Management M System S Certification C body b aims to reduce r injury and a litigation

Protecting staff from potential risk of injury and accident in the workplace is paramount for most organisations today. With workplace injury liabilities directed at staff, organisations or company directors, it is apparent that Health and Safety is not just a singular responsibility, it needs to be a cultural philosophy, duty and practice, prioritised by everyone in the work environment.

Directors and companies are liable for fines up to $3 million, if it is proved they could have or should have done more to prevent serious injury. In addition if a company, and or its leader/s, are found to be negligent in their duties and an employee was critically injured then a jail term of up to five years may be incurred.

Most workplace injuries and subsequent litigation can be avoided by increasing responsibility and awareness and by applying contemporary health and safety protocols. New Zealand’s leading Management System Certification body, Telarc, is aiming to reduce the (potential for) incident of injury and litigation by providing organisations with a multi-tiered audit and education approach, which enables business of all sizes to achieve Health and Safety certification for staff and their work environments.

Telarc ensures workplace certification and duty to protect by auditing and identifying all potential risks within the work environment and by providing compliance recommendations to be adopted by the host business. By adopting Telarc’s recommendations, the organisation is committed to a duty of protection in its entirety and is able to gain certification. This reduces both the liability and the potential for incidence.

Equally important is the education and certification of staff. Having a safe workplace means very little, unless staff understand potential workplace risks and have adequate strategies to deal with these.

Being independently certified to a standard that is globally recognised is a solution that many companies are moving towards. It provides business leaders with an independent verification that the company is on top of it its game and is putting its best foot forward to minimise or mitigate risks that might result in a serious or fatal injury being sustained.

More and more New Zealand organisations are looking closely at their social and corporate responsibilities to not only protect workers but to identify and actively manage and prevent injury. It is a fact that certification reduces risk considerably and provides comfort and peace of mind at all levels that the organisation is doing everything in its power to protect their employees and business. Because prevention really is better than cure.