Why is Health and Safety Training Important in the Workplace

Photo by Anamul Rezwan

All employees have a right to a fun work environment, a place where they can strive for the best, improve their skills and have fun! They also have a right to work in a safe and secure environment. To get into the nitty-gritty of the matter, over 200 people are killed each year in accidents at work, and over one million people are injured. With these odds, preventing accidents and ill health caused by work should be a key priority for employees and employers. Your business probably depends on them!

So, how can you make sure your business and workplace limit accidents and take good care of your workers? By providing health and safety training. Whether your employees are working at heights or working with food, they don’t just gain a certificate from their training; they also gain vital information.

So why should your business provide health and safety training?

1. It’s the law.

This may be an obvious and moot point, but one of the reasons why health safety training is essential is because it’s not optional – it’s the law. Introduced in 1974, The Health and Safety at Work Act is a crucial piece of legislation that requires employers and employees to take reasonable and practicable steps to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Breaking this law can incur fines and also have a devastating impact on the workplace.

The last thing you want is for there to be an accident at work, where the correct training and laws have not been followed. This is because the employee or customer could get an accident attorney, which can be costly to the company.

2. Risks are everywhere.

This may seem a tad dramatic, but it doesn’t make it any less accurate. From busy construction sites to a quiet business office, all workplaces come with unique hazards, such as slips, trips, and falls. Even unsecured equipment and asbestos are also significant risks everyone should be aware of. So, everyone must remember that no workplace is 100% safe, so health and safety training is there to allow everyone to identify, monitor, and reduce risk.

Photo by Monicore

3. Reduces Costs

Rather than increasing costs with its provision, a good health and safety training program can help reduce costs in more ways than one. Losing workers due to a workplace accident, injury, or illness can also have a detrimental effect on operations. Employers lose valuable time and resources in managing the situation and finding a replacement; they also forfeit the money and time they spent recruiting the employee and their knowledge, skills, and experience. Effective health and safety training means that fewer employees need to take a leave of absence, reducing the chance of long-term interruptions on ongoing projects and the potential loss of brilliant workers.

4. Creates a Safe and Happy Culture

A vital health and safety policy and training program can help an organization build a good relationship with its employees. Staff who feel safe and valued are less likely to leave and tend to be more satisfied with their employers, which positively impacts morale and boosts productivity. This attracts prospective hires when they are looking for a new position, and it helps an organization build an effective workforce.