In any place of work, be it inside or out, it is the management's duty, by law to ensure that all persons working for or with them have knowledge of health and safety training. It is important that health and safety guidelines are met and essential to know which persons must receive the appropriate training in order to meet government legislation as laid out in the Management of Health and Safety At Work Regulations 1999.
It is believed that over 200 people each year are killed in health and safety related accidents at work, over one million suffer from injuries sustained whilst at work and a staggering two million will suffer illness which is caused by or made worse by their place of work, this amounts to a losses of thousands of GBP and lost man hours every year, these statistics could be lowered dramatically with the right health and safety training.
There are many health and safety training courses which are specifically aimed at management, covering all they need to know to be compliant with the health and safety at work Regulations, most covers will cover health and safety legislation and associated responsibilities combined with risk assessment stages and hazard spotting.
Health and Safety Training is an ongoing process within the working environment and not something which can be addressed once and forgotten. Employees and other members of staff may change roles within a company which introduce new hazards or working conditions which training is then required for.
Within these government guidelines there are several other strict laws which have to be covered, for example COSHH, this is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, PPE Personal Protective Clothing at work, Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous occurrences Regulations, and First Aid. These are only the tip of the iceberg as nothing in the working environment is completely free from being scrutinised such as VDU or display screen equipment, manual handling operations, provision and use of work equipment, the list goes on. It sounds daunting but training course should be comprehensive and cover all aspects of Health and Safety Training.
The aim of providing such training for all employees is awareness, developing an environment where heath and safety comes as second nature, removing and addressing unnecessary hazards from the workplace are all steps to ensure a safer working environment and one which runs smoothly reducing costs of accidents and occupational health hazards and the distress which comes with both.
Training comes in many forms these days from computer based learning to hands on courses where practical and theory tests are provided, assessing the level of health and safety training which is required within your place of work is essential. Training should be provided for all staff in their working hours and at the expense of the company not of the employee.
Author Resource:-
Anna Stenning looks at the requirements, by law for appropriate Health and Safety Training to be given to employees and staff in the work place.