Taking care of the health of employees is important. It is a legal requirement, but is also a foundation of a sustainable, motivated workforce.
The law requires that every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of:
- the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work;
- the risks to the health and safety of persons not in his employment arising out of or in connection with the conduct by him of his undertaking; and
- for the purpose of identifying the measures needed to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed upon him by or under the relevant statutory provisions, and by Part II of the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997.
Furthermore the law goes on to require that every employer shall make and give effect to such arrangements as are appropriate, having regard to the nature of his activities and the size of his undertaking, for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of the preventive and protective measures. Where the employer employs five or more employees, he shall record the arrangements.
Investment in a health programme should deliver improvements in organisational performance as well as benefits for individuals. However, such investment will only be effective if it is delivered in the right way. We believe that a risk based approach to managing health is the most effective mechanism for both efficient and effective management.
This guidance is aimed at health (and safety) managers in the industry, as well as ORR inspectors. It sets out good practice on how to provide assurance that health risks have been assessed and sustainably managed. It provides an introduction to the use of bow tie analysis. Additional information can be found on the CGE website.