Scott Crichton, Health & Safety Consultant

What advice would you give to employers?

Employees expect a certain standard in 2020 and COVID-19 has demonstrated this. Employees are well aware of what their employers ought to do for them and are often quick to highlight (through representatives or their solicitors) the reality of what’s in place and what’s missing. Employees now have at their fingertips a wealth of information as to what the regulations are and what should be provided, and this power has never existed in quite the same way before. This presents a whole new dynamic and set of challenges for organisations to deal with. Therefore, my advice to employers is that health and safety in today’s world must be taken seriously, and that any individual who wishes to run a successful organisation ought to tune into the benefits of good health and safety compliance.

Why do you think health and safety sometimes gets a bad rap?

The attitude of ‘do as I say’, as opposed to ‘here is the reason why and here is what you can do to prevent this risk’, I have often found, is why health and safety tends to be looked down upon. On the flip side, when people truly understand the risk and see that a safer alternative has been provided, they tend to buy into the conversation.

What have you done recently that has made you proud?

We, like every other business in 2020, have been forced to pivot in the way we run our organisation and the service we provide. One of the ways we’ve done this is by launching our new Coronavirus Advice Hub, which is packed full of information and guidance to support our clients. We’ve received incredible feedback on the quality of it and have even been told that we’re ahead of local authorities and other providers in terms of the information we are offering, which is great to hear as we’ve all put a lot of time and effort into producing these resources and keeping them updated. I’ve been quite close to the process of curating and launching this Hub, and that is something I am very proud of.

How would you describe WorkNest’s support, and what makes it unique?

Our support is second to none. Our consultants are on hand to support you with managing compliance on anything from random questions to regulatory visits. What’s more, our Coronavirus Advice Hub has added to this support in 2020, providing our clients and other business owners with everything they need to cultivate a COVID-safe workplace at their fingertips. We also like to take a personal and intimate approach with our clients. We enter into a relationship with your organisation and almost become an internal team member, meaning that we are right there with you on your journey to health and safety compliance.