Health and safety regulations have always been a 'minefield', writes Jim McCartney, and as rules are revised, it's hardly surprising that UK manufacturers are falling foul of them.

Health and safety regulations have always been a 'minefield', even for the savviest of organisations. And as rules are revised or changed, it's hardly surprising that manufacturers are falling foul of them either through lack of awareness or, in some cases, complacence. When anecdotal information indicated that this issue was particularly acute for small businesses, we commissioned research to explore the extent to which manufacturers were aware of health and safety legislation and its potential impact on their business.

The findings were fascinating and enabled us to identify where the needs for health and safety training might lie and to develop a clear understanding of employer and employee attitudes to health and safety in the UK.

Worryingly, we found that 80% of employees surveyed believed that up to a quarter (24%) of accidents in the workplace went unreported to line managers.

A further 14% of workers were not entirely confident that their workplace was safe, indicating a knowledge and communications gap in the industry.

But employees themselves could be part of the problem.

Given that nine in ten manufacturers surveyed claimed to take their HSE duties seriously, their efforts seemed to be hampered by employees who chose to turn a blind eye to real and potential accidents rather than report them.

This could be down to complacence, lack of understanding or simply not wanting to become involved.

However, all are breaches of health and safety regulations.

Yet ignoring health and safety at work is not a wise option for manufacturing businesses as some have discovered at their peril, suffering costly fines, imprisonment or the closure of their business.

The average fine for an HSE conviction in 2004-2005 was GBP 8,368, which many employers admit could damage their ability to trade.

Employers can even be prosecuted if an accident has not occurred.

In March 2005, Berkshire-based Bracknell Fireworks was fined GBP 28,000 by the Health and Safety Executive when inspectors found boxes of damaged fireworks leaking explosive material.

But this isn't the full extent of the issue - the onus on companies is set to increase if the proposed Corporate Manslaughter Bill is passed.

This will hold companies responsible if it is proved that fatalities have occurred on site as a result of gross negligence on the part of senior managers.

Our research findings found that almost half of employers surveyed had never heard of the proposed bill.

It isn't all doom and gloom - improved health and safety practices can pay dividends.

Enhancing workforce training and promoting a culture of continuous learning improves employee effectiveness and potentially the company's performance rates and standing in the industry.

At same time, employees who are continually trained and developed should become more motivated and confident in their job role, resulting in a reduction in staff turnover and an increase in the employee's faith in their safety at work.

And training needn't cost the earth.

As health and safety is such a priority in the UK, the cost of health and safety training is covered by the Learning and skills council (LSC) as part of its national 'Train to Gain' initiative to upskill the UK workforce.

Details of funding and local training providers can be found on the LSC's website www.lsc.gov.uk

In fact, addressing health and safety issues could even generate savings for businesses.

City and Guilds has joined up with Premier Line Insurance to give employers a 10% discount on their insurance if they enrol 15% of their workforce onto the new City and Guilds level 2 Certificate in 'Manufacturing Working Practices'.

The qualification also covers the HSE legal requirement to provide health and safety training for staff.

It's encouraging that small manufacturing businesses are already taking steps to prevent health and safety breaches by offering training to their staff, but there is always room for improvement.

Just a few hours each week could not only cover the legal obligation to offer health and safety training at work, but also improve workforce morale, confidence and productivity, A skills and knowledge audit amongst staff can easily identify the gaps in health and safety knowledge across the workforce, allowing employers to match training needs against the most appropriate courses and local training providers.

They can then prioritise training gaps and start upskilling staff for the benefit of their business.

Going forwards, small businesses can keep abreast of health and safety news by regularly logging onto the HSE website at

For more information on courses and local service providers, or for advice on how to make sure that your business is doing everything it can to promote health and safety in the workplace, visit the City and Guilds Web site.