HR 101: Health and safety in the workplace

When people go to work, they expect their employer to look after their health and safety in the office. From windows that open to fresh drinking water, all charities have duties and responsibilities to maintain a safe working environment for their staff. Health and safety is about preventing people from getting hurt at work or ill through work.

Despite the importance of health and safety, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) says that in 2019/20, 32.5 million working days were lost to work-related ill health. Stress, anxiety and depression accounted for almost 18 million of these days. HR magazine said in an article in October 2021 that depression, stress and anxiety cost UK businesses £35 billion a year.

Know your responsibilities under UK legislation

The CIPD says: “The purpose of health and safety law is to ensure a safe working environment for employees. In the UK, this requires employers to meet health and safety obligations, covered by a vast range of legislation”.

All employers have a legal responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. As well as preventing injury, this legislation includes reducing the risk of work-related mental illness. The Health and Safety Executive is the UK government agency responsible for advising on legislation and guidance and enforcing them.

Practising effective health and safety is paramount for any organisation. Not only for your staff but for your charity’s reputation. If an organisation doesn’t take care to look after the health and safety of staff, employees can resign and potentially claim constructive unfair dismissal and personal injury. This could have a huge impact on finances and reduce productivity while investigations take place.

How HR professionals can maintain effective health and safety

HR staff play a key role in looking after the health and safety of staff. They know all employees, understand how the charity works, know company procedures, and provide a link between managers and staff. These are the steps HR teamsshould take to look after the health and safety of employees at their charity.

Write a health and safety policy

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, all employers with more than five staff must write and publish a health and safety policy. For organisations with fewer than five employees you don’t have to write anything, but the Health and Safety Executive says it is useful to do so.

The policy should set out your charity’s approach to health and safety. Make sure it states who does what, when, and how. For example, write down who are your trained first aiders.

With mental health contributing to a large proportion of workplace absence, it’s important to include it in your policy. 

Have a health and safety plan

Put together a health and safety plan and share it with everyone across the charity. This plan should document key actions that need to be taken to maintain effective health and safety.

Hold regular training

To avoid accidents in the workplace, you need to provide regular safety training for staff. This includes familiarising staff with safety procedures.

Work with new starters

When people join your charity, it’s important to talk about health and safety during the onboarding process. Talk to them about procedures and inform them about breaks and time off.

Keep records

Make a note of any health and safety issues in the workplace. This will prevent future injuries and accidents, help you to deal with problems faster and spot issues before they happen. These records will also help you to keep track of any upgrades you need to make to office equipment.

Be transparent

Make sure all information about health and safety can accessed by everyone in the workplace. This includes dates for health and safety training and dates of safety inspections. You may want to consider setting up a HR management system that is accessed on the cloud by staff.

Think about ergonomics

Get your office set up properly so people don’t develop backache and other health problems. HR teams should work with senior managers to design a safe office environment with ergonomic office furniture. Also, keep your office tidy and make sure there’s enough space to move around to avoid people falling over.

Have regular health and safety inspections

Schedule inspections every three to six months with an accredited inspector. This will prevent problems from happening in the future.

For more information, the Health and Safety Executive explains the basic health and safety requirements for employers. The CIPD also explains the minimum steps that employers should take to look after their staff in the workplace.