5 Safety risk management
Probably one of the earliest and most familiar forms of risk management is that of safety risk management. You probably have some degree of awareness of the efforts undertaken to improve health and safety in the workplace that, in the UK, has continually evolved since the 1960s. There are many areas and specialisms involved in safety management that allow industry to operate in a manner that minimises harm to employees and the wider public.
Aside from the obvious benefits of safety risk management, which aims to prevent harm to employees and the public, there are also a number of less obvious benefits to managing safety risk, including, but not limited to:
- greater employee satisfaction and recruitment/retention (safe workers are happier workers)
- identification of other risks that need addressing (e.g. spotting a fire risk may identify a single point of failure that needs addressing)
- enhanced reputation, which can help in winning work and improving relationships with stakeholders
- reduced interruptions/delays and managed costs (accidents have a cost and cause delay).
Activity 4 Safety initiatives
Consider your own work environment. What safety initiatives have been implemented or could be implemented that should have additional benefits?
Below are some examples of safety risk treatments with the additional wider business benefits.
Consider your own work environment and safety initiatives that have or could be implanted and the wider business benefits these can bring.
| Safety initiative | Additional benefit |
|---|---|
| Life Saving Rules | Encouraging a positive culture towards each other which can improve team work and enhance mental health well-being in the workplace |
| Site Safety Case | Should also identify priorities for maintenance that will reduce down time of equipment/facilities which will improve output |
| Contractor Induction | Opportunity to improve site security through knowledge of who has access to site and when they are on site |