A new study from a leading website for personal injury lawyers has shed light on the state of workplace safety procedures within business around the UK; revealing that just under three quarters, 73%, of employees admit that they are ‘unaware’ of safety procedures within their workplace.
Furthermore, just under half, 49%, of employees taking part in the study claimed that they had never seen any written documentation of safety procedures in place; despite working in a business employing 5 or more people.
The study was conducted by www.personalinjurylawyers.co.uk <http://www.personalinjurylawyers.co.uk> , as part of research into health and safety precautions taken by UK businesses. 1,561 employees working in UK businesses employing 5 people or more subsequently took part, answering questions surrounding their knowledge of safety procedures in their working environment.
Respondents were asked to rate their general knowledge of the health and safety procedures currently in place in their work environment, selecting from ‘very knowledgeable,’ ‘moderately knowledgeable’ or ‘unaware.’ The large majority, 73%, of employees taking part in the study admitted that they were ‘unaware’ of the health and safety procedures in place in their workplace. In contrast, just 6% of respondents claimed that they were ‘very knowledgeable.’
Just a fifth, 18%, of respondents to the study knew the fire safety procedures in place for their workplace, whilst under a third, 28%, knew their dedicated ‘health and safety manager.’ 15% of the employees taking part in the study admitted that they did not think their office had a dedicated health and safety manager.
Furthermore, only a quarter, 24%, of employees taking part in the study claimed that they knew where their workplace first aid kit was located.
When asked, “Do you think that your workplace is effectively protected against health and safety risks?” over half, 53%, of employees answered “no.” Furthermore, when total respondents were asked if they had ever suffered an injury in the workplace, almost a third, 29%, answered “yes.”
Just under half, 49%, of respondents to the study also claimed that they had never seen written documentation of the health and safety procedures in place for their workplace.
Nicholas Tate, founder of personalinjurylawyers.co.uk, commented on the findings:
“Health and safety procedures are an extremely important part of any workplace environment, yet these are of course only most effective when employees are made aware of all procedures in place. It was interesting to see that so many of the employees taking part in the study claimed to be unaware of procedures, and it really highlights the possible dangers that can lie in the workplace if correct procedures aren’t put in place.”
He continued:
“It’s extremely important for all employers to ensure that staff are correctly up to date with health and safety procedures around the workplace. Not only do they protect staff, but minimise the risk of injury and claims being made against the employer. I would urge any business without correct procedures and officers in place to do so immediately, to ensure that both employer and employee are protected as best they can be.”