EEF, the manufacturers’ organisation has launched a unique course to aid health, safety & environment practitioners communicate more effectively at Board level within companies and help them engage the whole of businesses in health & safety issues.
The launch of the course comes at a time when the impact of new sentencing guidelines for health & safety offences are beginning to rapidly escalate. In 2016 nineteen companies received fines over £1million (the largest being £5million). This compares to only three in 2015 and none in 2014. EEF believes that, given fines are based on turnover, the £100million fine will occur in a matter of time.
The two day course has been specially developed in conjunction with EEF’s management and professional development experts. As well as helping match high levels of health & safety competence, it will provide practitioners, who often have to work harder to get the attention of business leaders, with leadership and management skills. This will give them the ability to effectively create, influence and clearly communicate health & safety strategy in a pragmatic and commercial way for maximum business impact.
The course includes expertise on:
- What are the characteristics of a commercially aware person and how does this relate to the role of a health, safety & environment practitioner?
- Understanding the wider internal and external environment within which businesses operate including customers, market-dynamics, competitors, suppliers, financial drivers
- Developing your business case for health, safety & environment investment and demonstrating the return on profits, growth, productivity
- Identifying the impact health, safety & environment advice and recommendations may have on the bottom line
Commenting, Steve Jackson, Health, Safety & Sustainability Director at EEF, said:
“As the impact of new sentencing guidelines begin to have a real impact, the price for failing to adhere to health, safety & environmental regulation is becoming an ever great business risk, not to mention ever more cost with senior individuals being held more to account.
“In today’s challenging business environment being an expert on health, safety & environment is not enough. If those professionals are going engage at board level and with the wider workforce then a much more rounded package of business skills and competencies is required.”