with Gavin Leatherbarrow, , head of risk management at Ford Risk Management

THE importance of risk management and health and safety training should never been understated.

Managing risk is everyone’s responsibility but should always start with the boardroom - leaders who set a strong message that managing risk should be taken seriously.

Effective health and safety and risk management training will reduce the critical exposures your business faces. As a manager it is part of your responsibility to ensure your personnel are trained to carry out their job competently and are aware of any risks specific to their role and that of the business. Leading by example from the board room down will always have a positive impact and will improve the board’s understanding of why safety and health training is so important to you and your business.

Each member of your business will play a different role in the success of your company, it is your responsibility to provide each individual with clear concise health & safety direction which is easy to understand. This is the first step to promoting behaviour that will help to reduce the critical exposures of your business.

In doing so the likelihood of the following outcomes will reduce:

* Serious injury to your personnel or those affected by their actions

* Enforcement action

* Loss of specific skill set which affects the work you do

* Damage to your brand/reputation

* Increased insurance premiums

A structured training programme specific to the needs of the business and its personnel, should be seen as a business investment designed to reduce the possibility of incidents occurring.

* Gavin Leatherbarrow, head of risk management at Ford Risk Management