January is the month when we’re all making New Year resolutions – to achieve more, finish our self-assessment on time, or even shape up our business a little. Take a brief scan through your news feeds and you’ll read everything from how to make it through ‘Blue Monday’ to tripling your productivity. However, most of us know that, come January 31, much of this white noise will naturally fade, and we’ll be left with the voices that actually mean business. In 2017, one of the most important of these will be the HSE, who recently launched their five-year strategy for safer working in the UK and beyond: #HelpGBWorkWell
So, what does the strategy say? Basically, the document comprises six simple and compelling themes. Briefly, these are:
Acting together: Promoting broader ownership of health and safety in Great BritainHealth and Safety is not the responsibility of a person or an organisation, but a responsibility shared by every one of us. Lead by example and we’ll influence others who previously haven’t engaged.
Tackling ill health: Highlighting and tackling the costs of work-related ill healthPrevention and early intervention in work-related ill-health is better rather than costlier interventions later. Focus on pre-emptively identifying health issues, while maintaining safety standards too.
Managing risk well: Simplifying risk management and helping business to growProportionate (or appropriate) risk management is central to protecting people, and therefore to business growth, innovation, prosperity and good reputation.
Keeping pace with change: Anticipating and tackling new health and safety challengesBe sure to ‘horizon scan’ – to see the future of Health and Safety from our current context of sound knowledge. It’s about ‘tackling the problems of tomorrow today’, to protect people and prosperity.
Supporting small employers: Giving SMEs simple advice so they know what they have to doSmall businesses need to be enabled to fulfil their health and safety responsibilities. There’s a commitment to identify the key influencers for SMEs, so that they can spread the word and get small businesses in touch with the straightforward support they need.
Sharing our success: Promoting the benefits of Great Britain’s world-class health and safety systemGot a great Health and Safety record? Shout about it! This theme encourages us to share best practice and innovation around the world. Not only does this raise the bar overseas, but could make expansion into other markets more feasible.
For busy business owners, the HSE’s strategy may feel like another call to action that adds to an already unsustainable workload. The result? It may be tackled piecemeal, or relegated to the realms of the all-familiar post-it note. Helping no-one. But there is another way.
By using isCompliant, business owners can integrate proper Health & Safety procedure into the very fabric of their business, rather than making it a separate new task to add to their day. isCompliant will drive your business systematically through risk assessment, emergency planning, environmental controls, and care of substances harmful to health (COSHH). isCompliant will store all the legislation relevant to you. And what’s more, all such information is stored in the cloud, so can be accessed anywhere, at any time (unlike the dusty filing cabinet with the dodgy lock you’re using now). isCompliant connects this information to your people, not only ascribing them roles and responsibilities, but ensuring they have, or receive, the training they need to work safely. And that they get the reviews they need too. Good for your people. Good for the environment. Good for your business.
In fact, using isCompliant will help you to address (at least) the first four themes you see above. Now, that’s a New Year Resolution worth making. And keeping.
isCompliant: #HelpGBWorkWell
