Even local authorities are not immune to the penalties imposed for contravening health and safety regulations. Several case studies on The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) website describe failings by councils that have caused serious injuries to staff or members of the public. These, together with others covering many industry sectors, almost invariably mention a lack of adequate training and risk assessments.
They highlight a naivety about aspects of health and safety which could easily have been overcome by some basic training. Many personnel can benefit from this elementary training in order to understand the risks and how to mitigate them. Directors and senior managers are ultimately responsible for health and safety issues, although they might delegate this to supervisors and lower-tier managers. They might also set up health and safety committees and put representatives into departments and areas.
Focused Training is Best
None of this will be adequate unless these personnel have been properly trained. This can be achieved by sending them to external health and safety courses, but is often more effective if they can be trained on site. Then the training course can be tailored to fit the circumstances and particular hazards of the business.
Holding a City and Guilds Certificate in Health and Safety is proof that a member of staff has been trained in the legislation and the practice of risk assessment. A course leading to this will cover the hazards of machinery, manual handling, fire, noise and dangerous substances, where relevant, plus whatever else is needed in your working environment.
A Comprehensive Training Policy
Often the risk assessments will pinpoint training needs for other members of staff, such as those whose work includes the moving and lifting of goods to and from storage and transport. Assessing the risks and ensuring all staff are properly trained comes up time and time again on the HSE website.
Alistair Bromhead runs on-site City & Guilds Certificate courses in Health and Safety and Manual Handling Train the Trainer, as well as other courses, including a specific one on manual handling risk assessments. There is no need to put your staff at risk of injury or your business at risk of non-compliance. Assess your risks, and mitigate them by ensuring everyone has the awareness and knowledge they need.