For most workers, the issue of health and safety conjures up images of tedious training sessions, during which a grainy video reminds them of the dangers of making tea for colleagues while standing in a pool of water. However, the maintenance of correct health and safety procedures is a serious business, and acts as a valuable safeguard against accidents and the legal wrangles that can ensue. So just how do companies keep abreast of the ever-changing health and safety legislation, and who can they turn to for expert advice?
Step forward Alastair Cannon, one of Her Majesty's health and safety inspectors appointed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). He has had more than his fair share of issues to advise on during his time in the field. "I spent two years as a trainee inspector and have been qualified for the past four years," he says. According to the HSE website (www.hse.gov.uk), the Executive employs a large number of inspectors to deal with health and safety in the workplace on a day-to-day basis. They are responsible for on-site inspections, both announced and unannounced, the investigation of accidents and complaints and the enforcement of relevant legislation where necessary.
Cannon works out of the Bristol office and is responsible for visits within the local area. "When I'm in the office I answer inquiries from a range of people; for example, health and safety advisers checking on the efficiency of their particular management structures," he says. The aim of an inspector is always to prevent a worst-case scenario being realised. Much of Cannon's time, therefore, is spent preparing for forthcoming on-site inspections. "At present my remit covers National Health Service trusts, the police, the Ministry of Defence and various factories involved in a whole range of manufacturing," explains Cannon. "I don't arrive at an inspection armed with a specific list of demands because one of the central challenges of the job is identifying the precise needs of an organisation. There isn't a 'one size fits all' method of checking and maintaining health and safety levels," he says.
Clearly, a key attribute for inspectors is the ability to ask pertinent questions. Cannon assesses what these might be by personally observing the premises and speaking to workers. "I may enter a factory and spot that a machine is being operated without a safety guard. If, after a few days, I then find out that people have carried on using the machine incorrectly, I have the power to instantly halt work due to a serious breach of our guidelines. In that instance not only would the company have broken the law by operating the machinery in an unsafe manner, but they would also have ignored an instruction from an inspector."
Cannon is interested in long-term planning to avoid serious injuries among staff. "I will meet with senior managers to figure out why the guard was off in the first place, and to question the risk-assessment training currently in place. Staff need to be trained - otherwise the chances are that a month down the line, the same situation will occur," he says. "With the NHS trusts, I may choose to focus on a key area of risk, such as the high incidence of back strain among nursing staff in one particular department. On a site visit, I would spend time observing the lifting methods that nurses are currently using on patients. I will then sit down with ward managers and examine the way staff are being trained to work within the parameters of health and safety law."
The possibility of legal repercussions arising from negligence of health and safety issues can be a constant concern for many companies. "If workplaces disregard health and safety, it will cost them money, due to enormous sickness and absence bills, which can have a debilitating effect on organisations such as the police and the NHS. Secondly, individuals can and will sue a company and an enterprise could even be at risk of being prosecuted by local authorities for contravening health and safety law." Cannon is confident that no company would wish to be named in the press in connection with a prosecution for harming their own staff. Cannon emphasises that in analysing a safety breach he is delving into the very core of an organisation's culture. "A workplace culture will need to be assessed if staff are being put at risk," he says.
Cannon is often faced with traumatic incidents and one of the worst breaches of health and safety that he has ever witnessed involved the death of a man who fell from a 30-ton power press that was being transported from Britain to Germany. "The driver of the vehicle carrying the machinery reversed over the victim and the outcome was fatal. Our job was to investigate the root cause of the accident, raise awareness, liaise with the bereaved and prevent any future repetition of the situation," says Cannon.
Does this constant vigilance in all matters healthy and safe have an effect outside work? "Sometimes I do think that this job has made more safety-aware. I definitely think I'm a more cautious driver than I ever was, but that could just be as a result of being older. But a couple of weeks ago, I was doing some DIY at home that involved some work at height, and I instinctively sat down and worked out the potential hazards before starting." Would he have done that a few years ago? "I doubt it," he says.