Health and Safety: Where does health and safety begin, and where does it end?

The Director and or owner of the business is the responsible person. If you’re on the paperwork you are on the dartboard.

This means that all systems and procedures in your business have to be of such a high standard and have to be dealt with in such a responsible manner that you as the director and or the owner do not become the victim of poor management or incomplete work. Good intentions will not keep you off the dartboard in this instance, it just paves the way to the proverbial.

Considering the health and safety and wellbeing of your employees and your guests at all times is the first and foremost consideration of your day. I like to think that my mental test, is it good enough for my wife and kids helps me extremely quickly to make a decision on most health and safety, and wellbeing situations, secondly when in doubt cut it out! This is my second personal test and lastly, I look at what the rulebook says and 100% of the times that I had to make choices based on the two little mental tests I have solved the challenge and pass my formal health and safety systems and procedures check. 

The next mental system that I have implemented over the years is the following. If I keep up to date on a daily basis with my health and safety I never arrive at a place where there are so many challenges that my head spins and my cash flow cringes. Little bites regularly keep you up to date and out of trouble. 

The personal component of Safety first and hygiene remains a challenge working with many different staff daily. Short little two-minute workshops help you to remain ahead of the race. Once you remind your staff regularly of little bits that they need to maintain in their sections and personally, like washing hands, for instance, they have the matter of the facts front of mind and soon it will become part of a working habit. This is when you win the race once you have sound working habits implemented in your business.

In conjunction with the Covid-19 Pandemic, a whole new set of rules has been written into the rule book. Sanitizing and personal distancing has become front-of-mind awareness and every person on the face of mother earth has become aware of how easily germs can spread and what it actually takes to keep a specific area germ-free. It is such hard work and takes such consistent awareness that many people just do not take part. Unfortunately, this is such a selfish decision as these weak links do not only endanger themselves however every other person that they come into contact with. 

Look on the bright side, keeping up to date with health, safety and the wellbeing of staff and guests elevates your business and in return for your hard work and consideration, the sales and growth will most likely follow your positive input into your business.