The study, commissioned by the UK200 group for the Forum of Private Business, revealed that although 80 per cent of such firms believed protecting the environment was a priority, only around a quarter prioritised waste reduction in their businesses.
Furthermore, updating staff training and health training was a major concern for almost half of respondents.
Commenting on the findings, Harry Katz, principle of Norwest Consultants, said: “Health and safety in my opinion has grown from being ensuring that companies provide a safe environment for their workers to mollycoddling and creating a compensation culture and needs a full overhaul.”
He added that many companies were now having to spend too much time and money on insuring themselves against “imaginary risks”, rather than focussing on growing their businesses – which could include boosting their environmental credentials.
