Unlocking Business Excellence Health and Safety With A Comprehensive Approach #2

Welcome back to the second part of our journey toward unlocking business excellence in health and safety. In Part 1, we discussed the importance of a comprehensive approach to health and safety and the role of a single-source supplier like Ligtas.

Now, let's dive deeper into what this approach entails and how it can support your business.

Many of these will be things you already know, but it’s always good to remind ourselves of the basic principles and align them with business and operational excellence.

Risk Mitigation and Prevention

Having a helicopter view, as we said, of the business and seeing the potential risks and hazards not just from a practical point of view but from a people perspective means that Ligtas can gain a deeper understanding of what is happening and can proactively offer training and consultancy solutions for risk mitigation and prevention strategies, reducing the likelihood of accidents, injuries, and occupational health issues.

By identifying and addressing root causes rather than mere symptoms, businesses can create a safer working environment and protect the well-being of their employees.

Compliance and Regulatory Adherence

We are sure that everyone involved in health and safety in a business loves to read about regulations over a delicious cuppa. However, a consultancy like Ligtas must fully understand all the regulations and their implications. We have a team that can support you in interpreting these in line with your business needs and ensure best practices are upheld.

As regulations evolve and change, as we see all of the time, and certainly since the Building Safety Act came into force and recent changes to fire safety under that act, Ligtas can ensure that you are kept up to date.

Figures released from the HSE show that in 2020/2021, the total for fines was £26.9 million, a drop from the previous year. Yet, the average fine per conviction rose as the courts continued to take a dim view of offenders.

The HSE also recently shared that 135 workers died in work-related incidents in 2022/23. One prosecution recently in the news showed that a Haulage company was fined £150,000 after an employee's death.

Our expertise supports businesses in navigating complex compliance requirements, reducing the risk of penalties, reputational damage, and legal complications.

Cultural Transformation

Health and safety isn’t just about fire doors or fire drills; it covers all aspects of a business, including the well-being of employees. By considering all health and safety aspects, businesses can promote shared responsibility and a health and safety mindset across all levels, with the support of a supplier working across all levels and departments.

When employees see that the leadership are taking their health and safety seriously, the business will witness a cultural transformation encouraging further active engagement and open communication, empowering employees to proactively identify and address potential hazards, and creating a safe and positive work environment.

Enhanced Efficiency and Cost Savings

When you look at your processes from an end-to-end perspective, you can often see where the issues lie. When you have the opportunity with a single source supplier, you can streamline processes and eliminate inefficiencies. Businesses can then enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs associated with accidents, disruptions, and non-compliance. Not forgetting that suppliers can create bundles of training packages to suit your needs.

The single-source supplier's expertise and integrated solutions facilitate the consolidation of resources, streamlining administration, and leveraging economies of scale, leading to cost savings in the long run.

Continuous Improvement and Innovation

At Ligtas, we work hard to keep our knowledge up to date. All of our employees have the opportunity to develop their skills with courses, through experience in the field and with mentors. Our specialised knowledge, insights, and recommendations for enhancing health and safety practices can benefit businesses working with us.

This collaboration allows for identifying emerging trends, adopting new methodologies, and implementing best-in-class solutions that adapt to evolving industry and regulatory demands.

Putting Customers at the Centre

The Ligtas website says the following:

“You matter to us. That’s you, our clients, and our community. Our role is to ensure that you know that your legal, ethical, and financial obligations are met. That you are compliant and that all risks have been assessed and proactively mitigated.”

This is not lip service. We believe ticking a box is not a solution; instead,

“We put our clients at the heart of everything we do when offering products, services and training.”

Placing customers at the heart of business decisions is vital for business excellence. Understanding your needs, preferences, and pain points allows us to work together to tailor our products, services, and experiences accordingly. By delivering exceptional customer value through your health and safety practices, you can too.

Building Strategic Partnerships

None of this would work without the strong relationships that come with creating strategic partnerships. Establishing strategic partnerships and alliances with like-minded businesses can leverage complementary strengths and foster innovation.

When disaster strikes, such as the pandemic, businesses will need a supplier with whom they have a strong relationship to act quickly and ensure that they can continue operating effectively. This is what Ligtas were able to provide Specsavers with when this happened.

Here at Specsavers, we have been working with Ligtas for more than 18 years to provide tailored health and safety solutions to our business. Our relationship with Ligtas is more than simply a customer and client one. With their expertise in health and safety and their intimate knowledge of our retail estate, I see them as a valuable asset and extension to our in-house health and safety team, providing real insight into how our partners manage health and safety in their stores. With a team of regional experts in both health and safety and fire safety, they are on hand to provide risk-based audits and fire risk assessments to our ever-growing estate of stores in the UK, ROI and the Channel Islands.

Phil Sleet - Specsavers - Head of Health & Safety UK/ROI Retail

Developing High-Performing Teams

Building and nurturing high-performing teams is crucial for attaining business excellence. One of your objectives will be to invest in recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent while providing growth opportunities. The true effectiveness of such training lies in the ability of employees to transfer the acquired skills and knowledge to their job tasks.

Assessing the effectiveness of skills transfer in health and safety training is important to validate the investment in training programs and to ensure that employees can apply their learning in practical situations. Our consultants bring specialised knowledge and expertise, allowing them to provide valuable insights and guidance throughout the skills transfer assessment process. This starts with inductions, equipping new starts with the right knowledge to begin their careers with you.

And Finally

Did we persuade you that partnering with a single-source health and safety consultancy and training supplier is the way to go? We hope so…

There is a lot to think about. By embracing these strategies, businesses can optimise their operations, position themselves as industry leaders, foster sustainable growth, and achieve long-term success. Add a supplier like Ligtas to support your goals. We believe this is a win-win.

If you are ready to consider a single-source supplier relationship and think of new ways of doing things, we would love to hear from you.

Join us on our mission to create a safer world.