Running a business is not easy, and yet, more people are taking on this venture and making it their reality. Working on something that you feel passionate about, and building it up from nothing is an achievement in itself.
However, you can get to the stage where your business needs to move forward and often this means hiring employees and having a business location of some sort, be it where you manufacture products or store and do business from.
This is when a new responsibility becomes yours and that is health and safety. But while you may think there are obvious things to consider, there are some forgotten matters that you do needot address. Here is a helpful reminder of what some of them are.
Drinking water and water out of the tap
You may take for granted that water is there and that it is fine to use and drink perhaps, but there are hidden issues lurking within that you just won’t have considered. This is why it is important now to do further testing on your water supply in your business location, such as legionella testing to ensure that the water supply is safe to drink or be used. Legionella has connections with strains of pneumonia and so it is always worth checking for yourwon welfare as well as the welfare of staff and customers.
Considering the mental health of employees
Many employers are all too good at ensuring that physical health is protected. Health and safety regulations and policies cover for things like falls, and dangerous machinery for example, but yet there is still a lack of coverage for things like mental health in the workplace. This is also something you need to consider as part of your health and safety policy in your business. Stress, depression and anxiety can often stem from work.
Employee education and awareness
It is all well and good having the different policies, rules and regulations in place but without employee education and awareness, these things can be ignored. This can then lead on to issues for you as the employer should accidents happen in the workplace. Employee education is key, which is why health and safety booklets that are to be read and even have them sign to say it has been done can cover you in the future.
Bullying in the workplace
Finally, bullying in the workplace is often something that we don’t take into consideration, but it is becoming an increasingly big problem for employers. This is why it is now important for these things to be added within the health and safety policies. Bullying in work can lead on to mental health issues such as anxiety and stress, and it can also cause problems when it comes to distraction and concentration on the work in question. Furthermore, as an employer, you have a responsibility to ensure that employees feel safe and happy in the workplace, which is why this is such an important part of your overall health and safety policy.
Let’s hope reminding you of these things will have you ensuring that your business is doing the right thing.
