10 June 2003

BPIF plans 900 Healthchecks for 2003-4

Recent changes in legislation and best practice have prompted the BPIF to rewrite its successful Human Resource and Health & Safety Healthchecks. The electronic Healthchecks provide comprehensive assessments accompanied by individual company scores and ranked action plans. The BPIF is planning to benchmark up to 900 companies over the course of the coming year, using its teams of human resources advisers, training co-ordinators and health and safety advisers based around the country.The new Healthchecks comprise three sections: Questionnaire, Compliance Status Report and Ranked Action Plans. The application produces both detailed and summary reports, which have been designed in a clearer, more user friendly structure for managers to work from."As well as scoring companies in terms of their regulatory compliance and proximity to best practice, the Healthchecks produce detailed and ranked action plans to promote continuous improvement. Annual assessments also allow companies to monitor their achievements against those objectives," says Cicely Brown, BPIF director of corporate and external affairs Miss Brown is keen to use the Healthchecks to benchmark the performance of the industry as a whole in addition to individual companies: "Automatic data collection systems built into the new Healthcheck software will allow us to continually monitor the performance of the industry with regard to Health & Safety and HR practices, which can have an important impact on levels of Employers? Liability premiums," she says.The Health & Safety Healthcheck has been updated by BPIF National Health, Safety & Environmental Adviser Dale Wallis, who has aligned the new Healthcheck with Health & Safety Executive (HSE) priorities: "The industry?s most common problems, such as accidents during make-ready and cleaning and manual handling complaints such as upper limb disorders, are highly ranked on the Action list. A visiting HSE inspector will be familiar with the sector?s troublespots and be looking for compliance in these areas first," he says.BPIF North-West HR Advisor Chris Swerling accepted the task of redesigning the HR Healthcheck when she joined the BPIF last December. "The Healthcheck highlights good practice in HR from candidate selection and recruitment, terms and conditions of employment right through to retirement, redundancy and termination. The risk of successful employee litigation is minimised and staff relationships should be greatly improved through the use of tried and tested best practice," says Chris. Several new sections have been added to the HR Healthcheck including Working Time, Equal Opportunities, General Employee Rights (includes the new rights to Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Flexible Working), Appraisals and Training and Development. Each section also provides detailed guidance on legislation.The Healthchecks are available free of charge to BPIF platinum members. Gold and silver members can take part in a Healthcheck for £550 per check and it is available to non-members for £825 (plus expenses). The Health & Safety Healthcheck will also be used free of charge, at all companies taking on a government-funded trainee to ensure they meet their minimum legal requirements.For more information please contact:Health & Safety Healthcheck ?Dale Wallis, National Health Safety & Environment Adviser, 0161 886 8400 or 07763 828450, [email protected] Healthcheck ? Chris Swerling - HR Adviser, North Western Region, 0161 886 8408, [email protected] Funded Training ? Ruth Exelby - Head of Commercial Training, 0121 789 5125, [email protected]