Friday, 14 February 2014

Health and safety advice for small businesses

South Glos Council and its partners are inviting small businesses on three Yate trading estates to sign up for free health and safety training and advice as part of a national scheme to reduce workplace accidents.

The Estates Excellence scheme brings together local businesses and other organisations including councils to offer free health and safety assessments and training to eligible firms. Unlike other initiatives it is entirely voluntary, with a strong emphasis on helping small businesses to help themselves.

The Yate scheme takes place during February and March with participants offered free ‘bite-size’ training sessions on a range of health and safety topics, a free occupational health assessment and a month’s free access to the Praxis 42 health and safety e-learning facility.

The scheme is being delivered by partners including the Health & Safety Executive, South Gloucestershire Council, Indesit, Sodbury Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Business, Avon Fire & Rescue and others.

South Gloucestershire Council vice-chairman Cllr Howard Gawler said: “Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy in South Gloucestershire and provide jobs for many local people.

“However due to their size they can find it difficult to recover from the effects of a workplace accident.

“Productivity can drop and in some cases they may close but never re-open, with a loss of jobs for local people and knock-on effects for the whole community.

“So for small businesses in particular, good health and safety makes good business sense. This scheme will give them a helping hand towards the training and information they may need and I hope lots of our local firms will get involved.”

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