Director Level Responsibilities for Health and Safety

How seriously does your board of directors take its responsibilities for health and safety?

A couple of months ago, the Institute of Directors published the results of a health and safety questionnaire that they had circulated to their members. The number of respondents was a little under 400, so it might not be considered a fully 'scientific' study, nevertheless it does present an indicator of the level of importance attached to health and safety by the directors of UK organisations.

The main thrust of the questionnaire was to assess the level of interest in health and safety at director level. This included such aspects as:

Responsibility and accountability for health and safety at board level
Review of the health and safety policy
Discussion of health and safety issues as part of the board's regular agenda
Reporting of health and safety matters to the board and by the board

Other health and safety matters explored by the questionnaire included such aspects as:

Driving duration, training and use of mobile phones
Health and safety considerations when dealing with suppliers and customers
Dealings with the Health & Safety Executive and Local Authorities over health and safety issues

Just considering some of the more significant findings, it is clear that the larger the organisation the more likely it is to operate formal health and safety management processes. Though this is a general rule it is not, however, universally true.

For example, of the sample, only a small percentage (4%) of organisations had a specific health and safety director. As might be expected, this was only true in the larger organisations. However, what is important is that the board as a whole should recognise that they are legally responsible for health and safety performance. Typically this is manifested by a specific director having responsibility for health and safety alongside their other responsibilities (often the managing director, but almost as often one of the other directors). The concern is that nearly 20% or respondents had no such director and these were mostly in the small to medium sized organisations.

Significantly, less than half the organisations received a health and safety report at every meeting. Once again there was a major disparity between the larger companies (65%) and the smallest organisations that employed less than 10 people (10%). Many of the other organisations received reports on a less frequent basis, in some cases much less frequently, with 14% of the boards never receiving a health and safety report. Of course, receiving a report and allocating time to discuss it are somewhat different matters. So nearly 20% never discussed the health and safety report, with the remainder responding with “occasionally” or “usually”. Once again it was the smaller organisations that presented the worst picture.

Bearing in mind that this hardly represents a scientific assessment of the degree to which the boards of UK organisations take health and safety seriously, it nevertheless presents a variable and not really commendable picture. UK and European law requires that everyone treat health and safety as a serious issue. In most organisations that will only happen if responsibility is recognised, owned and filtered down from board level. In other words, the way in which health and safety is addressed at director level is a good indicator of the level of compliance throughout the rest of the organisation.

The larger the organisation, the more likely is it that health and safety is treated seriously, but everyone is subject to accidents and sickness, regardless of the size of organisation that employs them. As we approach the start of another new year, it is perhaps as good a time as any to make some new New Year's resolutions to ensure that 2003 is safer and healthier for everyone.

EDP HS&E Consultants offer a high level briefing to ensure your Board Members are fully aware of their duties under Health and Safety legislation.

To discuss your requirements, without any obligation on your part, please gives us a call on 01744 766000 or complete the Enquiry Form on our website.

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