Russell Bell: Health and safety knowledge paramount for governors

When it comes to health and safety, it is important for people in governance roles to understand the organisation and every potential risk. Photo / 123rf

Opinion:

It is always telling when someone in a governance role starts saying "in my role as governor [insert operational activity that they dive into the detail on]".

It is usually a sign they do not understand what governance is. It is even sadder when people in governance roles consistently dive into the detail when they have supposedly been in the role for a long time and should know better.

Unfortunately, this is somewhat commonplace and presents a risk to both the individual and the organisation(s) they serve.

However, when it comes to matters of health and safety, it is appropriate for directors and trustees to be very interested in how this risk is being managed – but this does not mean board members get in the way of those delegated the authority to manage it.

The default position should be to keep everybody as safe as is possible. Certainly, it is quite irregular for any governor to be pushing for relaxation of health and safety controls when a clear and present risk is identified; health and safety being a crucial area where leadership cannot afford to make errors of judgment or cut corners for an ulterior motive.

When it comes to health and safety, it is important to ensure you understand the organisation and every potential risk - which is why it is appropriate to get independent experts to assist with setting up your systems and controls and then getting another to come in periodically and test the controls to ensure they are working.

There are also some very well-developed software solutions (such as Safe365) that support your health and safety efforts and contribute to keeping you and your staff safe. More importantly, particularly when your business works with other businesses or the public, by having best practice systems and controls you also protect your customers and clients too.

And it is here that you are best served by getting experts to develop systems and controls that are tailored to your own circumstances. Every business is different, and its clientele and assets/infrastructure are also unique. So, when it comes to health and safety, it is redundant to cite other similar businesses or operators and try to copy what they do. To suggest this creates risk and shows a lack of understanding of the tangible risk present in the current specific environment.

Covid-19 presents its own unique challenges and also, I believe, there are a number of risks yet to crystallise. So, erring on the side of caution is absolutely the most appropriate approach.

We are dealing with a virus that leapt off the starting blocks with an amazing ability to both infect humans and transmit between them (curiously more effectively indoors) and it is gaining function as it mutates. Those with responsibility for the health and safety of staff and the public will need to be flexible but conservative in terms of their management of it. Conservatism at this time is probably the most appropriate and least risky stance, particularly as it appears that the Government is now moving from elimination to suppression to "let it rip" (but with a kinder title).

If you are leading an organisation, you are more than likely to encounter health and safety risk in some form. You will need to familiarise yourself with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and consult with an independent expert if required. The alternative is to drown in health and safety risk, the consequences of which should not be underestimated.