HR Support for Trade Businesses

Health and Safety

Lost fingers, damaged toes, electric shocks and infected cuts are just some of the issues that we’ve helped business owners deal with.  Accidents at work are a risk in any business but more so when employees are driving, carrying out manual tasks, working with tools, at heights, in confined spaces or dealing with water, electricity or gas.

So, if you are a builder, scaffolder, electrician, plumber, carpenter, fire and security firm, locksmith, furniture maker, gardener, mechanic or kitchen fitter then there are requirements for you to ensure a safe place and methods of work for your teams.

Firstly, check that your insurance provides adequate cover for the work you and your employees do, and ensure you understand the health and safety requirements they expect you to meet to maintain that cover.

If you have employees driving vehicles, read our guidance on vehicle use and consider putting a policy in place to cover this.

If you have lone workers read our guidance on this; consider putting a policy in place to cover this and decide what training and safety measures you need to implement.

It is essential that you create and regularly review the risk assessments you need for working with hazardous substances which could include dust, working at heights, and using tools, equipment and machinery.

The construction and building trades in particular are estimated to have the highest rate of back injuries and upper limb disorders.  What training do you need to carry out to ensure that employees are adhering to safe manual handing?

Another area for consideration is the risk of damage to hearing through noise.  Ear defenders are an essential item of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) alongside protective footwear, hard hats and high visibility wear.

Site cleanliness may be a difficult factor to control but the ability to effectively clean and dress any cuts or wounds is important, as is of course ensuring you have an adequate number of trained first aiders and an appropriately stocked first aid kit.

Of course, there is a responsibility to ensure access to toilet facilities and drinking water.

It will be necessary to document some of your health and safety considerations, keep records and review plans at appropriate intervals.

The Health and Safety Executive has a wealth of information you can access and whilst we are pleased to provide this brief overview of some key concerns, we partner with Field Training Services who are specialists that can provide expert Health & Safety advice, guidance and support to trades businesses.

Critical to your success in managing Health and Safety effectively is the culture you create in the business, such that acting in a way that is safe and responsible is embedded into everything your employees do and it becomes just “how it is around here”.  This runs alongside your commitment to customer service and the code of conduct you expect your employees to adhere to.

Getting this right is not only critical for legal compliance, it creates and maintains a positive reputation for your business with customers but also as a good employer, which gives you a competitive edge over other less rigorous companies.