Why A Health And Safety Consultant Can Save A Business
For small businesses times are tough
For small businesses times are tough. Money is tight and the list of factors every office manager must take into consideration seems to be growing all the time. With all that in mind it is unsurprisingly that from time to time certain details get missed. However, should that explain why so many businesses avoid hiring a dedicated health and safety consultant?
In many ways you can understand why many businesses try to stay away. In short it's down to psychology. None of us like tests and when possible we do our best to avoid them and that's exactly what that is. To many people bringing in an expert shines a spotlight on their own competence and ability. Each office manager must dread the thought that an inspection might highlight something absolutely horrific? Remember the health inspector from Fawlty Towers? Well that's a scenario that many employers can imagine all too vividly.
Others still resent the extra cost that might bring in. Not only do they have to think about the price of bringing in the health and safety consultant but the expense of making some of the updates recommended. These are tough times and every employers is watching his or her cash flow like a hawk. Again such a course of action would be understandable, but not recommended. There is always a danger that in looking after the pennies in the short term you can set yourself up for a big bill further down the line.
By sticking your head in the sand and hoping you get away with any inconsistencies, you are setting yourself up for one big fall. Just imagine if you do have a serious problem within your office that a health and safety consultant would have picked up. In that case it would have been a simple fix. However, imagine what might happen if you leave it un remedied and a member of staff has an accident. We live in an unpleasantly litigious culture at the moment and most employees have no second thoughts about suing when they feel an employer has caused an accident.
The thought of bringing in a health and safety consultant is enough to bring many sane people out into a cold sweat. However, never fear. Forewarned is fore armed and although it may cost you money in the short term the savings in terms of reputation and fines will be well worth it.