The Importance of Training Board Directors in Health and Safety

If you’re a Board Director, have you ever considered being trained in Health and Safety issues? You may not realise that it’s as important for you to have this knowledge as it is for those managers overseeing the activities of others.

In fact, Quadriga believes that in many cases, Board Directors getting regular Health and Safety training is as important as the need for training in other legal obligations, such as financial or company law, or HR and Data Protection implications.

So, why is this important? As a Board Director, you need training in lifting and handling, or some other detail of Health and Safety Regulation, to fully understand your responsibilities. It’s not just about knowing the details – it’s more about how to discharge them effectively and how to protect yourself, your staff and your organisation.

To fully understand your accountability to the moral and legal necessity for health and safety in your organisation, the booklet published by the HSE entitled ‘Leading health and safety at work’ is a useful source of information.

Over the years, Quadriga has found that many Board Directors are not fully appreciative of the existential threat to their organisation from getting these matters wrong. Often, they are not matters that can be put right after there has been a problem.

Ian Clements, Managing Director of Quadriga, said, “Think of the Grenfell Tower fire type of disaster – it’s no good discussing what your Fire Safety Strategy is after the event. It’s essential to know what your Fire Safety Strategy is in advance. You need to consider how you have dealt or would deal with matters, how you’ve monitored matters, and how you’ve seen these sorts of threats coming.” Listen to more of Ian’s thoughts on this subject in this video.

With numerous serious threats to businesses these days, whether they manifest or not is beside the point – it’s not worth the risk to your business, your staff or your customers. It’s crucial that Board Directors are well advised so that you can fully understand what the risks are and how to manage them.

Quadriga provides regular IOSH (Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) accredited open courses, including a one-day IOSH Safety for Executives and Directors every couple of months. For more details, click here, or contact Rachel Redmond, Training Coordinator, at rachelredmond@healthsafety.co.uk or by calling 0118 929 9935.