Workplace Health & Safety – is starting small the key?
I enjoy the opportunity my work provides me to meet all sorts of people from various industries and kinds of businesses. It feels like you learn as much from your clients as much as they learn from you!
Many of our clients are small and medium sized businesses. Recently I was reflecting upon the challenges of small businesses of having to be across all necessary areas of compliance as well as ensuring they are delivering on their product or service offering in a way that will ensure they prosper and grow.
This is no easy feat but my experiences in meeting with many business owners in this situations is that the ones that seem the happiest and most confident about their business are those that do not shy away from their compliance obligations but instead embrace them and even integrate them into their business model!
Conversely a common difficultly for business owners is that they start small and grow and grow without thinking they need to worry about WH&S. Suddenly they find themselves in a situation where one of the following issues occur:
- The lack of WH&S systems/compliance starts to interfere with business growth
- An injury occurs
- A workplace bullying/harrassment incident occurrs
- A complaint is made internally or with the WH&S regulator re safety standards
Following experience with one or more of these events, the business owners realise that they must do something about workplace health and safety. The problem is that they are now on the backfoot and struggle to catch up due to the scale of the business and extent of work required, and they curse the need for workplace health and safety regulation.
On the other hand the business owner who started small and eagerly embraced the challenge of WH&S (and other) compliance areas have an advantage for the future in that their workplace health and safety systems are able to grow and prospser with the business, fostering a strong positive culture for safety. This is a much more manageable and effective way to approach workplace health and safety for the future.
The challenge for even the most involved and engaged business owners is keeping up that understanding and involvement level as the business grows. Workplace health and safety due diligence oblige officers to have involvement and understanding of workplace health and safety from a strategic and operational perspective. It is obviously necessary to delegate some management and operational tasks as a business grows. Business owners must ensure however that they do not lose their active early involvement in workplace health and safety as this is exactly what is required to ensure a compliant, mentally healthy and productive workplace for the future.
At HR Business Direction we can assist with managing all aspects of your Workplace Health & Safety, even if it means starting small. Contact us here.
Relevant blogs: WH&S Investment pays Dividends; Buyer Beware – Generic WH&S; Engaging not Enraging WH&S
Christina WillcoxMHSc; PostGradDip OHS; BBus(HRM)
Workplace Health & Safety Specialist
christina.willcox@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au
