The manufacturing sector faces a lot of challenges today, not least staying competitive and delivering to an often-global customer base. One of the biggest issues that companies have to contend with is the growing raft of health and safety regulations.

While all companies in the UK have to be aware of the laws and stick to them, it’s safe to say that manufacturing has more than its fair share of rules. A diverse range of manufacturing industries in the UK employs some 2.5 million people in various capacities from machine operators and forklift truck operators to managers and office staff.

With many companies, especially smaller ones and startups, having to operate to tight margins, employing a full-time health and safety consultant may be too prohibitive. That’s where using a third-party service like Soteria can be useful.

Outsourcing Manufacturing Health and Safety Consultants

Employing a health and safety consultant can be expensive. Not only do you have to recruit the right person with all the costs that may involve but the average salary is near £40K a year. If you need specialist H&S expertise, that wage can certainly double.

Using a third party, outsourced service allows you to access the right expertise at the right time, without having to employ someone full-time. That means you can fulfil your obligations on a much lower budget.

  • Outsourcing gives you access to a much wider range of expertise from day one should you need it. You aren’t limited to the person you employ full-time and you’re not constrained by their experience or their knowledge of certain health and safety areas.
  • Outsourcing allows you to tailor provision to your needs. If you are a startup, you may have very specific needs such as putting together a health and safety assessment of your business. As you begin to grow, those needs may change and you might want someone highly experienced in your sector who can deliver on a variety of issues.
  • Outsourcing means you keep in budget and still meet your obligations under current health and safety rules, reducing your risk of harming your employers or attracting claims for injury or illness.

Why Choose Soteria?

Soteria is an outsourced health and safety consultancy that provides the appropriate level of support to a variety of industries, including manufacturing. We aim to be flexible in our approach so that you get exactly the service that you require.

For example, our Annual Fixed Fee H&S Compliance Service gives you access to a named and fully qualified health and safety professional who you can add to your compliance paperwork and who is available to offer a variety of services including auditing and visiting your premises to carry out surveys.

You may just want access to a competent H&S professional who can advise on your current policies. You might want something specific. If you’re a new manufacturing company this might include carrying out a risk assessment or setting up a brand new policy.

The key is that your H&S provision can be tailored exactly to your needs, allowing you to stay on the right side of the regulations while also meeting your health and safety obligations and keeping costs down. That leaves you more money to invest in your business and grow without compromising on the level of H&S within your organisation.

Whether you’re a new business or an existing one, Soteria has the solution for your health and safety needs. Contact our expert team today to find out how we can help.