Business owners sometimes have the perception that safety consultancy may be an unnecessary financial burden. However, it’s vital to bear in mind that a safety consultant’s role is to identify gaps in existing safety processes. Identifying these gaps and responding with a process restructure helps minimise workplace injuries and can save your business thousands of dollars.
Three key areas that will be covered include:
- How safety consultants minimise workplace injuries in high-risk industries
- Ways consultants put workers’ safety at the forefront of business processes
- Three ways safety consultants help businesses reduce workplace injuries:
- Identify compliance issues
- Identify gaps in training
- Identify safety gaps in processes
By understanding these three components, you’ll learn the importance of engaging a safety consultant and how they help your business reduce workplace injuries.
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Which industries require safety consultants?
All businesses should conduct safety audits, however, the potential risks are greater in certain industries.
BusinessBasics safety consultants are highly experienced in several industries including mining, construction, civil construction, distribution and logistics, manufacturing, retailing, wholesaling, and allied health services. These industries are high-risk areas as they involve multiple stakeholders and the potential for personal injury which increases the chance of a safety risk occurring.
Common reasons businesses invest in safety consultants include:
- Evaluating whether workplace processes and procedures comply with relevant regulations and legislation.
- Ensuring management and workers understand and comply with safety requirements. This includes Workplace Health and Safety (WHS), Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Environmental laws.
- Identify potential risks and hazards in the workplace. This includes worksite safety, equipment use and hazardous materials.
- Identify health and safety activities are properly documented.
Safety consultants aren’t mandatory, however, they provide professional and experienced advice to reduce workplace injuries.
Safety consultants put workers’ safety at the forefront of business processes
Safety in the workplace is non-negotiable. A safety consultant’s primary responsibility is to inspect the workplace and ensure legal compliance. This includes Workplace Health and Safety (WHS), Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and Environmental laws.
Depending on the contract, safety consultants may conduct multiple audits each year to identify any safety gaps in processes.
BusinessBasics puts workers safety at the forefront of business operations. We offer several different types of workplace safety audits including:
- general safety audits
- site safety audits
- project audits
- contractor and supplier safety audits
Once safety gaps are identified, the consultant can provide advice and help create processes to prevent risks from arising. Next, we’ll discuss how consultants can reduce workplace injuries.
Why you need a safety management consultant to reduce workplace risks
Safety consultants help mitigate risks and create a safe work environment for your valuable staff & clients. Once the consultant has conducted a workplace safety audit, they will work with you to develop a process to fill in the gaps.
- Identify compliance issues
Safety legislation is continuously evolving. A safety consultant will identify any OHS legal safety gaps your workplace needs to address. They could recommend your business becomes accredited or certified in a particular standard relevant to your business. For example, they may suggest your business becomes ISO 45001 certified to help prove your systems comply with OHS laws and the international standard.
- Identify gaps in training
The consultant will outline any gaps in safety training, working with you to create a safer process. For example, a safety resource manual may be developed for distribution during inductions.
Upskilling workers in safe workplace practices teaches them to respond to risks, reducing workplace injuries. Workplace safety also increases trust and morale. Therefore, workers are more likely to comply with processes and help ensure the workplace is safe.
- Identify safety gaps in processes
Audits identify gaps in workplace processes. Safety consultants may identify unsafe practices which contribute to the risk of potential injuries. By identifying risks in processes, the business is able to implement safety processes to reduce risks.
Take the proactive approach and reduce workplace injuries by engaging in a safety consultant. Avoiding unnecessary risk is one of the simplest, smartest ways to save workers from avoidable injuries.
Take the proactive approach to reducing workplace injuries
Being proactive in safety management can be a life or death difference for your business. Safety consultants can help your business save money and time by creating an in-depth audit of current processes and identify any gaps in safety requirements.
There are three common ways safety consultants can reduce workplace injuries:
- Identify compliance issues
- Identify gaps in training
- Identify safety gaps in processes
Take the pressure off any safety compliance issue by outsourcing a consultant to conduct a thorough safety audit of your business.
At BusinessBasics, we specialise in consulting, auditing, compliance and certification/accreditation assistance for OHS/Safety Management Systems and WHS legal requirements.
We can help you by providing a:
Contact BusinessBasics for a consultation.