This is a fact that almost goes without saying.  However, what is sometimes overlooked once these policies have been put in place is the fact that they must be continually reviewed and revised in order to stay up-to-date and relevant to the workplace as it evolves. 

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety in the UK.  Along with local authorities, it supports the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) to ensure that risks to people's health and safety from work activities are properly controlled. 

When a new business is set up, the law requires that a health and safety policy must be put in place. This sets the general approach that the business is going to take with regards to health and safety, its objectives, and how it is to be managed. 

A business with five employees or more must have its policy written down.  Often this is perceived to be a tedious, bureaucratic activity, but it needn't be.  Instead, it shows not only good working practice but it also helps promote good staff morale by demonstrating the company's commitment to issues that can potentially affect the whole workforce. 

It's necessary for employees to understand that maintaining health and safety practices is everyone's job. So, from day one, everyone needs to know what the policy is. Communication and notification are the key to success so staff know and appreciate what they should do and what is expected of them.

The next point to address is the risk assessment. A risk assessment helps businesses focus on the risks in the workplace that have the potential to cause real harm to employees. 

According to the HSE, the main causes of injury in the textiles industries are manual handling/musculoskeletal injuries, machinery, being struck by something, and slips and trips.

Compiling a risk assessment makes it easier for employers to determine whether enough precautions have been put in place to prevents injuries from these potential ‘risks' occurring in the first place. 

Additionally, a health and safety issue that has caused an increasing number of employees to take time off from work in recent years is stress. The HSE defines stress as ‘the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them.' Once again, communication between employees is key so that people feel comfortable to address the situation if they feel under stress or suspect that a colleague is suffering. 

Clearly all employers have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their staff. The human and financial cost of failing to address health and safety is vast as it takes into account factors like compensation, staff absences, and insurance claims.

Members of the HSE may make spot-checks on businesses to ensure that they are maintaining the high standards they have set out in their policy.

Inspectors can enter any premises where work is carried out without prior notice. They can talk to employees and safety representatives, take photographs and samples, and impound any dangerous substances.

If they are not satisfied, they have several ways of making improvements, which include giving advice or warnings, presenting improvement or prohibition notices, or demanding prosecution.

If you're a business that has been up-and-running for a number of years, you'll know all of this already. However, when was the last time you reviewed your health and safety policy and risk assessment?

Whether you are running a business, or undergoing practical work daily, it is all too easy to forget about reviewing the risks... until it's too late.

Therefore, it makes sense to annually have a formal review of your risk assessment and policy. This activity lets you know that you are maintaining the high standards you have promised employees. Another issue to regularly address is to question whether any employees have spotted a problem.

However, if you're making a significant change like moving premises, you should carry out the review straight away. In order to stay one step ahead in this business, new equipment often must be bought, new procedures implemented, or even building expansion may be necessary. And these factors may greatly affect your existing policy and assessment.

Obviously, ‘health and safety' is a topic to which all companies must comply in order to stay in business. However, reviewing company policy is not usually top of the agenda for most business owners as the day-to-day business often takes priority.

It's worth remembering that revising risks and the policy itself should not be viewed as an isolated bureaucratic activity, but one that helps overall business practice. It sounds dramatic, but it's true: wait too long, and it could be too late. 

For more information about health and safety issues, visit the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/

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