Many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fail to employ adequate health and safety (H&S) procedures due to a "lack of understanding" on guidelines and regulation, according to one expert.
According to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) some SMEs could be putting themselves at risk by perceiving H&S law as a low risk problem.
Lisa Fowlie, president of the IOSH, said: "It's very difficult to get the message across to small businesses, because by their nature they have got very few people."
She added that this can often mean that assigning the workload that comes with adhering to H&S guidelines can be problematic, but that in the long run compliance would benefit SMEs.
"Getting health and safety into businesses is not onerous, it's actually helping them to keep best practice and keep the business up and running and operating. Good health and safety practice actually generates good business practice," she concluded.
Last week saw the launch of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work 2007 which focussed primarily on musculoskeletal disorders.
