for advice!
According to a 2005 report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Italy has an annual fatality rate of 6.9 per 100,000 workers, the second highest of the 15 member states within the study.
Apparently the deterent of jailing directors has limited effect in Italy.
UK rate of fatality for the same period as per HSE stats was 0.7 / 100k for employees and 1.4 / 100k for the self employed.
No distress intended, just stating documented evidence.
I would agree that SMEs wanting to do the right thing should be encouraged but equally those at the other end of that spectrum should be jailed when their horrendous negligence kills workers There is no incentive nor an effective deterrent to unscrupulous employers to protect lives when it takes years to bring court actions which result in piddly fines CPS must bring manslaughter charges against killer employers,jailing directors when convicted, as has been done in Italy
They don’t look too hard because they don’t give a damn My son was killed in an explosion & fire at work in 2005.During police questioning & in Coroner’s court the director and general manager said they didn’t bother with written risk assessments as they considered the workforce to be illiterate H&S laws & fire safety regs were all ignored.It took 7 years to come to court, a fine of £100000 was reduced to £50000 5 years to pay when director pleaded poverty he left court smiling ! NO incentive
None so blind as those who don’t want to see – anon.