Health & Safety Training
Why is health and safety training important?
"Over 200 people are killed each year in accidents at work and over one million people are injured. Over two million suffer illnesses caused by, or made worse by, their work". (HSE)
Preventing accidents and ill health caused by work is a key priority for everyone at work. As the owner or manager of a business you know that competent employees are valuable.
Providing health and safety information and training helps you to:
- avoid injury and ill health leading to 'shattered lives';
- develop a positive health and safety culture,
- manage health and safety in a cost effective and proactive manner;
- meet your legal duty to protect the health and safety of your employees.
Effective training:
- will contribute towards making your employees competent in health and safety;
- can help your business avoid the distress that accidents and ill health cause;can help you avoid the financial costs of accidents and occupational ill health.
Don’t forget that your insurance may not cover all these costs. Damaged products, lost production and de-motivated staff can all result.
The law requires that you provide whatever information, instruction and training is needed to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of your employees”
Who needs health and safety training?
You do!
Whether you are an employer or self-employed, are you sure that you’re up to date with how to identify the hazards and control the risks from your work?
Do you know how to get help – from your trade association, your local Chamber of Commerce, or your health and safety enforcing authority? Do you know what you have to do about consulting your employees, or their representatives, on health and safety issues? If not, you would probably benefit from some training.
Your managers and supervisors do!
If you employ managers or supervisors they will certainly need some either training and/or development. They need to know what you expect from them in terms of health and safety. They need to understand your health and safety policy, where they fit in, and how you want health and safety managed. They may also need training in the specific hazards of your processes and how you expect the risks to be controlled e.g. chemicals, vehicles, etc.
Your employees do!
Everyone who works for you, including self-employed people, needs to know how to work safely and without risks to health. Like your supervisors, they need to know about your health and safety policy, your arrangements for implementing it, and the part they play. They also need to know how they can raise any health and safety concerns with you. Competence is as important as risk assessment. Have you done all that is 'reasonably practicable' to ensure a fully trained and informed workforce?