Marketing health and safety management expertise to small enterprises

Britain is increasingly becoming a small enterprise economy, with small ent erprises employing around 44% of the UK workforce. Statistical evidence ind icates that in certain important accident categories, small enterprises hav e a poorer record than large enterprises. Health and safety consultants may have an important role in assisting the managers of small enterprises deve lop their skills in health and safety management. However, anecdotal eviden ce indicates that many small enterprises do not take up the opportunity of using consultants. This discussion document uses the principles of marketin g to address this issue. The paper provides an outline of underpinning mark eting theory. It then goes on to consider how appropriate marketing techniq ues may be usefully applied to the service provided by health and safety co nsultants for small enterprises. This takes into consideration the characte ristics of small enterprises and their managers. The paper concludes by sug gesting a number of potential strategies that may be adopted by training pr oviders, other intermediaries and consultants to encourage more take up of consultants by small enterprises and to enhance the services provided by co nsultants. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.