How L&D can aid HR's management of H&S regulations

Employee safety, and the amount of that which falls under HR’s remit, is constantly changing. 

Michelle Di Gioia, Partner at Gardner Leader, tells HR Grapevine that L&D can help take some of the strain from HR, and help if legal proceedings are needed: “The better the paper trail, the more the training will show how the company has taken all necessary steps to ensure staff are competent to do the job. It will also help to ensure that staff are actually following the training and will also give the company the best possible chance of defending against any proceedings." 

She also advised how the function can keep abreast of the ever-altering laws: "HR should fully understand what is going on in the business and know what projects are ongoing so that they can flag up relevant matters for those on the ground to be aware of. Communication between HR and project managers is therefore important." 

Alan Murray, CEO of the British Safety Industry Federation, also spoke to HR Grapevine about the issue: “No workplace is immune to the dangers of injury and illness, for example in the information and communications industry, the Health and Safety Executive recent research reported that there were 620 work-related injuries between 2014 and 2015, while 1,800 instances of work-related illness were reported for the accommodation and food services industry.