SubscribeBest practice is at the heart of everything we at the British Safety Council do. It is not simply about pointing out the requirements of the law, but of highlighting the benefits to be gained from adopting a high level of awareness and a positive safety culture.
Many companies still see safety management as a costly legal requirement with no real business benefits, but this is not the case. By aiming for best practice companies can make improvements in all areas of their business.
Every year some 25,000 people are forced to give up work through avoidable accidents or illness. This amounts to a loss of around 25 million working days at a cost to the economy of £18 billion – that’s £660 for every employee in the UK.
However, by establishing good safety management systems at the outset, firms can make considerable savings through reduced sick pay bills and insurance premiums. In addition, companies can avoid the negative publicity generated by court fines and liability claims.
To reap the benefits of best practice, a positive safety culture needs to be established. Health and safety must become an integral part of the business, not merely an afterthought. This is achieved through commitment from senior management, communicating the safety message effectively and assuring employees that their safety is at the heart of the business.
In working at the cutting edge of medical research Xenova Group plc, a bio-pharmaceutical company, specialises in the development of new drugs for treating cancer. With the use of chemicals a part of everyday life at the firm, it can never take the health of its own employees for granted.
It has a standard operating procedure in place outlining the correct procedures to follow to ensure that any chemical spillage is dealt with quickly and effectively and spill response kits are positioned throughout the laboratories. Staff conducting experiments that may expose them to radioactivity are given thorough training and are issued with dosimeter badges, which check the levels of radiation they are exposed to. They are monitored every three months to ensure radiation doses are well below the working level.
The medicinal chemistry laboratories face the highest risks and staff complete a reaction form for each experiment. This gives details of chemicals, procedures and desired outcomes. It is counter-signed by another scientist to prevent unexpected reactions.
Staff health is vital to the company, which conducts regular health assessments. Employees have blood tests when they join the company and again when they leave. This ensures that when they leave the company their health is as good as when they arrived and that working at the company has not exposed them to any health problems. There is also a corporate health clinic for first line aid such as stitches or jabs. A doctor and physiotherapist are also available.
Sunny Bains, health and safety officer, says: “I am lucky that Xenova operates in a very specialist industry where there is a safety culture already built in, so I don’t have to bully people into thinking about health and safety. I try to get people to think for themselves and we always come to the understanding that everyone benefits from sound health and safety practices.”
Xenova Group Plc works at the cutting edge of medical research where decisions and discoveries can have far-reaching effects. It is a responsibility that the company takes seriously and effective health and safety practices play a vital role in staying at the forefront of new technology.
Xenova knows that good safety is good business and that by aiming for best practice it will be among those that survive and prosper in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
British Safety Council media contact: Fiona Stones
Tel: +44 208 600 5571
E-mail fiona_s@britsafe.org