An Introduction to Health and Safety (Eyfs)
An introduction to health and safety
Health and safety in small businesses
What you should know about – where to get more information
It’s your business but we can help you look after it!
Getting hurt at work or becoming ill through work is not a pleasant subject to think about. The reality is that over 200 people a year lose their lives at work in Britain. In addition, around 150 000 non-fatal injuries are reported each year, and an estimated 2 million suffer from ill health caused or made worse by work. The mistake is to believe that these things happen in highly unusual or exceptional circumstances that never occur in your workplace. This is not the case. Some basic thinking and acting beforehand could usually have prevented these things from happening. Implementing health and safety measures doesn’t have to be expensive, time consuming or complicated. In fact, safer and more efficient working practices can often save money but, more importantly, they can help to save lives. This booklet shows you the kind of things which cause the more common accidents and harm to people’s health. It lets you see what applies to your work activities, and tells you how you can get more help and information. This is especially important if you are in charge of work activities, eg you are an employer, because you have legal responsibilities.
introduction | 1
Ten questions and answers for everyone
What is health and safety all about?
Preventing people from being harmed by work or becoming ill by taking the right precautions - and providing a satisfactory working environment.
What do inspectors actually do?
They visit workplaces to check that people are sticking to the rules. They investigate some accidents and complaints but mainly they help you to understand what you need to do. They enforce only when something is seriously wrong.
Do I need to have employers’ liability compulsory insurance?
It’s the law if you employ anyone - and you should display the
Health and safety in small businesses
What you should know about – where to get more information
It’s your business but we can help you look after it!
Getting hurt at work or becoming ill through work is not a pleasant subject to think about. The reality is that over 200 people a year lose their lives at work in Britain. In addition, around 150 000 non-fatal injuries are reported each year, and an estimated 2 million suffer from ill health caused or made worse by work. The mistake is to believe that these things happen in highly unusual or exceptional circumstances that never occur in your workplace. This is not the case. Some basic thinking and acting beforehand could usually have prevented these things from happening. Implementing health and safety measures doesn’t have to be expensive, time consuming or complicated. In fact, safer and more efficient working practices can often save money but, more importantly, they can help to save lives. This booklet shows you the kind of things which cause the more common accidents and harm to people’s health. It lets you see what applies to your work activities, and tells you how you can get more help and information. This is especially important if you are in charge of work activities, eg you are an employer, because you have legal responsibilities.
introduction | 1
Ten questions and answers for everyone
What is health and safety all about?
Preventing people from being harmed by work or becoming ill by taking the right precautions - and providing a satisfactory working environment.
What do inspectors actually do?
They visit workplaces to check that people are sticking to the rules. They investigate some accidents and complaints but mainly they help you to understand what you need to do. They enforce only when something is seriously wrong.
Do I need to have employers’ liability compulsory insurance?
It’s the law if you employ anyone - and you should display the