Why it is important to work safely
Society exerts pressure through three overlapping and interacting spheres of influence: moral, legal and financial.
Moral
Morals are the codes of conduct, or rules of behaviour imposed by a society about what is right and wrong.
For people to be killed, or seriously injured, or to suffer illness because of work is clearly wrong.
Although, in the UK there are generally good standards of workplace health and safety a lot of harm is still caused each year.
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Legal
There are two systems of law that influence the management of health and safety.
- Criminal Law: The criminal law establishes a set of rules for acceptable behaviour. In the workplace, the main duties are covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.If the necessary standards are not met the enforcement agencies (either the HSE, the Office of Rail and Road – ORR, or the local authority environmental health department, depending on the nature of the work) may take action to secure improvements and / or punish offenders for breaking the rules.
- Civil Law: The civil law allows an injured person to sue a third party for compensation for their injury or loss if the injury was caused through the third party’s negligence.
Financial
Accidents cost money in two main ways: insured and uninsured losses.
Insured costs are those covered by an insurance policy — for example, compensation for an injured worker or repairs to damaged equipment. These are the visible, claimable costs that the insurer helps to pay.
Uninsured costs are the hidden expenses that insurance does not cover. These can include lost production time, staff replacement and training, investigation costs, damage to reputation, and management time spent dealing with the aftermath.
According to HSE guidance, these uninsured costs are often far greater — sometimes more than ten times higher — than the insured costs. So while insurance helps with the immediate financial impact (like the cost of an injured person), the real financial damage comes from the broader disruption to the business.
This is often illustrated via the ‘Accident Cost Iceberg’.