Policies and People – Why you should involve your team.

When it comes to health and safety policies, it is really important to communicate and consult with your employees. Through consultation, workers should be able to raise their concerns over issues and potential hazards, whilst as a business owner, you can get everyone on board to comply with your policies. We will explore more about health and safety communication and why it’s important below.

1. The law

Firstly, under the 1977 and 1996 regulations, it is outlined that it is the law to consult your workforce on health and safety matters. This can be done through a health and safety representative, if required. Health and safety representatives can only be selected by a trade union or employees. However, if you do not have one, then management must still comply with this law.

2. Outline the risks and hazards

When communicating with your workforce, outline the risks and hazards involved with the job role or workplace. You should then inform your employees on how you will control these risks and hazards and reassure them by informing on what you have in place to resolve the risks.

Employees need to be reassured that risks involved with their job are well controlled. By informing your team, you are not only abiding by the law, but giving them that important reassurance.

3. Look into health and safety training

It is really important that your team are informed and trained. You need to ensure that your employees know how to conduct their work in your workplace, without risk to their health. This also stands for contractors and self-employed personnel too.

All employees must be given information and instructions which are clear and concise to follow. Your team must also receive training where relevant : such as new recruits, those taking on a new role (or gaining more responsibility) as well as health and safety representatives.

4. Allowing employees to communicate and raise concerns

A great workplace is where two-way consultation happens. By allowing your employees to communicate and raise concerns with leadership, they are then able to influence any health and safety decisions made within the workplace.

Afterall, there is no one better to experience the risks and to see any potential flaws within a policy, than those who have to work and experience it for themselves within your business. They are then able to feedback on any gaps in the policy, or any potential hazards or risks.

Showing your employees that you take their opinions and input seriously, is reassuring and often helps to promote them complying with the policy too. These two-way relationships work best when there is mutual respect and communication.

5. Give opportunities for communication to happen

As we have discovered above, by law your business needs to consult its team members on health and safety matters. Therefore, you need to be outlining potential hazards and risks in the workplace and the job roles delegated to your team. You should also keep on top of informing and educating them on health and safety, as well as operating a two-way consultation process when it comes to matters.

So, how can this be achieved? Give opportunities for communication to happen. Do you send out a regular newsletter or emails to your employees? If not, this can be a great way to inform them on any health and safety updates.

You can also host regular team meetings where you can operate this two-way conversation. Give your team the relevant updates, whilst giving an opportunity for feedback on health and safety matters. Another way (as employees may feel too shy during a meeting) is to have an open-door policy. Here you outlay from the start of any employment, that should the employee have any health and safety concerns, to come to you and voice them.

If you have any questions on health and safety consulting and communication within your workplace, get in touch with us today.