Health and Safety
Protection of the health and safety of workers and the public from risks created by hazardous business activities has become an inescapable issue for the boardroom. The financial costs of failure in this area can be very substantial, and ineffective management of the risks can seriously damage brands and reputation.
A number of recent national and international government initiatives have underlined the duties and responsibilities of companies and their directors to ensure that risks to health and safety are being properly controlled. Amongst others, the UK Government's strategies for "Revitalising Health and Safety" and "Securing Health Together" have set ambitious national targets for reductions of injuries and ill health caused at work by 2010. The European Union’s new “Community Strategy on Health and Safety at Work” is a response to the five million accidents occurring in the EU annually which result in 158 million lost working days.
Corporate and individual manslaughter charges for causing deaths at work have been brought against companies and directors, and the law is likely soon to be strengthened. Poor compliance with health and safety law attracts enforcement action by regulators. Penalties for certain offences already include unlimited fines on companies and imprisonment of individuals.
The key to protecting lives, reputation and the bottom line from the consequences of health and safety failures is for directors to ensure that they have robust systems in place for setting an appropriate policy, organising, planning and implementing its delivery, and measuring, auditing and reviewing performance. A strong company safety culture cannot be achieved without leadership and commitment by the board itself.
What we do
Sancroft’s health and safety experts advise clients both on how to improve existing health and safety policy, strategy and procedures and how to implement such systems from scratch. We tend not to carry out audits ourselves but ensure that the correct procedures are followed and the correct legislation is adhered to so that accidents are minimised. In this way the company fosters its own corporate ethos in matters of health and safety. We ensure that our clients not only deal with existing legislation but are aware of future changes and demands. We also advise on the best ways to report on health and safety performance, both internally and externally.
For further information on our key policy areas, please click on the following links:
- Supply chain management and sourcing
- Human rights and bribery
- Health and safety
- Waste management
- Health and nutrition
- Transport
- Planning