Whilst employers in the UK are legally obliged to meet proper health and safety standards under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, health and safety should be a key priority for any business regardless of legislation.
When it comes to creating key performance indicators (KPIs), to measure the trajectory of your business, health and safety should be at the top of the list, especially if you’ve identified risks when assessing operations. Setting the right KPIs can help you to eliminate problems, maximise performance and grow your business, improving the experience of your customers and staff in the process – but why is health and safety so important?
Employee wellbeing – As a business owner, you must ensure that your customers and employees are kept safe. This includes providing all of the necessary tools, equipment, and PPE for safe working, as well as a safe and secure working environment. The physical safety and wellbeing of your employees should always come first.
Ensure that you conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify any potential hazards in your workplace – most injuries at work are sustained due to falling objects, machinery or trips, slips, and falls. Any issues you identify should be incorporated into your next KPI to eliminate the risk of accident or injury in the future.
Cost to business – Accidents and injuries in the workplace are a leading cause of lost manhours and preventable financial loss. In the UK, traumatic brain injuries account for an annual cost of around £15 billion, while less serious head injuries and concussions can also be financially devastating for businesses.
If a customer or employee is injured or suffers bodily harm on your premises through no fault of their own, you could be liable to pay out head injury compensation or brain injury compensation and further costs for injury claims, lost earnings, and medical and legal bills.
Productivity – Safe and happy employees are more likely to be productive and stay working with you for longer. Poor health and safety practices correlate with higher levels of staff turnover, so you could find that your business has a ‘revolving door’ of employees if you fail to cater to their needs and wellbeing.
As well as boosting staff retention and increasing productivity on the ground, you’ll also make significant savings in potential claim pay-outs by ensuring your workers are kept safe.
Brand perception – In the age of online reviews and viral social media posts, the public perception of your brand is more important than ever. Failing to keep up with health and safety standards at work can have a devastating impact on your business, with negative press and word-of-mouth reviews spreading like wildfire.
Ensure that you follow health and safety standards and protocols to keep customers and workers safe and foster the best possible image for your brand.
