Knowledge is Power in Maintaining a Health and Safety Culture
The reporting aspect of health and safety is essential for identifying issues before they have a chance to become major problems.
There is an old saying that goes “accidents will happen.” This is true – we have often mentioned how Britain is a world leader in health and safety and that the UK’s workforce is safer and better protected than that of any other country, particularly in industries that are traditionally seen as high risk, such as the construction sector.
Having said all that, we are all human, and every one of us makes mistakes from time to time. However good the health and safety measures, accidents happen and you will never eliminate them 100 percent.
Any business that employs more than ten people is required under the Social Security Claims and Payments Regulations of 1979 to maintain an accident book, where it keeps a record of any and all such accidents. It is also a requirement under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) that serious injuries, instances of diagnosed industrial diseases, near misses and work-related deaths be properly recorded and reported.
Why is an accident book important?
Complying with the regulations is, of course, a good driver for doing something, but should not be the defining reason. Maintaining documentation, records and evidence in relation to accidents is important on a number of levels.
Most importantly, highlighting and understanding how accidents are caused will help identify any shortcomings in the overall health and safety system, and will potentially drive improvements that could prevent something serious. For example, if you maintain a record of near misses, and there are three instances in three months when people narrowly escapes being hit by a forklift on a particular blind corner, you have the information to do something about it, for example improve visibility or restrict pedestrian access, before someone gets killed.
Maintaining accurate records also protects the interests of all parties in the event of some kind of legal or medical dispute.
What to record
There are some key pieces of information that need to be included when recording an accident. These include the following:
- Name and contact details of injured person
- Location of the incident
- Time and date of the incident
- Nature of the incident
- Nature of the injuries
- Cause of the incident
- Name and contact details of the person recording the incident
Monitoring
It is best practice for employers to monitor the number and type of incidents that take place. This is key to identifying weaknesses in the underlying health and safety system.
In the example mentioned above, there was a clear danger spot relating to forklifts and foot traffic. But it could equally be a problem with culture, for example workers consistently neglecting to follow basic rules or wear the correct safety equipment. Sometimes all that is required is a clear safety sign to warn people of possible dangers.
Either way, with documentation and statistics regarding the nature of workplace incidents, the employer can make an informed assessment of whether current practices are to an acceptable standard, and can make the necessary changes to improve workplace health and safety and reduce the likelihood of serious incidents in future.