Why Health and Safety is a Strategic Priority for Social Housing
Sometimes events affect priorities. And while it has always been important, there’s little doubt that the Grenfell tragedy and Covid-19 have both raised the profile of health and safety as a risk factor in social housing. In some authorities and housing associations, health and safety is being seen increasingly as a strategic as well as an operational issue.
The Social Housing Barometer survey shows that half of social housing boards now place health and safety in their top five risks. There’s a desire for reassurance that residents are being kept safe and that there is no exposure to legal and reputational liabilities.
Where repair and maintenance is outsourced, the approach and track record of the selected partner is one of the most effective safeguards you can look for. You need a partner that never cuts corners or takes chances when it comes to the safety of operatives or residents.
The fundamental question is where health and safety sits within the culture. How is safety monitored on a day-to-day and strategic level? Are there clear lines of responsibility and is there evidence of continuous innovation to improve standards?
Words into Action
Osborne takes a proactive approach to health and safety across all of our businesses. We don’t just carry out regular training we also keep the content of the training under review to ensure it is current and reflects best practice.
Our award-winning IO App and the process surrounding it are used to encourage and manage improvement suggestions from our employees, customers and subcontractors. Health and safety is an important focus for improvement. There is also a hotline for people to report incidents at any time of day.
Our dedicated SHE professional team oversees our performance and plays a vital role in reinforcing the message that ‘whatever cannot be done safely, doesn’t get done’. Safety is always the first priority.
