Health and Safety Information Dissemination to Small Businesses Needs Regulation
The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (RRAC), an independent advisory body set up by the Prime Minister, has disclosed that health and safety are amongst the most confused aspects for small organizations.
The report classifies the reasons into three categories and provides solutions to the same. The three major reasons for this confusion are:
(a) Low confidence of the businesses to deal with their own problems related to risk management.
(b) The role of ‘risk mongers’ to exploit this low confidence to spread wrong information to get business for themselves. A typical example is health professionals exaggerating a particular health hazard and making money out of it.
(c) And finally, the conflicting messages regarding health and safety guidelines sent across to smaller businesses by lawyers, insurers and even the government
The report does not end at pointing out the problems. It also makes certain recommendations for rectifying the situation, especially in the insurance and legal sectors. It suggests that the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) work in association with the HSE to keep a check upon the insurers, so that they provide appropriate advice to their clients without creating complications.
It also suggests that the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and the Law Society ensure that the lawyers and others do not misuse the legal process because of its lopsided nature and misguide the small businesses. The report recommends that if nothing else works, the Ministry of Justice should take matters in its hands and enact legislation to govern the same.
Speaking on the issue, Sarah Veale of the RRAC said contradictory information from consultants, media, lawyers and the government often confuse the firms. She said this could not only lead to losses for the businesses but also negatively affect the implementation of policies by the companies, thus risking the lives of the workers and the public. An accredited course can benefit your organisation in reviewing your health and safety performance and risk management arrangements; click on IOSH Training for more info.
