Skip to main content
Facilitate Magazine: Informing Workplace and Facilities Management Professionals - return to the homepage Facilitate magazine logo
  • Search
  • Visit Facilitate Magazine on Facebook
  • Visit Facilitate Magazine on LinkedIn
  • Visit @Facilitate_Mag on Twitter
Visit the website of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management Logo of the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
    • Comment
    • People
    • Reports
    • Research
  • Features
    • Analysis
    • Features
    • Round Tables
    • Webinars
  • Outsourcing
    • Contract Finder
    • Contracts
    • FM Business Models
    • Interviews
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Opinion
    • Procurement
    • Trends
  • Know-How
    • Explainers
    • Legal Updates
    • White Papers
  • Jobs
  • Topics
    • Workplace Services
      • Hospitality
      • Catering
      • Cleaning
      • Front of House
      • Grounds Maintenance
      • Helpdesk
      • Mailroom
      • Manned Guarding / Security
      • Pest Control
      • Washroom Services
      • Disaster Recovery
      • Specialist Services
    • Professional Performance
      • Behavioural Change
      • Continual Professional Development
      • Education
      • Management
      • Recruitment
      • Training
    • Workplace Performance
      • Benchmarking
      • Health & Wellbeing
      • Operational Readiness
      • Procurement
      • Security
      • Workplace User Experience
      • Workplace Culture
    • Compliance
      • Health & Safety
      • Risk & Business Continuity
      • Standards
      • Statutory Compliance
    • Building Services
      • Architecture & Construction
      • Asset Management
      • Building Controls
      • Building Fabric
      • Drinking Water
      • Fire Protection
      • HVAC
      • Landscaping
      • Mechanical & Electrical
      • Building Security
      • Water, Drainage & Plumbing
    • Technology
      • Building Information Modelling
      • CAFM
      • Data & Networks
      • Document Management
      • Information Management
      • Internet of Things (IoT)
      • Software & Systems
    • Energy management
      • Energy Management Systems
      • Electricity
      • Gas
      • Solar
      • Wind
    • Sustainability
      • Environmental Quality
      • Social Value
      • Waste Management
      • Recycling
    • Workspace Design
      • Agile Working
      • Fit-Out & Refurbishment
      • Inclusive Access
      • Lighting
      • Office Interiors
      • Signage
      • Space Planning
      • Storage
      • Vehicle Management / Parking
      • Washroom
    • Sectors
      • Corporate Office
      • Education
      • Healthcare
      • Manufacturing
      • International
      • Retail
      • Sports & Leisure
      • Regions
  • Buyers' Guide
Quick links:
  • Home
  • Sections
  • Topics
Know How
Sections
Explainers
Workplace services
Pest control

Safety culture

Open-access content Tuesday 8th January 2019 — updated 2.38pm, Tuesday 5th May 2020
From the archive:  Just so you know, this article is more than 3 years old.
H&S © iStock

Teaching employees to follow health and safety (H&S) regulations needs to be integrated into business culture, says Matthew Bailey.

09 January 2019 | Matthew Bailey


The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says an organisation's safety culture depends on individual and group values, attitudes, perceptions, competencies and patterns of behaviour that determine the commitment to and style of H&S management.

H&S has improved considerably in the UK, with workplace fatalities dropping from 37 in 2015-16 to 27 the next year.

Alongside legislation and regulation, improved risk assessment, and better safety procedures, training and equipment are playing a part.

A business with a negative safety culture, poor leadership and direction, will see low employee engagement. So action must be taken to safeguard employees - especially at higher risk.


Beyond commercial benefits

Look at resources allocated to H&S and the precedence it has over aspects of the business such as cost or profit.

If employees see the main focus is commercial benefit, it is unlikely they will think the business cares about safety.

Think about how you can engage people from across the business. For a positive H&S culture, all levels of the business need to take ownership for safety.


Two effective ways to do this include:

  • Setting up a H&S working group with people from across the business, each bringing their own knowledge and working practices to improve other parts of the business.
  • Involve senior management, as the best managers are seen to lead by example. Identify a senior leader who can assist you. Choose someone who can leverage influence especially at board level. Let them be your H&S ambassadors and get them talking about business benefits such as increased productivity, smarter working and cost savings, and always relate your H&S initiatives to these positive outcomes.

 


Communicate across the business

Taking employees' H&S concerns seriously is key to boosting morale. Management has a duty to field questions and seek feedback from FMs.

In-house publications offer a good platform to answer questions while encouraging safe behaviour and general H&S awareness in a workforce.

Incorporating information on H&S into material on another, more easily digestible, topic is another effective way of getting a message across.

Using real-world examples - incidents that have happened or those that easily could - illustrates the importance of safety. By placing them in the work setting, employees easily associate the action with the environment. If you're talking about a situation in a particular part of the building or business, physically take staff concerned into that space (assuming it is safe to do so) and point out the hazards and issues.


The importance of training

Businesses need to understand that not all training will be up to scratch. Dedicated training providers will ensure that thorough guidance is delivered to all participants, leaving them engaged and understanding how they can do their jobs even better.

Training is designed to change perceptions and improve standards - which is especially important when working at height with very high risks.

Across the industry, education and training is being ramped up to make sure safety is at the forefront of people's minds. This is clear to see in vocational education, for example, where safety training is incorporated into the teaching syllabus.

An increase in education and training will inevitably help to transform H&S culture and lead to a future workforce that expects higher standards from their employers.

We can see this taking place already with statistics from the HSE showing fatal injuries at their lowest rate among those aged 16-34.

In-house training is just as important as external. Refresher courses taught by peers can be useful as they will be able to provide the real-world context that an external trainer who is unfamiliar with business practices might not. You can consider saving time within the business by offering these as working lunches.

Changing H&S culture isn't about a facilities manager having a command-and-control mindset; the focus should be much more on daily habits, changing attitudes and working on the way employees think.  


Matthew Bailey is divisional manager - inspection & certification at HCL Safety

You may also be interested in...

Bike © Getty Images

On your bike

At 20 years old, Cycle to Work is one of the most successful employee benefits schemes, providing a number of business advantages, explains Gary Webb.

Tuesday 8th January 2019
Open-access content
Reception © Getty Images

Dressed for success

What happens when front-of-house staff ditch their uniforms for their own clothes? Michael Schumacher reveals the results.

Tuesday 8th January 2019
Open-access content
p46_turbine_shutterstock_536669425-dt

Renewable earnings

In a volatile market, more businesses are choosing behind-the-meter renewable generation and energy storage, says Matthew Clayton.

Monday 4th February 2019
Open-access content

Tuned-in leaders

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable - but the right leader can resolve it, says Terry Hayward.

Monday 7th January 2019
Open-access content
Living wage

National Minimum Wage requires careful handling

The National Minimum Wage will increase to £8.21 from April 2019, but many businesses fail to understand the complexity of compliance, says James Pike.

Monday 7th January 2019
Open-access content
p49_borehole_iStock-533050414

Boreholes bounty

Boreholes can help manufacturers safeguard their production processes from potential water shortages, explains Gary Sewell.

Monday 4th February 2019
Open-access content
Also filed in
Topics
Know How
Content
Explainers
Workplace services
Pest control
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linked in
  • Mail
  • Print

 

Latest Jobs

Interim Head of Health & Safety

Suffolk
£250.00 - £300.00 per day (premium day rate)
Reference
59637

Contracts & Senior Estates Project Manager

North West England
£29.53 per hour
Reference
59633

Facilities Manager

London (Central)
up to £43,000 + excellent benefits including car
Reference
59631
See all jobs »

 

 

Sign up to our newsletter

News, jobs and updates

Sign up

Subscribe to print

Sign up to receive our bi-monthly magazine

Subscribe
Facilitate magazine cover, June 2020
​
FOLLOW US
@Facilitate_Mag
Facilitate Magazine
Facilitate Magazine
CONTACT US
Contact us
Tel: 020 7880 6200
​

IWFM

About IWFM
Become a member
Qualifications
Events

Information

Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Cookie Policy
Think Green

Get in touch

Contact us
Advertise with us
Subscribe to Facilitate Magazine
Write for Facilitate Magazine

General

IWFM Jobs
Help

© 2023 • www.facilitatemagazine.com and Facilitate Magazine are published by Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part is not allowed without written permission.

Redactive Media Group Ltd, 71-75 Shelton Street, London WC2H 9JQ