Health and safety responsibilities of employers and how body cameras can help

The Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 requires employers to provide a safe workplace. Employers’ responsibilities under health and safety law include providing training and equipment to ensure that employees can work safely. In addition, employers must provide adequate facilities for employees, and must ensure that the working environment is as safe as possible. And, because the unexpected can occur, supervision of workers is important too.

The Workplace Health and Safety Regulations of 1992 provide further detail on what employers should do to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act. For example, they stipulate how equipment should be maintained and provide information on important details such as what constitutes adequate lighting and ventilation.   

In some workplaces, compliance requires thought, but can be easily achieved. In others, elevated workplace risks make fulfilling your responsibilities as an employer far more complex. This article explores some of the ways body cameras can help you to keep your workers safe. 

Incident and accident documentation and risk mitigation

In accidents, workers are injured. In incidents, near-misses occur. Before real accidents happen, incidents frequently indicate areas where employers can avert accidents by implementing appropriate safety measures.

The Reporting of Incidents, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) prescribes employers’ reporting duties in the event of accidents. Although it may not be necessary to report incidents that didn’t lead to injury to the HSE, they must be documented and records kept. And, since incidents point toward dangers that could result in a full-blown accident, the steps employers take to address the risks they uncover form part of the record.

This sounds incredibly straightforward, but in practice, it can be far from easy to determine exactly what caused an accident or incident. Things can happen incredibly fast, and even when there are witnesses, accounts and opinions can differ radically. It’s easy enough to see what happened, but it’s not always as simple to determine why. 

In dangerous workplaces, body camera footage can provide inarguable evidence or important clues that help to resolve the question. With the reasons why accidents or near-misses occurred having been clarified, employers are able to take the necessary steps to prevent similar accidents or incidents from recurring.   

Deterring misconduct or risk-taking

The duties of employers in health and safety include formulating and prescribing practices and procedures that contribute to a safe workplace. However, making rules and achieving compliance are not necessarily synonymous. 

For example, an employee may be required to use PPE but finds it inconvenient to do so or a technician who is feeling rushed may skip important steps in a process. A requirement for the activation of body cameras during the performance of certain tasks promotes compliance with required policies and procedures.  

Your workers could also face external threats. For example, members of the public might threaten or attack them. The presence of a body camera can help to de-escalate tense situations. 

For example, healthcare workers, first responders, or security guards all-too-frequently face this type of threat to their health and safety at work. The presence of a body camera deters misconduct because aggressors are aware that video footage can be used as evidence against them. 

Enhanced accountability

Whether a workplace risk arises from an external threat or an internal process, body camera footage provides evidence as to what occurred, why it happened, and how the affected worker responded. From analysis of incidents to determining whether correct procedures were followed, body camera footage helps with the maintenance of accountability. 

Providing real-world examples for training purposes

The provision of training is among employers’ health and safety obligations. However, it can be difficult for workers to understand the precise reasons why certain procedures are required. They may not grasp what the consequences of non-compliance may be, or they may be unsure of what compliance looks like in practice. 

With the permission of the personnel captured in body camera footage, employers can illustrate important points visually. Approximately 65 percent of the population are “visual learners.” By viewing bodycam footage, employees are better able to retain, understand, and implement the information imparted to them during training. 

Real-time monitoring

There are multiple reasons why real-time monitoring helps to keep employees safe. For example, employees may be required to work alone with no supervisors or colleagues nearby. These lone workers could be at risk, but bodycams allow for real-time monitoring, making it possible to respond quickly if an employee appears to be at risk, seems in need of support, or is in trouble.

Dispute resolution

Following an accident or incident, investigation and mitigation are among employers’ health and safety responsibilities. Whether from a conscious attempt to avoid being held accountable, or as a result of subjective recollections, disputes may arise. Careful analysis of body camera footage can help to resolve them, allowing employers to take the steps necessary to eliminate or mitigate workplace risks.  

Body cameras won’t solve every issue, but they can make a difference

Simply equipping at-risk employees with body cameras won’t keep them safe, but in hazardous industries, they can serve as a tool to enhance health and safety at work. Consider their deployment when formulating risk-mitigation strategies, and feel free to reach out to Radiocoms for advice. 

Our experience across industries ranging from security to healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and transportation, aviation, and more allows us to help you identify technologies that further your goals for a safer workplace.