Helping Great Britain Work Well in 2016

Man Jumping

Through comprehensive initiatives and tireless work, Great Britain has been able to establish one of the leading health and safety records in the world. This is reflective of its robust health and safety legislation and management. Health and safety, when paired with rigorous risk management, helps strongly contribute to the financial success of Great Britain through increased production, inspired innovation and growth. But, our work is not done—last year, work-related injuries and newly diagnosed illnesses caused by poor working conditions cost the British economy £14.3 billion.

The challenge now is to improve health and safety even further. To do that, the HSE recently introduced its five-year strategy. The strategy is composed of six key themes, and each theme represents an area of health and safety in which every Briton can contribute to keep health and safety evolving and improving:

  1. Acting together: Promotes broader ownership of health and safety practices in order to emphasise that it is the responsibility of each industry, business and citizen of Great Britain to embody these principles
  2. Tackling ill health: Highlights the effects of work-related ill health, which can impact Britons across all industries, and effectively addresses those issues through the implementation of safe practices
  3. Managing risk well: Simplifies risk management schemes in order to help businesses grow more effectively and safely
  4. Supporting small employers: Provides small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with advice to help them understand what compliance tasks they must accomplish in order for them to grow their businesses
  5. Keeping pace with change: Anticipates potential emerging health and safety challenges, and implements comprehensive strategies in order to effectively address them
  6. Sharing our success: Promotes the benefits of Great Britain’s world-class health and safety system

At this time, the HSE has yet to release specific details on how each theme will effectively achieve its objectives. However, the intention of the strategy is quite clear: to remove any present or potential barriers for establishing comprehensive, accessible health and safety programmes for Great Britain, and to send the message that everyone has a part to play when it comes to improving health and safety.

For more information on Great Britain’s health and safety record, as well as the HSE’s six themes, visit, www.hse.gov.uk/strategy.