Health And Safety Training In The Workplace

The Health and Safety at Work Act emphasises the duty of employers for providing a workplace free from hazards. Ensuring every new employee receives health and safety training is an essential part of every induction, from understanding where the emergency exits are to the procedures to follow in the event of an accident.

All employers have a responsibility for the health and safety of their employees within the workplace. Statistics suggest that 200 people lose their lives every year due to work related accidents and a staggering 2 million people suffer illnesses as a result of their work. Ensuring measures are in place to prevent these cases from happening is a legal requirement, put in place to avoid the distress of accidents and illnesses, as well as the financial implications they create.

It is important to know how to identify hazards in the workplace and control any possible risks. Companies who employ new managers and supervisors must make sure they receive some health and safety training as they then become responsible for the health and safety of their new employees. It's important they are taught the company's health and safety policy, where they fit in, and how the company wants their health and safety managed. Managers and supervisors may also need to be trained in some specific hazards and how to control potential risks.

It will then be down to the managers to make sure their employees understand the policies they have been introduced to, including fire exits and first aid, and how to raise any health and safety concerns with their manager.

The first step to providing health and safety training is to consider the type of training you want to introduce to your workplace. To do this, you need to consider the skills and knowledge required to be able to carry out the job in a safe and healthy fashion. Then, compare these against your employee's current skills and identify the gaps.

You will also need to review your history of previous work related injuries, near misses or cases of ill health. Take a look at your risk assessments to see where information and/or training have been identified as factors in controlling risks and then consult employees for their views.

Managers will need to check if the law requires them to carry out specific training. If work carries a risk of serious harm or where there are large quantities of staff, training may need to be more advanced.

Deciding upon the style to adopt for your health and safety training will require a few considerations. Depending on the nature of your business, is likely to depend on the kind of training you require. Can it be conducted on-site or will you need to transport employees off site? Do you want to do a formal classroom session or a more relaxed method? Do you want to train employees in a group together or individually? Will it be computer based or interactive learning?

Only you know your company and its requirements so the decision of what type of health and safety training to provide will depend on what will best suit your employees. The important thing to remember is to make sure the information provided is delivered in an easy to understand format that delivers your key messages to all involved. If something goes wrong on the premises and an employee suffers an accident, you need to feel confident that all measures were taken to avoid the accident occurring in the first place.

Dominic Donaldson is an expert in Business Training Find out more about health and safety training and why it is an essential part of every new employees induction.