Spotlight on health and safety

But it’s something they cannot afford to ignore. Making the workplace a safe place is essential, not just to keep the business on the right side of the law but to protect the health and well-being of employees and visitors, its commercial reputation and save time and money in the long term.

Whatever the size of a business, employers are legally responsible for the health and safety of their employees and other people, including customers, suppliers and members of the public, both at their usual premises or when they are involved in activities elsewhere, for example, on a construction site.

This process includes assessing risks of injury or damage to health that could occur in the workplace and taking steps to reduce and control the potential for accident or injury, in order to provide a safe environment for people to work and do business.

Investing in health and safety also acts as an insurance policy against the time and cost involved in putting right a breach of health and safety – including paying for associated Health and Safety Executive investigations and action – or the expense of a possible prosecution and associated reputational damage. Fines levied in health and safety prosecutions can also run into tens of thousands of pounds.

At Royds, our specialist partner Kevin James can provide comprehensive advice on health and safety law and assist you in putting in place practical measures to ensure that your business is always compliant with the law.

We can advise and assist on issues including:

• non-contentious aspects of health and safety
• drafting health and safety policies
• putting health and safety legislation into practice in the workplace.
• regulatory law, including environmental regulation and trading standards .

For more information on our regulatory services at Royds, please contact Kevin James.