Health and Safety Training in the UK: What you need to know
 
In the UK every year over 200 people are killed and over one million injured through accidents in the workplace, in addition to this there are two million workers who suffer illnesses directly caused by, or made worse by their work. These figures are too high, and the The authority on Health and Safety in the UK are working hard to reduce this figure through a number of campaigns. They also recommend that staff members have adequate training to be able to deal with any issues which may arise and also take appropriate measures to ensure that work is carried out risk free.
 
According to the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 employers are required to provide information, instruction, training and supervision so that the health and safety at work of employees is ensured – so far as is reasonably practical. In 1999 these regulations were added to with the Management of Health and Safety at Work. This new legislation saw the identification
of particularly important times when health and safety training should be considered.
These areas included: when people start work, when people are exposed to new or increased
risks and when skills need updating following a time lapse in training.
 
Keeping your workers safe in the workplace is not only a legal requirement but providing
quality health and safety training means that: your employees are not injured or made ill
by the work they do, a positive health and safety culture is developed, safe and healthy works becomes natural to everyone in the workplace and employees feel valued leading to higher
productivity and motivation. ISO consultants can assist you with this kind of certification and training also.
 
So what is Health and Safety Training?
 
Training is all about teaching people how to do something, and when it refers to health and safety its about training people to use equipment properly, where they can find risks in the workplace, how to avoid them and how to be aware of others around them who may be at risk. It can’t just stop at the classroom, health and safety training needs to be practically implemented onsite, having a good understanding of the theory is one thing, putting it into practice is another.
 
Who needs health and safety training?
 
Managers, supervisors and staff all need at least an understanding of health and safety
training. If you are an employer or self-employed you need to make sure that your staff are
able to identify hazards and control the risks associated in the workplace. By providing
health and safety training staff know what you expect from them and it’s important
that they understand your health and safety policy, how you want it to be managed, where
the risks and hazards lie and also how they can bring up a health and safety issue.
 
How do I ensure that I’ve got the correct Health and Safety Training?
You need to yourself commit to the health and safety training before you place it on
your staff, they need to know that you are fully behind the initiative. Depending on
the size of your organisation you may want to set up a Health and Safety ‘Team’.
 
The next five steps are based on guidance from the HSE.
 
1.Decide what training your company needs
 
For obvious reasons, this is the first step.
Take a look at the skills and knowledge people need to do their work in a safe and healthy
way by comparing this with training already completed and enables you to find a gap in
their knowledge. Take a look over your injury book – find any incidents which are worrying,
and put training into place to ensure that these don’t happen again. Looking at risk
assessments is another great way to see where your staff might need training. And don’t
forget to consult your staff team – they are after all the ones who work on the job day in day out. For example, aluminium gutters specialist company Bespoke Guttering are up ladders on a daily basis, they would have to implement a health and safety analyis before carrying out work on each project they attend. Managing Director William Cherrington, states "in a society which views every possible accident or injury as a means to claim compensation, smaller businesses in particular have to be extra vigilant in ensuring their health and safety measures are in place and up to date with the lastest legislation".
 
2. Decide Priorities
Now you’ve got a comprehensive list of training, you’re going to have to decide what comesfirst. Start with top priorities, where there is a worrying lack of health and safety training,consult employees for their views and bear in mind that new employees or those taking on a new role should be high priority cases.
 
3. Choose your training method and resources
Training can be done externally or in-house, often external training leaves your staff members with qualifications to prove they are capable.
 
4. Deliver the training If you’re delivering the training in-house this point needs to be focussed on, making sure that the trainer is competent and has enough time to prepare themselves and also has enough resources to carry out the job. Take for example a look at how a small local businesses in Cardiff, South Wales implement this; health and safety details of The Cardiff Window Cleaning Company.
 
5. Check the training has worked
If you’re investing in training, you need to make sure that it has made a clear difference.
Consulting with your staff, seeing whether any updates are needed and receiving feedback
is the only way to handle this point.