As winter pressures hit hospitals, Gerard Stilliard, head of personal injury strategy at Thompsons Solicitors, looks at why it shouldn’t be a reason for poor health and safety
As the weather turns colder and wetter, and winter pressures start to hit hospitals, the healthcare sector faces additional health and safety challenges, which can bring about a rise in the number of accidents at work.
Given the pressures that the health service is already under due to government cuts, it is vital that health and safety regimes within the service limit the risk of employees suffering a workplace accident or illness.
Recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that workplace injuries and illnesses are on the rise, with 516,000 new cases reported in 2014/15 alone. In the same period, 611,000 workers reported non-fatal injuries at work, 152,000 of which led to an absence from work of more than seven days. This can mean huge cost to organisations like the NHS, where budgets are already being squeezed right, left and centre. If highly skilled healthcare professionals are forced to take time off work because of accidents and illness that could have been avoided, it is wastage that can ill be afforded.
For healthcare workers, back injuries, needlestick injuries and stress at work are common, as are the impact of slips, trips and falls, particularly in the winter months. Maintaining a safe workplace, clear of hazards with potential dangers clearly signposted, is vital to keeping the workforce healthy. Paying lip service to the concept of risk assessment or not carrying any out at all is not only short termism, but means that inexpensive solutions, such as putting a warning sign up, are being overlooked.
With plans to issue greater fines to organisations who are convicted of breaches in health and safety next year, the already cash-strapped NHS needs to ensure that robust health and safety procedures are in place to avoid breaches – and fines.
Some employers see health and safety as a burden, but, in reality, a little bit of forethought saves a lot of time and money. Protecting the workforce means that the services they manage and that we all rely on have the best chance of meeting the many challenges the winter season can present.
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