1. Introduction:
One of the very unpleasant things is becoming ill or getting hurt at the work place. According to the HSE (2008), more than 200 people lose their lives a year at work in Britain and also 150 000 reported nonfatal injuries each year. In addition, around 2 million people suffer from illness that could be made worse by work.
One of the biggest mistakes is that any employer could do is to believe that such things rarely happen in unusual circumstances that might occur in the workplace. Therefore, basic thinking of health and safety issues at work and acting beforehand could usually lead to prevention of any risks or hazards that could put the people in danger.
The implementation of health and safety measures doesn’t always have to be expensive, time consuming or complicated. However, the implementation of those measures will lead to a safer and more efficient working practices can often save money and lives (HSE, 2008).
2. Definition of Health and Safety
Health and Safety has been defined as “the prevention of people from being harmed by work or becoming ill by taking the right precautions and providing a satisfactory working environment” (HSE, 2008).
3. Managing Health and Safety at Work
The management of health and safety procedures and operations at work is totally different from the management of other aspect of the business. Risk assessments in the workplace should be put in place to control those procedures. Risk assessments should be a practical exercise which is aimed at getting the right controls in place.
4. Health and Safety Issues and Common Accidents
There is a wide range of health and safety issues and accidents that happen in all kinds of organisations. However, due to the limitation of this assignment, the author will only be covering the common hazards.
4.1 Falls, Trips and Slips
One of the most common causes of injuries in the work place is the slips or trips. This
References: HSE (2008), An introduction to health and safety, [Internet], Available from: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg259.pdf (Accessed 24/09/10)