No one knows your workplace better than you. Therefore, as a manager or owner, surely you are the person best placed to carry out any health and safety risk assessments?
Well, strangely, the fact you know your business so well is the exact reason why you are probably completely the wrong person for the job. The more acquainted you are with anything, the less subjective you can be about it, and that old adage that it can be hard to see the wood for the trees can be very costly if all that wood catches fire.
Whilst health and safety training courses are very valuable assets for a company, allowing people to fully understand what areas need attention in all aspects of your business, it is also wise to occasionally seek third party input too.
The right health and safety courses will allow you to deal with changes in your company more effectively and to make assessments as and when they are needed rather than having to constantly having to call in professional companies to help you deal with the changes. However, third party input on your health and safety risk assessments can still be beneficial as even the most trained member of staff might still find it easy to overlook certain dangers simply because they are so used to such a problem staring them in the face.
Taking the time to train staff in health and safety is going to be hugely beneficial, whether you can impart the knowledge yourself or whether you have them take relevant courses which can allow certain members of staff to fully understand your current needs. However, third parties – and more importantly a fresh pair of eyes that are not used to the specific environment – are still always going to help make sure that the most obvious of steps are always taken.
