As a health and safety consultant, we see the realities of life in the field for many companies. And the financial realities for them also.
In the UAE in particular where health and safety is not always given the priority that it is in other regions, this can equate to certain entities viewing health and safety as a compliance only tick box exercise only. And perhaps not thinking much further as the assumption is safety should come as a by product of compliance. Right ? And we are low risk anyway so what could really go wrong ?
So could these companies and their attitudes be right in any part ? How robust is this approach ? Let us examine…
When you hear the words Health and Safety Compliance, what do you think ?
Hold that thought.
Let us first turn to the term in Safeopedia and see the definition there.
“Safety compliance is the act of adhering to safety rules set down by regulatory bodies and legislators. Organizations must comply with the safety regulations that apply to their industry and jurisdiction.
Employers are responsible for enforcing compliance in their workplace, on their jobsites, and among their employees. Regulatory bodies have processes to monitor and enforce safety compliance across workplaces”
In simple terms, safety compliance is the process of following rules, regulations, and laws that relate to health and safety.
But really, lets be honest on what you were thinking. It was paperwork wasn’t it ? Box checking.
But compliance doesn’t stop at matching paperwork to the applicable rules and regulations. It is so much more than a tick. An employers duty of care towards keeping employees safe and healthy goes far beyond…..
But being Health and Safety Compliant should reduce risk, right ?
Well yes. It should certainly help. It does for sure demonstrate that a company has some element of trying to do the right thing by health and safety. It should also show that they know of and have interpreted the laws and regulations. Understand where their health and safety risk and accountabilities lie.
Using Health and Safety Consultancy to Create Competitive Advantage
But health and safety is so much more and should also bring far greater rewards. In excess of the peace of mind that comes with knowing that you are operating within the law. Being compliant is not just ticking boxes.
Perhaps other than creating compliance the company requires additional expertise, usually in the form of utilizing a health and safety consultancy. A good consultancy should not only work to safeguard your staff, assets, reputation and profits. Providing you with a powerful competitive advantage. They should further capacity build and leave you in a stronger position than when the project started.
Don’t forget that a company that does more than merely comply will make fewer mistakes. Saving the valuable resources that will be required to fix those mistakes. Instead, the company will be ahead of the game – identifying risks earlier and responding promptly to mitigate them.
Builds Employee Trust
A company where health and safety is part of the culture is very attractive to customers, clients suppliers, investors and staff. The more you can show that you are ethical – and yes, compliant. The less of a risk you are to anyone else who comes into contact with you.
Improving employee engagement is an essential tenet of health and safety. Being an employer of choice is one who attracts the top tier employees. Employees who enjoy coming to work knowing that they are safe.
Always ask the Question: Yes we are Compliant, but are we Also Safe?
Why not see what your staff think of this ? Try a safety perception survey.
In simple terms this is a research tool. Used to gauge an honest appraisal of employee attitudes towards health and safety within a company. If done correctly it can be a revealing and enlightening process !
Safety perception surveys can be very specific or they can be broad. It all depends on what the company want to, or perhaps have the stomach to learn ! Bear in mind that if the results do differ from your expectations….Your employees perception is their reality.
If you are looking for an HSE Consultant in the UAE, Corporate OHS is a Health and Safety Consultancy whose HSE Consultants offer expert resources and superior performance to give you greater results.
We specialize in creating workable, user friendly solutions aligned to your business activities, operations and budget.
Our range of health and safety consultancy services includes;
- Long term or project based HSE outsourcing
- Flexible monthly support retainers giving access to HSE services without the burden of a permanent cost
- Risk assessments
- Hazard identification and control measure implementation
- Gap Analysis and audits
- HSE legal compliance reviews and assistance
- HSE management system development, implementation and improvement including locally compliant systems such as Abu Dhabi OSHAD, Sharjah OSHJ and/or accredited systems such as ISO 45001, ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and ISO 50001
- Accident investigations
- Business continuity and crisis management
To find out more about our services, please visit our website www.corporateohs.com send an email to enquiries@corporateohs.com or call Caroline Savage on 052 566 0949
