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Health & safety in services

Health and safety in the provision of services is subject to many regulations and failure to comply can leave service businesses open to financial, reputational, and practical consequences. By promoting health and safety best practices throughout your services company, you are protecting both your business and prioritizing your people. Health and safety standards can support service organizations with implmenting best practice occupational health and safety frameworks.

Providing healthy and safe working environments

Discover how standards support the implementation of health and safety best practices in the provision of services

What are the health and safety standards in the service industry?
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What are the health and safety standards in the service industry?

The most successful organizations recognize that a healthy workplace is a happy and productive one.  Governments are starting to recognize that employers and managers have a leading role in preventing ill health and promoting good health. Individuals also recognize how important their health is; older workers need to stay fit and healthy to keep working and enjoy their later years; younger generations are more informed on health and they expect their employers to actively provide healthy workplaces, not ones that merely give them a pay packet. Physical and mental occupational disease and illness can be prevented. There is no excuse for workers to lose their health – for example, suffer hearing damage, develop asthma or die from cancer from uncontrolled exposures at work. Working conditions should not create environments that increase the likelihood of physical or mental ill-health, such as those associated with occupational stress. In order to comply with national health and safety regulations, a wide range of practices are adopted by service organizations to ensure the safety of their employees and customers. Their purpose is two-fold; they aim to reduce accidents and injuries and they aim to change individual behaviours to encourage safer working practices. The importance of prioritizing people Prioritizing your people ensures the well-being of your workforce, inspires trust and ensures your organization is future-ready. Achieving sustainable resilience relies on a robust approach to health, safety, and well-being to drive trust and foster a culture of care that skilfully balances the needs of people, purpose, and profit. ‘Health’ is now a global public policy issue with an increased focus on disease prevention and reducing ‘avoidable’ mortality. As a result, health risks and health promotion within the workplace are receiving a renewed focus and being considered within the global context of public health policy.  Service businesses are also focused on corporate responsibility and sustainability and their ‘ethical’ footprint. The rise of ‘glocal’ economies and social media means that businesses are being held to account for their actions in a way that was not the case a generation ago. Effective health, safety, and well-being programs demonstrate an organization’s commitment to ensuring decent work conditions, health, well-being, and equality practices, as well as other aspects of sustainability. For organizations seeking to enhance their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) profile, positive and proactive health, safety and well-being culture send a powerful message to shareholders and stakeholders, including workers, that they truly care for their people.  All of our health, safety, and well-being standards support service organizations on their SDG journey. To learn more about achieving sustainability in the service organization, click here.  The global management system standard on occupational health and safety BS EN ISO 45001 the global management system standard on occupational health and safety has put the health - physical, mental, and cognitive at its core, while continuing to drive high safety standards.  The standard reflects that occupational ill-health can and should be prevented and that in doing so, it will bring measurable benefits to workers and the organization. BS EN ISO 45001 explicitly requires that health hazards are identified and controlled, including those classed as ‘psychosocial’ (workload, work hours, bullying, etc), as well as those arising from other hazards such as chemical or biological.  BS EN ISO 45001 also reflects the principles seen in the WHO’s healthy workplace model – that for the occupational health and safety management system to be effective it needs:  Leadership commitment  Involvement of workers  Compliance with legal and other requirements  Comprehensive processes focussed on continual improvement  Integration with the overall strategic direction of the business  Reflecting that the focus of an organization’s occupational health and safety system should be on preventing work-related injury and ill-health and providing a safe and healthy workplace, workplace wellbeing is not a requirement of BS EN ISO 45001. However, it does recognize that the best organizations take a holistic approach and therefore good occupational health and safety management can be integrated with worker wellbeing initiatives. BS EN ISO 45001, therefore, provides an effective global framework for managing occupational health and occupational safety.  As a global standard, it enables a consistent approach across countries. With its focus on culture and worker participation, it also provides organizations with a best practice model for developing an effective psychological contract. Seeking accredited certification provides independent and impartial recognition of an organization's people-centred approach. This builds trust within the organization and provides external assurance to customers, shareholders, and the wider community. Other Key Standards Supporting Health & Safety Other health and safety standards for the service industry include: BS ISO 45003  Supporting mental health within your organization has never been more important. BS ISO 45003 is the first global standard giving practical guidance on managing psychological health in the workplace. It provides guidance on the management of psychosocial risk, as part of an occupational health and safety management system.  It includes information on how to recognize the psychosocial hazards that can affect workers, such as those that arise from home working. It also offers examples of effective – often simple - actions that can be taken to manage these and improve employee wellbeing. As well as helping you to build a positive working environment, a framework for managing psychological health and safety can help to improve your organizational resilience and enhance performance and productivity. PD ISO/PAS 45005 COVID-19 has fundamentally shifted the way people live and work. As organizations start to rebuild, capturing the lessons learned as the phases of the pandemic progress is crucial. Whilst economic considerations are important, the fundamental principle of protecting human life underpins all economic recovery. Organizations must adapt quickly, adopt new working practices and meet new regulations as they embark on a revised course for their "next normal". PD ISO/PAS 45005 gives guidance on embedding best practices and will help to manage the risks arising from COVID-19 with reference to work-related health, safety, and wellbeing. Ensure your service organization is working to health and safety best practices by adding these standards to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge Get everyone in your service business involved in embedding a culture of health and safety. A BSI Knowledge subscription gives you instant access to the resources you need to improve your health and safety processes. The flexibility and visibility it provides of the best practices guidance enable you to get the most from your standards. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to our GBM07 Occupational & Personal Safety module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.Read more
Is your business doing all it can to support vulnerable consumers?
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Is your business doing all it can to support vulnerable consumers?

BS ISO 22458 is a new international standard that can help your business design and deliver fair, flexible and inclusive services that will increase positive outcomes for consumers in vulnerable situations and minimize the risk of consumer harm. Vulnerability can affect anyone at any time. Ill health, financial difficulties, mental health problems, or life events such as bereavement or relationship breakdown can all place consumers in vulnerable situations. This can make it hard for consumers to understand information, choose suitable services or products, and make decisions. They risk being denied access to services, signing up for inappropriate contracts, or making unsuitable purchases as a result. Our newly published standard BS ISO 22458 can help businesses to identify, understand and support vulnerable customers, making it easier for their customers to make smart and informed choices. In turn, this can lead to better outcomes for consumers and increased customer satisfaction. What is consumer vulnerability? Consumer vulnerability is defined as a ‘state in which an individual can be placed at risk of harm during their interaction with a service provider due to the presence of personal, situational and market environment factors’. Whilst there are some consumers who are more likely to be at risk of harm, such as people with chronic illness, cognitive impairments, learning difficulties, and physical disabilities, it is ultimately how businesses act that makes all the difference. If organizations do not act with appropriate care, they can create or exacerbate vulnerability. A consumer in a vulnerable situation may not experience harm if their service provider offers adequate support. How to recognize consumer risk Any one of us could become vulnerable due to a change in personal circumstances. Losing a job, bereavement, developing a medical condition, dealing with addiction, or struggling with literacy and numeracy; there are many reasons why someone might become temporarily or permanently vulnerable and susceptible to harm. The COVID-19 pandemic has created or exacerbated vulnerability for many people, particularly in these areas: Financial hardship - in early 2021, the UK unemployment rate rose above 5% for the first time since 2016 and almost four million workers were on furlough. The hardest hit sectors included hospitality and retail, where many jobs were already insecure and poorly paid. Mental health - UK depression rates are estimated to have doubled since the pandemic began, with a disproportionate impact on young people, women, disabled people, and those living in deprived areas. One in five adults (19.2%) experienced some form of depression. Bereavement - more than 180,000 people in the UK have died from COVID-19, often in very difficult circumstances without hospital visits or a full funeral. Bereaved people may face challenging emotional and financial circumstances as a result. Physical health - approximately 1.1 million people are living with long COVID symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating. Those aged 35-69 years, women, those in deprived areas, and people in health or social care professions are the worst impacted. COVID also impacted other areas of health care: between April 2020 and May 2021, there were 3.63 million fewer elective procedures and 23.67 million fewer outpatient attendances. Digital exclusion - digital technology has been used to facilitate the contactless provision of goods and services during the pandemic. But access to technology can be restricted by not having a device or connection, lacking skills, or another condition such as a disability. This results in digital exclusion. Age, region, socioeconomic status, and having a disability all increase the risk of being on the wrong side of the digital divide. For example, 76% of UK adults use online banking, but this figure falls to 49% of those aged 65+. It is vital for all businesses to be able to identify where their consumers might be vulnerable to harm and support them by providing an inclusive service. Organizations also need to be aware of how these risks impact their consumers differently. For example, one person’s experience of mental health problems might have no impact on their ability to manage financially, whereas another person might struggle. To learn more about how you can support your consumers and workforce, visit our Diversity & Inclusion Topic Page. Why should you adopt BS ISO 22458? BS ISO 22458 is a pioneering new international standard that specifies requirements and guidelines for organizations on how to design and deliver fair, flexible, and inclusive services that will increase positive outcomes for consumers and minimize the risk of harm. It covers organizational culture and strategy, inclusive design, and how to identify and respond to consumer vulnerability. BS ISO 22458 is applicable to any organization that provides services, including service-related products, to consumers, regardless of location or size. Adopting a consumer vulnerability policy is arguably of merit in itself; no business wants to cause its customers needless distress or difficulty. However, there are also other benefits for organizations. These include: Increased customer base, by making services accessible to a greater number of individuals Improved service provision for all customers irrespective of their vulnerability status Improvement in the quality of consumer interactions, thereby minimizing the risk of harm Reduced likelihood of problems and complaints, because of operating effectively and getting things right the first time, leading to a reduced cost of complaints handling Improved customer satisfaction, building consumer trust, and enhancing the organization’s reputation Ability to demonstrate ethical behaviour and social responsibility Strengthened staff loyalty and engagement by ensuring that they feel valued, supported, and confident in handling difficult situations Help to achieve compliance with legal obligations related to fairness and equality, by following good practice in the fair treatment of consumers in vulnerable situations Learn more about how BS ISO 22458 works and how this standard could help your organization to improve inclusive service provision by downloading the ISO 22458 flyer here. You can also get an expert guide to understanding the views and experiences of consumers in vulnerable situations by downloading the ISO 22458 executive briefing.  Other key standards to support vulnerable consumers Businesses recognize that they need to support consumers better but require assistance in modernizing their behaviour, interaction, and responses. As a result of shared knowledge and good practices developed by businesses, consumer bodies, charities, and government departments, we have several standards to support organizations to deliver inclusive, fair, and flexible services. Our other key standards that can help to support consumers in vulnerable situations include: BS ISO 25552 Ageing societies. Framework for dementia-inclusive communities A dementia-inclusive community is one that is committed to working together to promote a better understanding of dementia, reduce stigma, raise public awareness, and facilitates social inclusion and participation. BS ISO 25552 provides a framework to foster a dementia-inclusive environment, where communities can support persons with dementia to be independent citizens, to be connected as much as they want to, to feel safe and comfortable, and to be able to maximize their abilities and opportunities to participate. BS EN 17161 Design for All. Accessibility following a Design for All approach in products, goods, and services. Extending the range of users BS EN 17161 specifies requirements that enable an organization to design, develop and provide products, goods, and services so that they can be accessed, understood, and used by the widest range of users, including persons with disabilities. It enables businesses to extend their range of users by identifying diverse needs, characteristics, capabilities, and preferences in their procedures and processes. BS 8878 Web accessibility. Code of practice BS 8878 is the first British standard to outline a framework for web accessibility when designing or commissioning web products. It provides guidance for all sectors on meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 which states that web products must be accessible to all. It is designed as an introduction to digital accessibility for non-technical professionals. It will help anyone commissioning or designing a website or product to ensure it can be accessed by anyone. Why not see how these standards could help you to support consumers in vulnerable situations? Experience the benefits of delivering a fair and inclusive service by adopting BS ISO 22458 today. Discover BSI Knowledge Keeping up with your consumers changing circumstances can be time-consuming, but accessing and managing your standards doesn't have to be. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, you will have the flexibility and visibility to manage the key standards you need in order to support your vulnerable consumers with confidence - all in one place. Request to learn more.
What are the risks and opportunities in an occupational health and safety management system?
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What are the risks and opportunities in an occupational health and safety management system?

Every good organization wants to keep workers safe and healthy. No matter what your industry or how big your workplace, it's vital to keep on top of the latest occupational health and safety (OH&S) standards. In 2018, the UK adopted BS EN ISO 45001 aimed at improving health and safety and eliminating or minimizing risk. In 2019–20 700,000 workers in Britain sustained a non-fatal injury and 111 workers were killed. Some 38.8 million days were lost to workplace injuries and illness in 2019-20, costing an estimated £10.6 billion. To assist users in implementing BS EN ISO 45001, BSI produced general guidelines in the form of four supporting documents: BS 45002-0:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems – General guidelines for the application of ISO 45001 BS 45002-1:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems – General guidelines for the application of ISO 45001 – Part 1: Guidance on managing occupational health BS 45002‑2:2019 Occupational health and safety management systems – General guidelines for the application of ISO 45001 – Part 2: Risks and opportunities BS 45002‑3:2018 Occupational health and safety management systems – General guidelines for the application of ISO 45001 – Part 3: Guidance on incident investigation Part 2 of the standard series provides guidance through the process of identifying risks in your workplace, planning control measures, and evaluating the effectiveness of your system. Safeguarding psychological wellbeing with standards The impact of stress on workers can be profound. Although occasional stressful periods can help workers to become more resilient and develop skills, frequent or prolonged stress begins to take a toll on the mind and body. The rate of self-reported work-related ill health has increased in recent years, rising from around 1,500 per 100,000 workers in 2018-19 to over 2,000 in 2019-20. Most psychosocial hazards in the workplace have a common theme: people feel they are not trusted or respected. Harmful factors include high workloads, tight deadlines, a lack of control or autonomy over how work is completed, and being treated harshly. BS ISO 45003, published in June 2021, was developed to help organizations use a health and safety management system based on BS EN ISO 45001 to manage psychological health within the workplace. It helps users to identify psychosocial hazards and sets out examples of measures that can produce improvements. Health and safety risk in context Of course, a large factory using dangerous materials has different health and safety considerations from those of a small office. However, wherever you work, your context is, above all, about people. You need to take account of all interested parties – those affected by your OH&S system – and get everyone on board. Senior management should lead on the system, not just leave OH&S to a designated officer. OH&S should be embedded into the organization's business strategy and a safe workplace culture fostered. Shareholders need to invest money into safety prevention and lead by example. However, it will probably be those people working closest to the hazards who will have the best knowledge of them. Listen to all personnel and provide training where necessary. The more they can be involved in shaping strategy, the more likely they are to implement it correctly. Don't forget those outside your organization. Contractors might require training and they may also offer you good practice and knowledge. Finally, note that regulators can prosecute or close a business if it breaks the law. To learn how to identify the right standards for your organization’s needs, click here. Planning: Identifying health and safety hazards A step-by-step approach will help you on the way to achieving a healthy, safe workplace. Start by thinking about what can harm people – in terms of both safety and health.  Remember that safety hazards typically involve specific incidents, whereas health effects can be instant or may emerge only gradually. Hazards range from slips, trips, and falls to life-threatening conditions. They can be physical (e.g. working at height), chemical (e.g. exposure to fumes), biological (e.g. bacteria), psychological (e.g. harassment), mechanical (e.g. sharp objects), electrical (e.g. faulty equipment), or natural (e.g. floods). Then you need to think about which hazards may apply to your workplace. Look around your premises and read information from your suppliers. Examine your records. Have there been any past incidents? Remember to consider both regular activities and occasional activities like maintenance, and possible emergencies such as fires or even terrorist attacks. Above all, talk to your personnel. Their knowledge is vital – as is their buy-in. Planning: Assessing health and safety risks Now consider whether the hazard is likely, and how serious the impact would be if it were to happen. Risks must be either eliminated or as low as reasonably practicable ('ALARP').  What opportunities to improve are there – for example, changes to the working environment or how work is organized? What will make the biggest impact? If your organization is going through a period of change, strike while the iron's hot. Build OH&S measures into the new structure. Don't forget to consider risks not just to people but to your system. Coordinate emergency plans with your neighbouring workplaces where appropriate. When setting objectives, ensure that they are manageable and achievable, that everyone knows their own responsibilities and that time frames are realistic. Finally, keep an eye on the Health and Safety Executive website to stay abreast of legal and regulatory requirements. Mitigating health and safety risks Once you have identified and prioritized your workplace hazards, it's time to act. This is where a 'hierarchy of controls is crucial. If the top action is not feasible, try the next one down until you find one – or more than one – that will work. The hierarchy of controls is as follows: Elimination (remove the hazard completely) Substitution (use something less dangerous – e.g. using scaffolding instead of ladders) Engineering controls (practical changes to reduce risk, such as machine guards) Administrative controls (raising awareness through signs, instructions, and training) Personal protective equipment (e.g. masks) You must also be ready to respond to emergencies, which may not always happen as you imagine. Although drills and desk-based scenarios are essential, make sure they don't lead to complacency. Ready, steady, implement You need time, money, and people. How much of each depends, of course, on how risky your business is. Too much red tape can be counterproductive if workers ignore written processes in favour of getting on with their jobs. Start from the point of view that your workers know best. Give them time to think about risks and to act. Make sure that everyone is competent to perform duties without putting themselves or others at risk; to identify hazards and manage risks, and to deal with emergency situations. Review these competencies regularly. It's also essential to communicate your system and any changes. How you communicate depends on the type and size of your business. Conversation works in some scenarios; the intranet is effective in others. Continually monitor and evaluate progress Finally, to ensure that your system is effective, you must monitor and evaluate your performance. That will require prioritization: Focus on legal requirements, including any recent changes, and any other requirements, such as those agreed with your supply chain or parent company Prioritize your largest risks, such as fire. Inspect your escape routes periodically and measure the time taken for evacuation during drills Conduct periodic internal audits of every process and location in your OH&S system. Focus on areas with the highest risk. If you have both factory and office activities, then audit the factory more closely Check whether risk assessments are up to date, whether workers understand risk assessment and have the necessary competencies, whether an assessment of changing risks is taking place, and whether opportunities are being taken to eliminate hazards and reduce risk Ensure your organization is operating to health and safety best practices by adding standards BS EN ISO 45001 and BS ISO 45003 to your collection today. Discover BSI Knowledge Over 100,000 internationally recognized standards are available for simple and flexible access with a BSI Knowledge subscription. Our subscription service puts the control in your hands, giving you instant access to the resources you need to improve your health and safety processes. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to our GBM04 Management, Law & Quality module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.

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