[United Kingdom, 23/11/2022] The pandemic has had a devastating effect on the UK economy. Movement restrictions have forced many businesses to close, leading to layoffs and leaving people without an income. However, the virus outbreak also gave companies a unique opportunity to leave a permanent health and safety legacy.

Safety at Work Report

New research from Draeger Safety UK showed that most British workers feel safer at their place of employment than they did one year ago. The top three reasons given for this sentiment were as follows:
• 67 per cent said their business is serious when it comes to safety.
• 54 per cent revealed their workplace had safety training following the pandemic's start.
• 33 per cent said their company increased spending for workplace safety.

Safety Concerns of Employees

Although there were some positive aspects, the report also highlighted some concerns.
• 55 per cent of managers revealed concerns about a major industrial disaster within five years.
• 40 per cent of managers underscored the lack of parts can cause supply chain issues that can threaten workplace safety.
• 37 per cent of workers stressed the importance of handing down experience to the new generation of workers.
• 32 per cent of older, experienced workers will retire, causing a safety "brain drain."
• 18 per cent of younger people feel less safe at work.

Implementing Safety Strategies

Older employees are valuable to employers for their skills and experience and their knowledge of health and safety. So, organisations should implement strategies to keep them in the workforce.

Organisations must train all staff in relevant health and safety issues, including their responsibilities. Training will help reduce the risk of losing experienced workers due to attrition.

Aside from interventions like mentoring schemes to ensure knowledge transfer, employers must focus on managing the psychological risks to their employees' health and safety at work.

Optimism on Workplace Safety

The research showed that 77 per cent of British workers feel that workplace safety is now more critical than ever before. Most employees are now familiar with their business's health and safety lead. Additionally, health and safety professionals are receiving more board recognition than before.

About Mirbly

Mirbly offers a variety of health and safety courses to help people from all walks of life learn how to keep others safe. Its team of healthcare professionals aim to provide a high-quality learning experience. It also helped thousands of people across different industries learn about workplace safety. Visit https://www.mirbly.com/ for more information.