Who’s Responsible For Health And Safety At Work?

Knowing who is responsible for health and safety in the workplace means staff have someone to go to for any health and safety related issues, and company leaders have peace of mind that things are being taken care of. Of course, it’s not uncommon to be faced with a groan when health and safety comes up. It’s not the most exciting topic, and can be seen as a hurdle to getting on with the more interesting or fun tasks. While that may be true, it’s also an important part of any organisation, and there are laws and regulations governing this. That makes it potentially expensive, as well as dangerous, to ignore.

Whether you feel confident tackling health and safety for your business yourself, hire someone to do it in house or you need support from an external organisation, it’s crucial to do it right. There are many parts to health and safety, and while there might be a simple answer to who is legally responsible for health and safety at work, we can look deeper into how this works in practice.

Why Is Health And Safety Important In The Workplace?

Before we can determine who is responsible for workplace health and safety, we need to understand why it matters so much. Many workers spend a large amount of time in the workplace, and there is legislation in place that lays out the acceptable standards for a business to uphold. Employees are also more likely to feel happy and fulfilled if they know they’re in a safe environment and are valued physically, mentally, and emotionally. This stops your best workers going to the competition.

Carrying out risk assessments, for example, can ensure any hazards are identified and addressed, minimising the potential for accidents to happen – and any injuries employees may suffer as a result. Policies and procedures keep people safe in a range of situations, such as emergencies and evacuations, and investigations into accidents ensure any mistakes are learned from to make sure they don’t happen again.

Compliance with Health and Safety is not only financially beneficial for a business, but also protects the wellbeing of everyone involved in the organisation.

Who Is Responsible For Workplace Health And Safety?

Health and safety at work is the responsibility of everyone in the organisation, however some have more to do than others. From identifying risks and hazards to following the policies created, each worker must do their part to establish and maintain a safe workplace.

In small organisations, there might be an outsourced team handling health and safety, or a single person who will be appointed as the Health and Safety Officer. The size could relate to the number of employees or the size of the premises the business operates out of – or both, depending on what the company does.

Larger businesses could employ – or work with – a whole team, each covering a different aspect of health and safety depending on their experience and expertise that makes sure nothing is missed.

Whichever option works best for your business depends on your situation, and may change over time. However, making sure everyone knows what’s expected of them goes a long way to keeping the workplace safe, as does open lines of communication where potential issues and situations can be raised by anyone.

Who Is Legally Responsible For Health And Safety At Work?

Ultimately, the person who is legally responsible for health and safety at work is the business owner – or employer. This means they have a legal obligation to comply with health and safety law. However, they can appoint someone to manage health and safety for the business.

Appointing someone, also known as a competent person, to focus purely on health and safety is a good way to make sure a business owner can give their attention to other parts of the organisation, especially if that’s more in their area of expertise. Health and Safety is very important but can be a daunting topic. There is always a chance something can be issued, even with research and careful planning.

There are severe consequences and large financial penalties that come with poor health and safety policies and documentation, and even if there is a dedicated Health and Safety Officer or team, they must still report to the employer or business owner. This is why accountability stops at the top of a business.

The Role Of A Health And Safety Officer

Despite the owner or employer being the person who is responsible for health and safety in the workplace, employing and assigning a Health and Safety Officer allows someone with the right expertise and knowledge to take on the relevant tasks. This includes carrying out audits, identifying risks, creating method statements and implementing policies that can all help keep everyone safe at work.

Health and Safety is a constantly changing topic. Rules and regulations are updated regularly to make sure every situation is accounted for, and habits, attitudes, and new ways of working are considered. This means that creating documents and policies once isn’t enough, as they’ll soon be out of date.

Business owners can complete all the health and safety requirements themselves, but they will have to keep monitoring and evaluating their efforts. This can be a poor use of their time and expertise when someone else can do it for them, which is why the role of Health and Safety Officer exists; having someone who is responsible for workplace health and safety better protects everyone and allows employers to focus on other areas.

How To Become A Health And Safety Officer

Becoming a Health and Safety Officer varies depending on the seniority of the role and the organisation or industry someone wants to work in. There are plenty of courses to provide the skills and knowledge needed to complete tasks associated with the role, but given how vast health and safety is, it can take a long time to learn everything.

In most cases, degree-level qualifications aren’t required, but there are exceptions – for example, NHS Health and Safety roles often ask for this level of education. In other organisations, specific training can be used to prove competency in specific areas. This also allows for someone to develop in the role and become a more experienced and well-rounded Health and Safety Officer.

How To Make Health And Safety Work At Work

Health and safety at work covers a lot of topics, and while it is the responsibility of a Health and Safety Officer or business owner to implement the right policies, every member of staff plays a part in ensuring those policies and procedures are followed. This isn’t just for their safety, but the safety of everyone in the workplace, staff and visitors alike. It’s important not only to comply with laws and regulations but also to make sure people are able to do their jobs safely and efficiently.

First and foremost, all employees should know who is responsible for health and safety in the workplace so they know who to go to when issues arise or to ask any questions. A Health and Safety Officer will have the experience to implement health and safety procedures, but as these are going to affect the employees of the business at all levels, all staff should be involved in large or small parts. 

This can be tricky to balance, but there are some ways to make it easier.

Be Thorough

With any aspect of health and safety, the best approach is to be thorough. Every policy, document, assessment and investigation needs to be well-thought out and comprehensive, covering as many situations as possible. The more information included, the better prepared everyone in the business will be for any incident that occurs. It should also be very specific to the environment, whether that’s a kitchen, a care home or a school, some hazards will be very nuanced and require plenty of detail. 

This isn’t a one-time exercise, either. Whenever an incident does arise, it’s important to reevaluate the relevant document or process and look at where improvements can be made to prevent similar situations from occurring again. Updating documents, and making sure everyone is aware of the changes made, goes a long way to helping everyone stay safe.

Avoid complicated language and processes

While unavoidable at times, complicated language and jargon can make it harder for everyone to be on the same page when it comes to a policy or document. There might be a need in some organisations to include technical terms and information, such as healthcare or aviation, but it’s important to keep in mind the audience of your documents and processes.

This might mean multiple versions intended for different people. The overall meanings should be the same in all documents relating to a single area, so that everyone is aware of what to do, how to act and what to watch out for as they complete their work.

Make policies and processes easy to access

Simply sharing a document or process once is not enough. Once completed, or updated, it’s important to let everyone know about it and ensure they’re aware of what it contains. For example, regularly reviewing fire evacuation procedures and informing staff of any changes.  Summaries can also be useful, especially for specific incidents or updates that are self-contained, and these can be shared in communal areas of the workplace as well as electronically.

You should also make it clear where people can access this information or perhaps hold in-person meetings to discuss Health and Safety topics. The manager who is responsible for workplace health and safety should encourage open communication, ensuring opportunities for discussion that might otherwise be missed through email or passing around paper documents.

Consult With Staff

In some cases, it’s a great idea to consult with staff on health and safety topics. As the people who are going to be affected by the policies and rules, their input can be invaluable in finding a balance between what needs to be done, what the business wants to do and what the staff feel will keep them safe and productive.

Health and safety in the workplace can cover a lot of areas, including manual handling, PPE, hazardous materials and much more. Although policies should focus on making the environment safe, it’s important it isn’t an obstacle to actually getting work done. Consulting with staff can help with this, by providing charity and allowing them to suggest better ways of working. 

Make It Clear Who Is Responsible For Workplace Health And Safety

We’ve explained that everyone has a responsibility for health and safety at work, but it’s important that these responsibilities are explained clearly to everyone. This is especially important with new staff, promotions or changes to policies and documents that require action.

This matters for day-to-day life in the workplace, but more importantly for emergency situations, such as an evacuation or other serious incidents. Without knowing who is responsible for health and safety at work, and who to turn to, people could panic and cause more harm to each other, increasing the damage and distress caused. Training for emergency situations and how to use specific tools and equipment is also helpful.

Want To Know More About Who’s Responsible For Health And Safety At Work?

While the business owner and employer is ultimately responsible for Health and Safety in the workplace, everyone has their part to play in creating a safe working environment. Making sure these responsibilities are clear to everyone can ensure that any accident investigation can clearly identify where processes can be improved to prevent an incident repeating itself. No matter how thorough your Health and Safety processes and documents may be, allowing people to become complacent invites incidents to happen.

At Rhino Safety, our team of experts can help you put Health and Safety policies, documents and procedures together to make sure the business is fully compliant with all regulations and laws, as well as make sure everyone, from owner to management to employee, understands their part in creating and maintaining a safe workplace. If you’d like to know more about how we can help, contact a member of the Rhino Safety team today.