It's every employer's responsibility to keep their staff, clients and customers safe.

But if you’re not a health and safety expert, making sense of the complexities of legislation and figuring out the practical steps you need to take can feel like an impossible task. You may not feel confident that you’re doing enough or in your ability to go it alone, and know that guesswork can have serious consequences for your business and put people at risk.

So who do you turn to for health and safety help?

The value of a Health & Safety Helpline

When it comes to health and safety compliance, being able to pick up the phone to someone who knows what they’re talking about can be a real game changer. Speaking to someone who not only understands health and safety legislation but who understands your business, your objectives, your challenges and how you operate will:

  • Provide clarity on any health and safety grey areas;
  • Give you quick answers to health and safety queries, at any time, from a source you can trust;
  • Allow you to soundboard your ideas and get a second, professional opinion;
  • Offer reassurance and confirmation that you’re approaching situations correctly;
  • Help you to generate simple, workable solutions to health and safety challenges;
  • Ensure that the decisions you make are reasonable, proportionate and commercially-sound; and
  • Save valuable time spent scouring the internet for answers.

After all, the key to staying compliant is having access to the most reliable health and safety advice and information. Receiving expert support in the form of a health and safety helpline will allow you to identify and control risk, meet your legal responsibilities, and approach health and safety tasks more confidently.

Why use a Health & Safety Helpline: The statistics

 

According to the latest annual health and safety statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE):

  • 30.7 million working days were lost because of injury or ill health;
  • 555,000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labour Force Survey;
  • 1.4 million working people suffer from a work-related illness.

Most significantly, according to the HSE’s annual fatal injuries report, there were 147 work-related fatalities in 2018/19. The sectors where the risk of fatal injury is greatest are agriculture, forestry and fishing; waste and recycling, and construction.

Every workplace has hazards, from the dangers of handling hazardous substances to the risks associated with manual handling or working at height. Whether you work in a manufacturing facility or an office, there are still risks of injury and ill health that need to be controlled. If you fail to take all reasonable measures, you may face enforcement action, which brings with it Fee for Intervention, hefty fines and even prosecution, not to mention insurmountable damage to your reputation. That’s why access to a Health & Safety Helpline and receiving competent support from a Health & Safety specialist is so important.

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WorkNest reduces the cost of any fine imposed by 85%

Know what you’re looking for in a Health & Safety Helpline

There are many different forms of health and safety help available, including advice line services, expert training, one-off pieces of work, or a full health and safety service. Before you go searching for sources of support, decide what kind of health and safety help you require. Are you looking for safety help with:

In many cases, it makes sense to find a Health & Safety company who offer a fixed-fee service that combines over-the-phone support with on-site assistance, as this often offers better value for money and is the most effective way of ensuring you’re compliant.

An expert in your corner

At WorkNest, we understand the value of having access to a dedicated professional for pragmatic support when you need it.

That’s why, as part of our unlimited, fixed-fee service, you have access to a named Health & Safety Consultant who will:

  • Act as one of your legally-required competent persons to ensure you meet the requirements of health and safety law and are prepared for HSE inspections;
  • Complete an up-to-date General Risk Assessment with you and advise on necessary actions;
  • Develop and help you implement a Prioritised Safety Action Plan, Health & Safety Policy and Employee Health & Safety Handbook tailored to your specific needs; and
  • Keep you up to date with changes to legislation and best practice so that you can operate with complete confidence.

This is supported by access to our award-winning Health & Software, an easy-to-use dashboard that gives you the tools you need to proactively monitor and manage risk on a day-to-day basis, as well as access to our online Knowledge Hub, where you can find expert-created guidance notes and downloadable risk assessment templates.

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Average cost of defending a health and safety prosecution

For extra peace of mind, our Health & Safety service is backed up by independent Legal Expenses Insurance. If a claim is insured, our legal expenses insurance covers the cost of defending health & safety prosecutions and Fee for Intervention charges.

Want to talk through your options?

Whatever health and safety challenge you’re facing, to discuss your needs and the range of support available, call 0345 226 8393 or request a free consultation by clicking the button below.

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