Lack of health and safety training in UK businesses is leaving employees unnecessarily exposed to danger, said Norwich Union (NU).
It said recent figures from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) showed that 40% of those with health and safety responsibility had either “not very much” or no training at all.
NU casualty risk manager Phil Grace said: “The lack of training is a clear problem as the very people who should be able to spot risk have not had sufficient training themselves.”
He added: “Many small businesses in the UK will not have experienced a serious accident. This lulls them into a false position of security in which they think that risk doesn't exist in their companies.”
The insurer said HSE research suggested that although employers rated health and safety issues as one of their top priorities, research based on NU claims indicated that there was a lack of training in the UK SME sector.
Grace added: “The HSE's survey shows that smaller firms consider compliance with health and safety regulations a burden. This confirms to us that there is a widespread lack of appreciation of hazard and risk among employers. This is caused by either a general air of complacency or lack of training and is a very worrying situation.”
NU Risk Services training and consultancy manager Teresa Budworth, said: “Recognised qualifications in health and safety, such as the NEBOSH general certificate, are widely available and are not prohibitively expensive for small businesses.
“The certificate will equip managers in smaller companies to meet effectively their legal obligations and minimise the risk of accidents.”
