Managing Health and Safety Successfully through Recession

British workplaces significantly improved their health and safety performance in 2008/2009 according to new statistics released by The Health and Safety Executive.  Total days lost are down 12%, from 1.41 to 1.24 days per worker and the graphs below show that figures are down in all key areas compared to the previous year.

This appears to be great news but is it the whole picture?  Workplace injuries tend to reduce during a recession and increase as the economy recovers.  A 1% increase in GDP above trend has historically resulted in a 1.4% increase in the rate of major accidents.

So, how can we make sure the recent improvements continue as we work through the recession and into economic recovery?

Training inexperienced employees is vital

Less activity in the workplace, reduced workforce sizes and a reluctance of staff to report health and safety issues all contribute to fewer reported workplace injuries.  But there is more to it than that.  Businesses making their less experienced workers redundant, combined with less recruitment, decreases the proportion of inexperienced employees in the workforce.  It is not surprising that the experienced, aware workforce that remains is less likely to have accidents.

Analysis of historical trends shows that a 1% increase in the share of new employees typically results in a 1.7-2.5% increase in the level of major accidents and a 1-1.5 % increase in the rate of over three-day injuries.

As recovery brings increased employment, new employees will have less experience and introduce a higher likelihood of accidents.  To maintain their health and safety performance, organisations will need to provide training and opportunities for new employees to gain the experience that will result in fewer accidents.  Training is the key to reducing workplace accidents and it needs to start during an employee’s induction.

Change must be managed effectively

Research suggests a reduced workload, due to reduced output, has a mixed effect on health and safety performance. 

• Reduced output requires less individual effort by each employee which can have a direct, positive impact in the level of accidents and ill-health.  However, this effect can be negated by organisations changing procedures and cutting corners in an effort to reduce costs.
• A reduced workload should lower workplace stress, but the threat of unemployment can lead to a net rise in stress-related illness.

To minimise the negative effect of a reduced workload, organisations need effective welfare and change management procedures.  During uncertain times, consultation becomes ever more important, involving employees at all stages of the process.  Stress risk assessments, understanding reasons for absence and having practical return-to-work procedures in place can all reduce the impact of change on the long-term health of the workforce. 

By managing health and safety effectively through the recession we can make our systems more robust.  That way, when the recovery comes we will all be able to respond competitively.

Sources

Health and Safety Statistics 2008/2009, HSE/Office of National Statistics, 2009
Health and Safety Statistics 2007/2008, HSE/Office National Statistics, 2008
Research report 386: Trends and context to rates of workplace injuries, Warwick Institute for Employment Research, 2005 HSE Strategy Launch – Background Paper: The Economic Evidence, HSE Economic Unit, 2009

For more advice on managing health and safety through recession and into economic growth, please contact us.

Last updated: December, 2009

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