Businesses ‘missing a trick’ with health and safety, says IOSH
10:05 - 29/06/2011
Businesses ‘missing a trick’ with...
A survey carried out by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has revealed that British businesses are failing to appreciate the huge financial cost of workplace injury and illness.
As many UK businesses relegate workplace safety measures to the bottom of their priority lists in a bid to save money, the IOSH survey reveals that work-related illness and accidents cost firms nearly £8 billion a year. Businesses lose money due to absenteeism, low productivity and legal bills and the overall cost to the British economy is an estimated £22 billion.
IOSH President Steve Granger warns that British companies are losing their competitive edge due to health and safety failures: “Businesses are missing a trick with health and safety. When you operate in a global marketplace, and you’re trying to claw your way out of recession, a happy, healthy workforce is a driver for growth.
“It’s frankly wrong for Ministers and business leaders to talk about health and safety as ‘red tape’ and a burden on business. When done properly and proportionately, health and safety is essential to a business’s long-term prospects for survival in what are difficult times for our economy.”
The UK’s leading professional health and safety body is now launching a campaign to put occupational safety and health back on the agenda. IOSH hopes that the campaign, entitled Life Savings, will show businesses how a sensible, proportionate approach to health and safety can actually help save money and drive growth.
The campaign will utilise examples of employers who have saved millions through the introduction of good workplace health and safety practices.
First Response Training is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of health and safety training for the workplace, offering a wide range of courses for all industry sectors, from first aid to manual handling to food hygiene and infection control.
Perry Leeks, Managing Director at First Response, says: “Companies with a positive, prevalent culture of good health and safety practice will find that they benefit from increased productivity and a reduction in employee sickness and downtime. More importantly though, it can save lives as well as money and employees feel valued and protected.
“It’s great that IOSH are highlighting the financial and business benefits to following good health and safety practice, as there is a widespread misconception that health and safety training is unnecessary expenditure. It actually helps businesses in the long run and should never be axed as a cost-cutting measure – that is false economy.”
Call First Response Training today on free phone 0800 310 2300 to find out about your legal obligations for health and safety training and the range of options available to you, from direct provision training to e-learning courses, distance learning manuals and blended learning options.
As many UK businesses relegate workplace safety measures to the bottom of their priority lists in a bid to save money, the IOSH survey reveals that work-related illness and accidents cost firms nearly £8 billion a year. Businesses lose money due to absenteeism, low productivity and legal bills and the overall cost to the British economy is an estimated £22 billion.
IOSH President Steve Granger warns that British companies are losing their competitive edge due to health and safety failures: “Businesses are missing a trick with health and safety. When you operate in a global marketplace, and you’re trying to claw your way out of recession, a happy, healthy workforce is a driver for growth.
“It’s frankly wrong for Ministers and business leaders to talk about health and safety as ‘red tape’ and a burden on business. When done properly and proportionately, health and safety is essential to a business’s long-term prospects for survival in what are difficult times for our economy.”
The UK’s leading professional health and safety body is now launching a campaign to put occupational safety and health back on the agenda. IOSH hopes that the campaign, entitled Life Savings, will show businesses how a sensible, proportionate approach to health and safety can actually help save money and drive growth.
The campaign will utilise examples of employers who have saved millions through the introduction of good workplace health and safety practices.
First Response Training is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of health and safety training for the workplace, offering a wide range of courses for all industry sectors, from first aid to manual handling to food hygiene and infection control.
Perry Leeks, Managing Director at First Response, says: “Companies with a positive, prevalent culture of good health and safety practice will find that they benefit from increased productivity and a reduction in employee sickness and downtime. More importantly though, it can save lives as well as money and employees feel valued and protected.
“It’s great that IOSH are highlighting the financial and business benefits to following good health and safety practice, as there is a widespread misconception that health and safety training is unnecessary expenditure. It actually helps businesses in the long run and should never be axed as a cost-cutting measure – that is false economy.”
Call First Response Training today on free phone 0800 310 2300 to find out about your legal obligations for health and safety training and the range of options available to you, from direct provision training to e-learning courses, distance learning manuals and blended learning options.
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