Every year on April 28th, we celebrate World Day for Safety and Health at Work, a global campaign shining a spotlight on the importance of workplace Safety and Health. World Day for Safety and Health at Work serves as a timely reminder to ensure everything is in order 
. Ensuring safety and health in the workplace is paramount for the well-being of employees and the success of businesses. World Safety and Health at Work Day highlights the importance of creating safe and healthy work environments worldwide.
ISO 45001 is the Standard for Occupational Safety and Health. At the crux of the standard is that any risks or accidents should be prevented rather than remedied – it is far easier and safer to prevent a problem rather than fix one. And in regard to the health and safety of people, this cannot be understated. Where this is not applicable though, it enables businesses to reduce the risks associated with any procedures that are carried out by the company, however infrequent. 🛠️
Why It Matters: This day underscores the significance of having robust Safety and Health policies and procedures. With the ever-evolving landscape of occupational risks due to technological advancements and organisational changes, staying vigilant is key. It’s not only imperative for the safety of all people (not just employees) at risk, but also staying legally compliant, enhancing productivity and reputation, and also reducing unnecessary expenses. If you are employee, it’s vital to remember:
Your Training
: Your employer is required by law to provide all relevant employees with training and personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as providing training on how to correctly use such PPE. It should be noted that the provision of PPE should not be a replacement for preventing or reducing any workplace-related risks but should be a last resort.
Checking Equipment
: Again, your employer will provide any equipment that you need to do your job. It should be normally operationally okay, but always check it before use. If you see something out of place or different looking, let a manager know. Never risk it!
Calling Out
: If you notice something that seems like an unnecessary risk or you can think of a way to optimise it, let your manager know. You might have been the first to do so and could drastically help to prevent a far bigger problem. But as an employer, it falls to you to make sure that all the proper procedures are in place. If not, you could face serious legal consequences. Contact Team Turnstone for help and guidance to make your workplace safer. In the meantime, know:
Your Responsibilities 
: Employers bear the responsibility of safeguarding their employees’ well-being as far as is reasonably practicable. That’s why it’s important to regularly review your policies and procedures to align with new measures. Communicating any changes to employees, and underlining the importance of working safely, will create a culture where all staff will get on board.
Prevention Culture 🛡️: An arguably more important culture that you should strive for is prevention culture, but what is it? It’s about valuing safety, promoting dialogue, prioritising prevention, and enhancing awareness to mitigate risks and ensure a secure workplace. For example, the most common type of accident in the workplace is slips, trips, & falls, which accounts for approximately 33% of all non-fatal injuries. So, with this, always check and remove tripping hazards, provide proper footwear (if needed), repair any walkways with loose fittings etc.
Benefits Beyond Compliance 
: Investing in Safety and Health isn’t just about ticking boxes; it’s about reaping rewards. Some perks from a corporate standpoint include reduced absences, lower turnover of staff, diminished legal threats are just the beginning, happier and more productive employees, along with many others.
ISO 45001 – Every Worker’s Best Friend ISO 45001, the international standard for occupational Safety and Health management systems. It is more than just a set of guidelines; it’s a framework empowering organisations to enhance safety performance, minimise accidents, and foster a healthy work environment. Health & safety affects every business, regardless of size or sector. From construction to catering, safety and health compliance is non-negotiable. That’s why Team Turnstone offers a tailored Health & Safety Compliance Audit to measure the performance of your systems and procedures against the applicable ISO standard required. Some things that we want to remind you of for it is that your plan and approach to it should be tailored to the size of your business and proportionate to the level of risk in your industry. ISO 45001 is not an easy standard to upload since it goes above and beyond what the law requires, but it is a worthwhile investment. Turnstone are specialists in helping businesses to achieve this standard, and we can carry out an internal ISO 45001 Compliance Audit to measure to measure the performance of your existing systems and procedures for health and safety practices. But it’s not a one-off task with health and safety; everyday counts, and we need to constantly be aware of looking after our own health and the health of others. Let’s make every workplace a safer, healthier environment for all! 
