Health and safety at work
An accident in the workplace can provoke a stressful time, not least because the costs of a potential court case weigh down on an employer. Sadly, sometimes there is nothing you can do to prevent an accident; all you can do is protect yourself from blame by making sure you did everything within your power to keep your employees safe. We believe three simple rules underpin good health & safety at work:
- Identify the risks - Every business is different, and so are the risks associated with their respective workplaces. Health and safety at work can include risk assessments for hazardous substances, fire, manual handling or specific equipment. Peninsula provides guidance on completing all the different types of assessment.
- Keep good records - If the worst should happen, it's vital that a business keeps detailed records of risk assessments, visitors, fire inspections, and any previous accidents. Ultimately, these can be used to prove you are blameless. Peninsula's SafetyWise online resource centre facilitates the management of paperwork associated with health & safety at work.
- Ask an expert - Peninsula provides clients with training courses to enhance their understanding and improve their management of health & safety at work. In addition, experts are on hand through our 24-hour advice line should you ever have an urgent query or problem relating to your safety policy.
A personal service
We like to provide clients with a tailored service, ensuring these complex issues are handled as efficiently as possible. A consultant will visit your site and identify strong and weak points, summarised in a report including advice on how to improve your health & safety at work. We will then provide you with a bespoke health & safety management system, and regularly be in touch to monitor your progress and inform you of changes in legislation. When so much is at stake, the one-size-fits-all approach just doesn't cut it, so contact Peninsula today.
Risk assessment and health & safety software
These days, there is software available to facilitate almost everything – so why not health & safety at work too?
Our clients gain access to Peninsula Online, an invaluable online resource centre for employers and HR managers. This includes health & safety software called SafetyWise, which enables the online management of health & safety responsibilities for different employees. You'll be reminded of any approaching deadlines for paperwork or assessments.
SafetyWise also includes online fire risk assessment software, which takes all the pain and hassle out of this often arduous process. A checklist of precautions can be ticked in minutes, while those you fall short on can be delegated to different staff and assigned deadlines for completion. Your fire risk assessment records from the SafetyWise software can be printed out and used as proof in fire inspections or insurance claims.
Another benefit to the SafetyWise health & safety software is the bespoke documentation you'll be able to access. Visitor records, accident records and more will be stored alongside your bespoke employment law documentation.
However, perhaps the most useful aspect of our health & safety software is the advice and guidance it provides. SafetyWise contains an indispensible library of guidance notes covering every health & safety topic imaginable. For more specific instructions, the Peninsula Online advice service allows you to email an expert in confidence, while the 24-hour legal advice line provides round-the-clock support for employers.
Services to complement health & safety at work
The main objective of health & safety legislation is to ensure your staff, customers and visitors are in no danger while on your premises. The legal obligations of a company extends to the equipment or machinery people may encounter on site, the procedure in case of fire, the provision of appropriate safety equipment, keeping proper records of visitors and accidents, and even having a well-stocked first aid kit. These complex issues vary for every company, and the best strategy to tackle health & safety can only really be planned and implemented by those with inside knowledge of the business.
Unfortunately, many health & safety responsibilities can be mundane and time-consuming. We have therefore devised HR outsourcing software that simplifies and consolidates these tasks. Peninsula Online contains the SafetyWise tool to remind individuals within a company of upcoming health & safety deadlines. It also provides a visitor book template to print out and use, risk assessment checklists and step-by-step fire risk assessment software. Your HR staff will therefore have more time to plan an effective safety policy, and minimise the costs of implementing it.
Of course, many HR professionals will be aware that health & safety at work is not the only aspect of employee wellbeing. To help reduce work related stress, and provide support to any staff dealing with personal problems, Peninsula offers clients a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme. This programme provides online stress assessments and face-to-face counselling sessions, with the aim of combating stress in your workplace. In the long run the EAP could reduce absences and cut costs; perhaps making it the more personal equivalent of health & safety at work.
