As a boss, you have a responsibility under the law to manage health and safety risks. However, it’s not just the legal case for effective risk management that you should consider. Think about the business case too. If you’re not careful, lapses in and health and safety could put potential customers off your company – and this would be bad news for your bottom line.
Have you received bad press?
One way in which poor safety standards could hit your firm concerns your reputation. It takes a long time in the business world to cultivate an image as a reliable, trustworthy organisation. However, a lapse in risk management can be enough to destroy all of this hard work. Highlighting this point, safety specialists Phoenix HSC warn that failing to comply with the law on these issues can result in a damaged reputation. Once you’ve received bad press over safety concerns, it can be a long, hard road to get the public back on your side. All the while, your sales may suffer.
Every year, hundreds of businesses are prosecuted for safety failings. In 2013-14 alone, 551 cases were brought by the Health and Safety Executive against organisations in England and Wales. A further 88 cases were prosecuted by local authorities over the same 12-month period. If you want to avoid the negative publicity that can come with such legal action, you’ll need to take safety issues seriously.
Are your premises putting people off?
People might also be deterred from doing business with you if your premises appear to be poorly managed and a potential danger. Whether you run a garage, warehouse, shop, bar or any other type of premises, customers want to feel safe when they set foot inside and they also want to be reassured that you’re taking worker safety seriously. If they see evidence that you’re not doing your duty when it comes to danger management, they may simply take their money elsewhere. After all, there are probably plenty of other companies offering similar goods or services.
Take action and put any safety problems to rest
If you think you’re at risk of breaching safety laws, or you’re worried your premises are giving customers a poor impression, now is the time to take action. By implementing robust risk management policies, you can solve these problems and help to safeguard your success. You might need to take a range of measures to enhance safety, including improving staff training, providing better equipment and performing more thorough risk assessments. There is plenty of guidance available online if you’re unsure of anything and you also have the option of enlisting the help of specialist consultants.