OSHAssociation UK

Occupa onal Safety and Health Training

for
Interna onal Professional Cer ficate in Occupa onal Safety and Health

COURSE 105 GUIDE

IMPLEMENTATION OF
EFFECTIVE HEALTH
&
SAFETY STANDARDS

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Implementation of Effective Health and Safety Standards

Course Contents:
Unit 1: How to carry out risk assessments
Unit 2: Safe systems of work
Unit 3: Monitoring, Inspection and auditing
Unit 4: Health surveillance
Unit 5: Accidents and ill health reporting
Unit 6: When to carry out accident investigations
Unit 7: How do training, instruction and information
Improve standards
Revision Question

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Unit 1: How to Carry out Risk Aassessments

Risk assessment is one of the most important ac vi es in a health and safety system. It makes a
significant contribu on towards the reduc on in work place accidents and ill health.

The process varies from a rapid visual assessment of a simple procedure, such as hammering a
nail into a piece of wood, to a thorough wri en assessment of a large workplace opera on,
such as the bo ling opera on at a food processing plant.

Managers and staff might be involved in carrying out risk assessments. Supervisors and safety
representa ves are o en in the best posi on to carry them out, liaise with the management
team and or safety commi ee and advice employees on the implementa on of the findings.

Key Words and Phrases

Competent person – a person with the appropriate qualifica ons, knowledge and experience
to iden fy the risks arising from a situa on and the measures needed to control them.

Control measures or control – the arrangements made, or precau ons taken, to reduce risk.

Hazard – a source of danger; anything, condi on or circumstances that could cause harm to
people or damage to property.

Hazard spo ng – looking for and no ng hazards in the workplace.

Risk – a measure or scale of the likelihood that harm will occur from a par cular hazard, and
the severity of the consequences.

Risk assessment – a systema c process for iden fying workplace hazards and assessing the
risks involved from those hazards.

Safe system of work – a set of procedures for carrying out a task safely.

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What is risk assessment?

A risk assessment is a careful examina on of your work or
workplace to iden fy hazards and assess the risks from those
hazards. The aim is to prevent accidents and dangerous
incidents and to reduce ill health from work ac vi es.

The assessment involves iden fying the hazards in a workplace

or its associated ac vi es, then assessing the risks involved,
taking into account any precau ons already in place.

The step by step process encourages organisa ons to assess

every work ac vity. This enables the senior management team to iden fy the organisa on's
health and safety priori es and to allocate available resources to the measures that will have
the maximum effect in reducing accidents, either by elimina ng par cular hazards altogether,
or by controlling them so that the risk is at the lowest level that is reasonably prac cable.

The assessment also helps employers (through their managers and supervisors) to comply with
the legal requirements.

As you are aware, a hazard is something with the poten al to cause harm. Once the significant
hazards have been iden fied in a workplace, the assessment must rate the likelihood that the
hazard will actually cause harm-in other words, the level of risk. Any assessment of risk must
also consider the:
· Number of people who are at risk
· Possible severity of any injury or illness
· The consequences of this harm.

A risk assessment is not a once-and-forever task. It should be a con nual process of assessment
and review. Circumstances can change frequently in the workplace and employers (through
their managers) need to keep the assessment up to date to comply with the legal du es of
diligence and care.

Principles of Risk Management

Risk management aims to ensure that workers and
the public are properly protected and that there is
an overall benefit to society.

This involves balancing benefits and risks, with a

focus on reducing significant risks. Sensible risk
management is neither about crea ng a totally
risk free society (as it is possible to eliminate risk
altogether), nor is it about genera ng a useless paper trail. It is not intended to scare people by
exaggera ng or publicising trivial risks, or to stop important business, recrea onal or learning
ac vi es where the risks are managed properly.

It is designed to prevent ill health and injuries- and all health and safety is about saving lives, not
stopping living

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If you are involved in risk assessments and risk management, you should concentrate on the
significant risks from hazards that cannot be eliminated and on the prac cal steps to control the
risks that cause the real harm and suffering.

The Responsibility for Risk Assessments

The responsibility for carrying out risk assessments lies with employers, but managers and
supervisors usually have a pivotal role in carrying them out and implemen ng ac ons
iden fied as necessary.

Safety representa ves, where appointed, are also likely to be involved.

Employers must make sure that an appropriate assessment is carried out of health and safety
risk to which employees are exposed through their work. Employers and self-employed people
must also assess the risk from work ac vi es to the health and safety people who are not their
employment for example, members of public.

According to the law an employer with five or more employees must record his significant
findings of the assessment.

In a small business with simple hazards-a wool shop, for example- the risk assessment could be
so straight forward that it may not need any specialist skills or knowledge. In larger businesses
and in those with a specific type of danger, such as a nuclear processing plant, an extremely
detailed inves ga on may be required with the help of a specialist consultant.

In any business, it is o en wise to seek advice from technical specialists- for instance, in
assessing the risks from manual handling or display screen equipment. If you run a small
organisa on and you are confident you understand what is needed, you can do the assessment
yourself. However, severe or fatal consequences can arise from an employer's failure to carry
out risk assessments.

The extent of a risk assessment

Risk assessment may seem daun ng at first, but they are in fact very simple. They are not rocket
science, although they were used in developing the American space programme.

Failure to Carry Out Responsibili es

A casual worker was seriously injured while unloading stones from a ship's hold. The crane
operator's clothes got caught on a lever so that a grab closed onto the casual worker's head and
almost severed his neck.

The company had failed to make a proper risk assessment of the unloading technique and the
use of the grab.

Regula ons state that the risk assessment should be adequate or suitable and sufficient. These
terms mean the same thing that the assessment should not be over complicated but should be
thorough.

A single risk assessment may be all that is needed to cover all the work ac vi es and hazards in
some workplaces. However, some businesses may need to carry out separate assessments for
par cular hazards or groups of hazards.

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The level of detail largely depends on the level of risk. The greater the risk, the more detail is
likely to be required. If an employer has a number of similar workplaces-for example, a chain of
supermarkets or restaurants- then a generic or model risk assessment can be done for the same
par cular hazards in each workplace. For jobs in which people carry out various tasks in
different condi ons at a variety of sites, such as gas engineers, building surveyors, structural
engineers and tree surgeons, a generic risk assessment could cover a broad range of hazards
and risk, but a site-specific assessment should also be carried out at each site.

The findings of any assessment must be followed up by an ac on plan designed to improve

health and safety standards.

Failure to Assess Risk and Follow Safe Procedures

A security guard died of carbon monoxide poisoning while working alone in a vacant building.
There was no mains electricity, so a petrol generator was used to power the lightening but no
account was taken of the need to remove the fumes.

As the guard was a lone worker, no one raised the alarm when he passed out from the fumes.
The company had failed to assess and control the risks in a short term job and had failed to
follow its own procedures for employees who were working alone.

Carrying Out a Risk Management

The precise details of how to carry out an assessment depend on the ac vi es in your
workplace and the type and extent of the hazards and risks. However, there are normally five
steps involved:
1. Iden fy the hazard
2. Decide who is likely to be harmed and how
3. Evaluate the risks by looking at the exis ng measures and deciding whether more
controls are needed
4. Record the findings, inform the workforce of the controls to be introduced and
implement them
5. Review the risk assessment and update if necessary
What is likely to be involved in each of these steps is outlined below and on the following four
pages, but it is worth considering the following general advice.

General advice for carrying out a risk assessment

· Walk around the workplace and observe all the work ac vi es before star ng the risk
assessment. It helps to get a feel of the extent of the assessment to be done.
· Look at simple ac vi es first. This gives you experience and confidence in doing the full
risk assessment.
· Involve employees as well as the management team.
· Get advice, par cularly if you or the organisa on do not have the technical knowledge
to carry out the risk assessment
· Consider interrup ons to work as well as the ac vi es, because interrup ons
frequently lead to an accident.
· Ignore trivial hazards and insignificant levels of risk.

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Step1 – Iden fy the workplace hazards

You can use a number source of informa on to iden fy the hazards in the workplace- you may
be one of the sources.
· Look at the work ac vi es that actually take place in the workplace. Walk around the
workplace and concentrate on the significant hazards – those which could cause a
severe injury or have a high risk that could affect several people.
· List the hazards in order of priority by hazard spo ng
· If your workplace has a number of hazards, consider assessing some of them in separate
groups such as machinery, transport, electrical equipment and installa ons, manual
handling and noise.
· Examine accident records and consider the manufacturer's instruc ons for machines
and safety data sheets for harmful substances
· Hold mee ng to discuss the hazards in the workplace
· Make sure that you include the tasks that are not done every day, such as maintenance
and repair jobs, as well as long term hazards to health, such as exposure to noise or
vibra on.

Step 2 – Establish who might be harmed and how

Everyone must be considered in a risk assessment – for example, office staff, machinists,
cleaners, contractors, maintenance workers, visi ng suppliers and representa ves, security
staff, people who share the building and members of the public. You should also iden fy groups
of workers who may be par cular at risk – such as young people and trainees: migrant workers;
employees with poor English, physical disabili es or learning difficul es; and pregnant women.
Iden fy how they might be harmed – for example, railway workers might be struck by a passing
train or by objects falling or being thrown from the train.

Step 3 – Assess the risks and decide on whether further controls are needed
Assess the risks that each hazard presents including:
· The likelihood that harm will occur
· The nature of the injury that could result
· The severity of the harm
· Who is likely to be affected by the hazard

What are you already doing? Decide whether the exis ng precau ons are adequate (and
comply with current legisla on) whether more control measures are needed. It may be that the
exis ng controls have already reduced the risk to acceptable level.

Risk Ra ng
Risk can be rated using a number of simple systems that help to determine the level of risk and
ac on priori es.
One such system is based on assigning:
· A le er from A to C for the severity of harm that could result from a hazard
· A number from 1 – 3 for the likelihood that the hazard will occur.

Severity
A – Represents death, major, injury or major damage or loss of property or equipment
B – Represents an injury las ng over three days or damage to property or equipment

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C – Represents a minor injury and minor damage to property or equipment.

Likelihood
1 – Extremely likely to occur
2 – Frequently/o en/likely to occur
3 – Slight chance of occurring

If the exis ng measures are insufficient to reduce the risk to an acceptable level, addi onal
controls should be introduced. Always aim to do be er than the minimum legisla ve standard:
try to reduce the risk to as low a level as possible. This will help you to reduce the number of
accidents and cases of ill health in the workplace.

However, do bear in mind that no workplace is completely hazard-free and risk-free. You are
required to take control measures that are reasonably prac cable. Try to find a less risky
op on, get rid of the hazard if you can, prevent access to a hazard, organise the work so that
you reduce exposure to the hazard, provide personal protec ve equipment and provide
adequate welfare facili es.

If the work involves staff in moving from site to site, you can iden fy the common hazards and
their risks. At individual sites, you should carry out a hazard spo ng exercise for unusual
hazards and assess the risk for those specific site based hazards.

Make sure that your assessment covers, for example, the normal opera on of a machine, and
also its se ng, maintenance, cleaning and repair. Bear in mind that the dangerous part may be
safe in normal use, but dangerous when accessible during maintenance cleaning and so on.
When you consider which controls you should introduce, use a hierarchy of control.
.
As with all control measures, it is best to remove the risk by elimina ng a par cular hazard from
the workplace. If this is impossible, subs tute with something that will do the same job with
less risk. If that cannot be done, control the level of risk by installing physical guards. Where a
job must s ll be done, but none of the earlier measures men oned is effec ve and risk cannot
be reduced to an acceptable level, introduce safe systems of work. The last resort is to provide
personal protec ve equipment.

Whichever measures are introduced, all employees must be provided with adequate
instruc on, informa on and training
.
Step 4 – Record the findings, inform the workforce of the controls to be
introduced and implement them
If your workplace employs five or more people you must, by law, record your risk assessments.
Even if there are a fewer than five employees in your workplace, it is good prac ce to record the
findings. (See below for guidance on the period for which record should be kept).
The records provide a benchmark against which to measure improvements. They also help an
organisa on to demonstrate that it has gone through the process, complied with the law and is
seriously commi ed to health and safety.

Employers must inform employees about the significant findings of a risk assessment: this
might be a part of the job of a manager or supervisor.

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The record should be kept clear and simple. It can be hand-wri en, typed or recorded
electronically, it should include the significant findings of the assessment- for example, the
hazards that are serious risk to employees and others, the exis ng control measures, the extent
to which the controls do actually mi gate the risks, and who may be exposed to the risks. You
need to be able to show that proper check was made and that you asked who might be affected.

You also need to show that you dealt with all the significant hazards, taking into account the
number of people who could be involved together with the reasonable precau ons. You must
demonstrate the remaining risk is low and that you involved your staff or their representa ves
in the process.

A good plan of ac on o en includes a mixture of controls, such as:

· A few cheap or easy improvements that can be done quickly, perhaps as a temporary
solu on un l more reliable controls are in place.
· Long term solu ons to those hazards most likely to cause accidents or ill health.
· Long term solu ons to those hazards with the most severe poten al consequences
· Arrangements for training employees about the main risks that remain and how they
are to be controlled.
· Regular checks to make sure that the control measures are being followed and have
remained effec ve.
· Clear responsibili es- who must do what, who will lead each ac on and the mescale.
Set priori es and tackle the most important thing first. As you complete each ac on, ck it off
your plan.

The health and safety policy should include the main findings and ac ons taken.

Step 5 – Review The Risk Assessment and update it if necessary

Review your risk assessments regularly because the nature of the work can change. The
circumstances in the workplace some mes indicate that the exis ng risk assessment is no
longer valid. This is certainly the case where there are significant changes in work ac vi es or
there has been an accident. Look at what is already in place, consult employees, and consider
employee work habits and assets records- including those for injury and illness, workers
compensa on costs, rates of employee turnover and records of training.

Decide on suitable adjustments to the assessment as appropriate. Ensure that the proposed
changes are communicated to the management and the employees, then make sure they are
implemented.

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Who can do a risk assessment?

If your employer or manager delegates the risk assessment to you, it may be possible to carry it
out without special training if you follow the five-step process outlined above. General
guidance is provided on the Health and Safety Execu ve website, which includes examples of
risk assessments in many types of small business.

If you are working for a small firm with few hazards, then the process is rela vely
straigh orward. However, if you work for a large organisa on or there are significant hazards
and risks, it is advisable to obtain some training in risk assessment. You should also have a good
knowledge of the workplace, its ac vi es and processes and the control measures already
taken, where work ac vi es are complex or specific technical knowledge is required, it is
recommended that a competent person from within the workforce undertake the risk
assessment or be part of a team carrying out the risk assessment.

If outside consultants are contracted, it is always wise for someone who knows the business
opera on in mately to be involved as well: that person might be you.

Assessors need a sound knowledge and understanding of the workplace and the ac vi es that
are assessing. They need to be able to gather informa on and arrange it clearly and logically.
They need to be able to analyse this informa on and evaluate it so that it is valid and be used to
make reliable recommenda ons. They also need to be able to draw up a clear and concise
report and communicate the findings of the assessment to those who have requested it and
those that it applies to, such as the employees. These skills make up what are called the
competencies (or competences) required by risk assessors.

Legally required specific risk assessments

Every company should carry out a general risk assessment, but you may also need to undertake
separate specific risk assessments, such as for specific sites – for example, where staff work at a
different loca on every day – or for ma ers such as fire, manual handling and the control of
hazardous substances. The legisla on that requires a specific risk assessment gives guidance on
what to examine. Some regula ons also specify the length of me that the records of risk
assessment have to be kept.

Here are some examples of specific assessments required by legisla on.

· Asbestos – risk assessment records must be made for each employee exposed and must
be kept for the me that the work is being carried out. Regular review is required.
· Display screen equipment – employers must carry out assessments. Self – employed
people are not obliged to assess work sta ons, but must sa sfy themselves that they
are, so far as is reasonably prac cable, not at risk from the equipment.
· Hazardous substances – work cannot begin un l the risks have been assessed. Regular
review is required
· Lead – risk assessments must be recorded and the records kept for two years a er they
have been superseded or when work involving lead is stopped altogether.
· Manual handling – the specific requirements and the factors that must be taken into
account are listed in the legisla on.
· Noise – the risk from noise affec ng employees must be assessed according to the

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ac on values. Assess the risk to members of the public according to what is reasonably
prac cable. Records must be kept un l a new assessment is made.
· Personal protec ve equipment (PPE) – this risk assessment is for the use for PPE only,
and not for the hazards and risks the PPE is protec ng against, as this assessment
should have been done in the general risk assessment.

Risk Assessment Examples

Example risk assessments are available from the Health and Safety Execu ve website. They are
intended to improve standards by demonstra ng what a risk assessment is, the sort of hazards
you should be thinking about and the prac cal steps that can be taken to protect people.

They are also intended to help you save me and money. Examples include hairdressing salon,
office work in a manufacturing company, a contract bricklayers, an off-license, a motor vehicle
showroom, a butcher's shop, cleaning work in large retail premises and chilled storage
warehousing.

The example below suggests some of the things that should be included in a risk assessment,
but is not intended to be comprehensive. Remember that each situa on presents its own
hazards and risks and certain controls should already be in place.

Ladders in a shop – Example

Use
Retrieving goods from a height, changing light units and erec ng display materials.

Hazards
Staff member falling, materials falling and hi ng someone.
Someone bumping into or tripping over foot of ladder.

Who is at risk?
Employees, members of the public and visitors.

Controls
Retrieving goods from a height
Exis ng – ladders are provided with security hooks to stabilize the top of the ladders against a
storage rack.
Proposed – set up a ladder register and ensure that the shi supervisor inspects the ladders
every week and records the findings.

Changing light units

Exis ng – stepladders have stabilizers and wheel chocks used for this ac vity. No guardrails are
provided on the stepladders.
Proposed – area to be cordoned off and a member of staff to warm employees and members of
the public about the opera on. Set up ladder register. New stepladders with adequate
guardrails to be provided.

Erec ng display materials

Exis ng – stepladders with stabilisers and wheel chocks used for this ac vity.
Proposed – area to be cordoned off and a member of staff to warn employees and members of

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the public about the opera on. Set up ladder register. Where display materials are large or
heavy, a safe system of work should be set up in consulta on with the shi supervisor.

Records
Retained in the risk assessment register and kept together with the organisa on's health and
safety policy. Also held in electronic format on the organisa on's computer system.

Review
Reviewed every 12 months and when work ac vi es or equipment change significantly or a er
an accident occurs.

Legal Requirements
Under Then Management of Health and Safety at Work Regula ons 1999 employers and self –
employed people must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk to the health and
safety of employees and others as a result of work ac vi es.

Where there are five or more employees, the employer must record the significant findings of
the assessment and make a note of any group of employees iden fied as being par cularly at
risk.

Risk assessment must be reviewed by the employer or self-employed person if there is reason
to suspect that it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change in the ac vity
assessed.

Risk assessment is also specifically required by other regula ons, such as The Control of
Asbestos at Work Regula ons 2006: The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
Regula ons 2002; the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regula ons 1992; The
Ionising Radia ons Regula ons, 1999: The Control of Noise at Work Regula ons 2005; The
Control of Vibra on at Work Regula ons 2005 and The Manual Handling Opera ons
Regula ons 1992.

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Unit 2: Safe Systems of Work

A safe system is a work is a set of procedures that helps staff to carry out tasks safely. It is the
main tool for implemen ng safe working prac ces.

The procedures include informa on about the hazards involved in a work ac vity or work
environment, together with the safety procedures that must be followed. Managers,
supervisors and safety representa ves are likely to par cipate in drawing up safe systems of
work. Supervisors and safety representa ves are most likely to be involved in explaining the
instruc ons to all the staff involved in a par cular ac vity.

Safe systems of work should be in wri ng and recorded as part of the company's overall health
and safety management system.

Key Words and Phrases

Competent person – someone with the appropriate qualifica ons, knowledge and
experience to iden fy the risks arising from a situa on and the measures needed to control
them.

Permit to work – a formal document that specifies the work that a named member of staff is
permi ed to do and the precau ons to be taken.

Risk management – a systema c process for iden fying workplace hazards and assessing the
risks involved from those hazards.

Safe system of work – a set of procedures for carrying out a task safely.

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Developing safe systems of work

A safe system of work should be based upon a systema c examina on of the task involving a
risk assessment of the:
· Equipment to be used
· Processes involved
· Environment where the work will be carried out
· People carrying out the task.

This should be carried out by a competent person with a sound knowledge of the task and
usually, hands – on experience of what is involved. It helps to take into account the experience
and comments of several staff members who already do the work. Safety representa ves
should also be consulted for their views.

Priori es
For exis ng processes, safe systems of work should first be prepared for high – risk ac vi es.
Then safe systems of work should be prepared for medium – risk and low – risk tasks. You
should also give a high priority to preparing systems of work for any task likely to be carried out
by inexperienced or young workers, and for the tasks carried out most frequently.

Stages of development
The first step in preparing a safe system of work for a par cular ac vity is to conduct a thorough
risk assessment to determine:
· The nature of the hazards
· Who is at risk
· Whether the hazard could be eliminated by using other work procedures or equipment
· What controls would be appropriate to deal with the residual level of risk.

Preparing the document

Once this has been done, the safe system of work should be documented. It is likely to include:
· Informa on about who is authorised to do what
· Detailed informa on about the hazard and their associated risks of the task
· Specific informa on about the hazards and their associated risk in the par cular
working environment
· Precau ons to be taken before star ng the task
· Details about any collec ve protec ve measures (such as fences, barriers and warning
signs)
· Instruc ons about any personal protec ve equipment (PPE) to be worn while working
· Clear instruc ons about how to carry out the task
· Specific instruc ons about minimising the risks from the task, including, where
appropriate, measures to protect par cular groups of people
· Instruc ons about ensuring that the work area is le safe for others
· Guidelines for correct waste disposal
· Procedures for emergencies

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Examples of what might be included

· Authorisa on – for example, authorisa on required to undertake a par cular
technique/process or use equipment/machinery; in company prohibi ons on workers
under the age of 18 (such as an in – house ban on the use of food slicers by young
workers); procedures and personnel that provide authorisa on; training/supervision
required for task or cer ficates of competence required.
· Hazards associated with equipment/machinery/technique/process – for example,
hazardous chemicals, radia on, biological materials, sharps, high voltage, swarf
produced, speed of opera on, possibility of infec on or allergy
· Hazards associated with the environment where the task is to be undertaken – for
example, road, motorway, railway line, drain; pole, tree, scaffold, ladder; fume
cupboard, local exhaust ven la on, bio-safety cabinet, radia on laboratory; presence
of children, elderly people or people with limited mobility, sight or hearing in the
vicinity.
· Precau ons before star ng work – for example, where to find informa on about
par cular hazards, such as material safety data sheets (MSDS), manufacturers'
instruc ons, company safety manual, loca on – specific safety manual (such as for a
laboratory); emergency procedures including informa on about nearest accident and
emergency hospital; first aid equipment; associated documents such as inspec on
cer ficates (such as for li ing equipment); details about prepara on of the area,
materials and the people required before commencing task.

Concrete Hose Kills Construc on Worker

A construc on worker died a er a concrete – hardened hose struck his head when a blocked
concrete pump was cleaned in an unsafe manner.

There had been a delay in delivering new concrete to the piling rig which the man was
opera ng. As a consequence, the concrete already in the flexible rubber hose began to harden,
leading to a blockage.

It was decided to use compressed air to blow the concrete clear, but the end of the hose was
not restrained. The hose flew up and hit the man's head, causing his fatal injuries.

The Health and Safety Execu ves (HSE) prosecuted the company on the grounds that it failed
to carry out a formal risk assessment of the cleaning and unblocking of the rig, so there was no
safe system of work. An HSE inspector commented, a risk assessment is the star ng point for
developing a formal safe system of work for opera ons. Once developed, clear instruc on and
training should then be given to those carrying out the work.

A court fined the company £75,000 and ordered it to pay costs of more than £34,400 for falling
to ensure the health and safety of its employees.

· Personal protec ve equipment to be used – for example, safety glasses, goggles, face
shield, steel toe cap footwear, non-slip foot wear, chemical resistant footwear,
chainsaw boots, gloves; laboratory coat/back-opening gown, apron, overalls; safety
helmet, hair nets, ear defenders; respiratory protec on.
· Step by step procedures for the task

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· Clean up procedures- for example, removing swarf, decontamina ng glassware,

cleaning work benches, transpor ng and staring hazardous materials, removing animal
carcasses.
· Waste disposal procedures- for example, for chemical, biological or radioac ve waste;
broken glass; wood dust; rinsing water.
· Emergency procedures – for example, specific instruc ons for what to do in the case of
a chemical spill, power outage, explosion, injury to someone working at height.
· Procedures for lone or isolated working and a er hours working – for example,
prohibited ac vity at specific hours; access out of normal working hours; buddy system
where at least two people work together or in close proximity; regular contact
arrangements for lone or isolated workers; such as foresters and agricultural workers
.
Reviewing the document
When a dra document is complete, the safe system of work should be reviewed by a
supervisor, manager and a safety representa ve, then signed and dated by them.

Implemen ng Safe Systems of Work

Safe systems of work must be communicated to staff. This is o en the responsibility of a
supervisor. Ideally, the system should be explained face to face, perhaps with a walk through if
appropriate. This may form a part of induc on, job – specific and refresher turning as well as
being good opera onal prac ce. In some occupa ons where staff work at different sites each
day, the supervisor may need to explain the safe system of work each day, the supervisor may
need to explain the safe system of work each day for the par cular site and task. This may be
known as a toolbox talk or job briefing.

A wri en copy of the system should also be readily available for reference. In some workplaces
a no ce of the safe system of work could be displayed next to a piece of machinery.
Alterna vely, the system could be in a ready to hand safety manual or job envelop.

Liaison with other workers

Where there is more than one employer on a site or in a building, the supervisor should ensure
that other contractors and employees are clear what needs to happen to ensure that work is
safe. This liaison with others is a legal requirement.

Keeping the system effec ve

No system is effec ve unless it is followed. Managers and supervisors must ensure that staff
works in safe ways that conform to the appropriate safe system of work. From me to me the
system should be reviewed as a ma er of course and adjusted if necessary. It should also be
reviewed if there are any accidents or incidents (near – misses), or if employees or safety
representa ves raise safety concerns.

Worker Slipped On Hot Oil a er Improvising Work System

A supermarket was fined and ordered to pay costs because a catering worker was burnt by hot
oil when improvising ways to empty a deep fat fryer.

The catering assistant had been emptying oil from a deep fat fryer into a plas c bucket when
the bucket melted, spilling the oil onto her feet and the floor. She then slipped over and burnt
her back.
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Three months before the accident the fat fryer had been replaced with one without an integral
filter and collec on tray. The company was unaware of the change of design and failed to
provide addi onal equipment for removing the oil safety, so staff improvised with the plas c
bucket.

During the inves ga on it became apparent that there was no safe system of work in place of
emptying the fryer. Poor training – where employees o en trained one another, reinforcing
unsafe working prac ce – and inadequate supervision also contributed to the petroleum.
Although risk assessment existed for fat fryers, the informa on was not passed on to all staff
and was not reviewed when the new equipment was installed.

The council that ins gated the prosecu on on commented, an extensive por olio of policies,
procedures and risk assessments are useless unless they are implemented at grass root level.

Types of Safe System of Work

Safe systems of work can be created in various ways and under various tles. These include:
· Permit to work systems
· Isola on and lock- off systems
· Safe work instruc ons
· Vehicle management plans
· Safe work method statement

An example of one of these systems – permit to work – is given below.

Permit to Work
A permit to work is a formal document specifying the work that a
designated jobholder is allowed to do and the precau ons to be
taken. Permits to work may be issued to help to control the risks in
par cularly hazardous situa ons or in non – rou ne circumstances.
The permits are separate from cer ficates of competence and
authorise named individuals or specific jobholders to carry out
specified tasks, to work in specified areas or to work at specified
mes.

They might, for example, be issued for the use of certain powered
equipment such as chainsaws, for working in confined spaces or on
overhead electricity cables, for carrying out excava on work,
working near railways lines or working at height. Non – rou ne work
requiring a permit to work includes anything that creates non –
typical health and safety risks. These might occur during annual or
emergency maintenance or repair, deep cleaning, equipment installa on and refurbishment or
the use of specialised equipment not usually in that working environment.

Employees working away from their own base – on another company's site or premises, for
example – must abide by all permits to work being operated on that site.

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Who can issue permit

The issue of permits to work should ne toughly controlled. Only named, authorised and
competent people should be allowed to issue permits to work. They might include managers
and supervisors.

What should be specified?

Permits to work should be wri en. They should iden fy the level of competence and any
specialist skills of all individuals issued with a permit. They should list isola on and pre work
precau ons, the prohibited ac vi es (communicated to others as necessary), the plant and
equipment required and the personal protec ve equipment (PPE) to be used.

The sequence of work to be undertaken should be stated, together with hazards iden fied and
any residual risks. The controls should be clearly defined; any emergency procedures for all
foreseeable risks should also be included. Most permit cover work for 24 hours and need an
authorising signature for extra me.

Communica ng the permit requirements

Workers who are required to operate under the permit system should be briefed fully on the
hazards and controls necessary. This should be done by a competent person such as a
supervisor or team leader who must be familiar with all the details of the methods and
sequence of work and all the emergency procedures.

It is also advisable to explain what will happen a er any emergency – such as instruc ons to
stop work and leave the area untouched.
A no ce explaining that a permit system is in opera on should be displayed clearly at the work
site or isola on point to remind everyone what is required.

Legal Requirements
Employers and the self – employed have a duty under the health and safety at work etc. act
1974 or the health and safety at work (Northern Ireland) order 1978 to ensure the safety of
people at work and anyone else affected by work ac vi es. The legisla on specifically requires
safe system of work. The management of health and safety at work regula ons 1999 require
risk assessments to be carried out and competent people to be appointed to assist in doing so.

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Unit 3: Monitoring, Inspection and Auditing

Informa on about the performance of a workplace is essen al if an organisa on is to manage

health and safety successfully. Monitoring, inspec ng and audi ng can provide the informa on
required. The key is to iden fy and collect the right informa on and use it to the best effect.

Key Words and Phrases

Ac ve monitoring – regular proac ve measurement of performance against safety

management standards and targets.

Audit - a formal examina on against a fixed standard by competent people who are
independent of the area of work being audited.

Competent person – a person with the appropriate qualifica ons, knowledge and
experience to iden fy the risks arising from a situa on and the measures needed to control
them.

Examina on – in a health and safety context, checks on equipment that are more thorough
but less frequent than inspec ons.

Inspec on of equipment – checks on items of equipment to verify that they can be

operated, adjusted and maintained safely.

Inspec on of the health and safety system – the assessment of the health and safety
performance of a workplace, which enables any necessary remedial measures to be taken.

Monitoring – regular, o en, daily checks on what is going on in the workplace to help to
deal with problems as they arise.

Pre-use check – a check on equipment by an operator before using the equipment.

Reac ve monitoring – the repor ng and inves ga on of incidents and accidents rela ng to
health and safety.

Risk assessment – a systema c process for iden fying workplace hazards and assessing the
risks involved from those hazards.

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Checking the Essen als

Managers, supervisors and safety/employee representa ves all have a role to play in the
monitoring, inspec on and audi ng of an organisa on's health and safety. Monitoring is
usually done by supervisors who the report to managers.

safety representa ves. A health and safety consultant might

Inspec ons can be carried out by
be contracted to carry out the audit with assistants of a supervisor and safety/employee
representa ve. The audit report will then be considered by a manger.

Monitoring, inspec on and audi ng considers the factors responsible for causing accidents
and ill-health in the workplace. By looking at the human, organisa onal and environmental
factors in the workplace and the work ac vi es, the root cause of injury and illness can be
iden fied so that hazards can be eliminated or controls applied that reduce the risk of accidents
and ill health.

For monitoring, inspec on and audit systems to work properly, they need to be:
· Proper financial and staff resources allocated to them
· Commitment from managers, supervisors, safety/employee representa ves and
employees alike
· Agreed inspec on and audi ng procedures
· Adequate training and informa on for all involved in these systems
· Regular reviews of the organisa on's performance.
They can be carried out from a number of viewpoints such as the work environment, the
par cular occupa on of the worker or the organisa on's health and safety policy.

Monitoring
Monitoring can be either ac ve or reac ve. Ac ve monitoring is the process of checking the
day to day opera ons of the health and safety management system. It is the regular proac ve
measures of performance against safety management standards and targets. It involves
keeping an eye on what is going on and helps to deal with problems as they arise. Regular
monitoring should help to iden fy the strength and weaknesses of the system. Ac ve
monitoring includes methods such as safety inspec ons, tours of workplace and surveys.

Monitoring can be impromptu or at set mes: as you work around the workplace you can check
for varia ons in the way tasks are carried out, spots hazards, and discuss health and safety
issues with employees, or you can arrange specific monitoring mee ngs.

Risk assessments allow you to monitor the exis ng controls and to recommend improvements
for implementa on.
Reac ve monitoring is the repor ng and inves ga on of incidents and accidents, accidents,
whether these relates to people, processes, property or any combina on of these. The process
includes recording, inves ng and examining informa on about accidents, ill health and
complaints by employees about health and safety condi ons.

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The importance of keeping record

Apart from inves ga ng incidents and accidents, much of reac ve monitoring is about keeping
and analysing records. So one of the indicators of a good health and safety culture is the quality
and type of records kept by the organisa on.

Examples of the type of records you should keep include those dealing with:
· Training
· Fire drill
· Alarm tes ng
· Electrical equipment tes ng
· Plant and equipment maintenance
· Opera on or processes
· Accidents and incidents inves ga on
· RIDDOR report
· Accident form
· Sickness and absence reports
· Safety commi ee minutes
· Inspec ons
· Audits of safety systems
· Work with hazardous substances – such as ionising radia on, lead and asbestos- or
working with excessive noise or compressed air

When record have been analysed, they can:

· Demonstrate the company's history of safety management
· Iden fy long-term trend
· Be used to plan maintenance or iden fy training needs
· Be used as evidence in case of li ga on or prosecu on
· To be used to measure the effec veness of control measures
· Show the iden fied hazards and the control measures put in place
· Be used by managers to conduct regular reviews of, for example, work
processes/systems and health and safety performance.

Regula ons such as the Health and Safety Execu ves can also use informa on gathered
through the repor ng of injuries, diseases, and dangerous occurrences Regula ons 1995 to
target health and safety issues- for example, the be er back campaign and the ladder safety
campaign.

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Inspec on
The term inspec on has various meanings. When used in rela on to a specific item of
equipment, the purpose of an inspec on is to iden fy whether the equipment can be
operated, adjusted and maintained safely so that any deteriora on can be detected and
remedied before it results in unacceptable risks. The process of inspec on is more thorough
and more formal than the rou ne checks that the employees would do- for example, the pre-
use check before star ng work with a chainsaw.

In rela on to the overall performance of the health and safety management system, an
inspec on is the assessments of the health and safety performance of a workplace, which
enables any necessary remedial measures to be taken.

A competent person should carry out the inspec on. He/she should be familiar with the
workplace prac ces and the health and safety standard of the workplace. It is good prac ce for
inspec ons to be carried out at least every six months, records of the inspec ons should be
kept for three years. Inspec on report should be given to managers responsible for health and
safety for any correc ve work to be done.

What is included in an inspec on of the system?

An overall inspec on of the health and safety management system does not necessarily have
cover all of the ma ers in the checklist below. Ma ers to be inspected could include checking
that the:
· Safety policy is up to date and available
· Safety commi ee minutes are available
· Accidents and ill health records are up to date and available
· Training records are up to date and available
· First aid facili es are available and up to legal standard
· Fire precau on include ensuring that the:
- Alarm test records are up to date and available
- Means of escape are clearly marked and visible
- Detectors are tested and record kept
- Fire ex nguishers are available and records of tes ng available and up to date
- Training record available and up to date
- Fire drill records available and up to date
- The storage of flammable substances is up to standard
· Control of substances hazardous to health – records of assessments and safety data
sheets available and up to date.
· Health surveillance records available and up to date.
· Display screen equipment risk assessments available and up to date
· Manual handling risk assessments available and up to date
· Records of disposal of hazardous waste available and up to date.

Other checks include:

· Workplace
- Ligh ng
- Temperature

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- Ven la on
- Cleanliness
- Storage
- Toilet and washing facili es
- State of repair
- Fire escape routes
· Equipment
- Guarding
- Maintenance
- Electrical equipment inspec on and tes ng
- Pressure systems examina ons and records
- Fire-figh ng equipment
- Fire protec on facili es
· Li ing equipment examina on and records
You can customise your own checklist and compare the exis ng condi ons observed against
the relevant standards of health and safety.

The inspec on report should note where unsa sfactory condi ons occur and should make the
recommenda ons on any work that needs to be done to ensure that health and safety
standards are maintained at a high level.

Examina ons
Examina ons, which apply only to equipment, are more thorough but carried out less o en
than inspec ons. The extent of a thorough examina on depends on an assessment of a risk,
based on the type of equipment where it is installed and how it is to be used. Examina on is
done so that deteriora on can be detected in sufficient me for remedial ac on to be taken.
Examina on must be done by a competent person. Examples include the thorough
examina on of pressure systems or li ing equipment.

Audi ng
An audit is a systema c detailed assessment of the health and safety management system. It
involves collec ng informa on on the efficiency, effec veness and reliability of the health and
safety management system and measuring it against a fixed standard.

Audi ng complements the rou ne inspec on and monitoring of health and safety systems and
goes deeper into the opera on of the health and safety management system than monitoring
or inspec on. For example, if you wanted to audit a health surveillance system an audit would
try to find out whether:
· All employees exposed to risk are included in the health surveillance programme
· The people opera ng the health surveillance system are competent to do so
· Proper records are being kept and are analysed
· The person responsible for health and safety in the workplace has seen the system
records.

Audi ng the health and safety management system helps to establish whether appropriate
management arrangements are in place and helps you to make changes and improvements
throughout the whole system. The conclusion and recommenda ons from an audit can help to:

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· Iden fy weaknesses in the system

· Make improvement in the health and safety policy
· Improve the organisa on of the health and safety management system
· Develop the planning of the system and the implementa on of the policy
· Con nuously improve the performance measurement and the review of the system
· Reduce accidents and ill health

Carrying out the audit

An audit should be carried out by an independent, competent person, experienced in audi ng
health and safety management systems. Good prac ce is for an audit to be carried out every
year. Audits of a small organisa on separately, by department, func on (for example,
maintenance) or hazard (for example, electrical). The auditors should assess the records,
ques on employees and observe procedures.

The aim is to evaluate the:

· Ability of the organisa on's mangers to produce and implement a health and safety
policy to control health and safety risks
· Communica on and consulta on arrangements for involving the organisa on's
employees
· Training system and competence of employees
· Health and safety risk control system
· Health and safety measures and procedures
· Performance management system
· Monitoring and inspec on of arrangement
· Accidents recording and inves ga on system
· Compa bility with the organisa on's main management system.

The audit can use a scoring system – for example, measuring the percentage compliance
against a pre-set standard.

Example of the difference between an inspec on and an audit

Inspec on: light bulb missing

Ac on: replace the bulb
Audit: light bulb missing
Ques on: is there inadequate ligh ng? is there a system to assess ligh ng level? Why has it not
been followed?
Ac on: determine the root cause and put in place a system by which light bulbs are replaced
when broken and ligh ng is inspected regularly so that ligh ng is adequate at all mes.

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Legal Requirements
The management of health and safety at work regula ons 1999 requires every employer to
make arrangements for the effec ve planning, organisa on, control, monitoring, (including
audits) and review of the preven ves and protec ve measures for health and safety of his
employees and others. The appropriate arrangements depend on the nature of the ac vi es
and size of the business. Where are five or more employees, the employer must record the
arrangements.

The provision and use of work equipment regula on 1998 says that every employer must
inspect work equipment a er installa on and before being put into service for the first me to
ensure that it has been installed correctly and is safe to operate. Employers must also inspect
work equipment exposed to extreme condi ons at the suitable intervals and record the result
of such inspec on.

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Unit 4: What is Health Surveillance?

Many organisa ons now ac vely promote the health of their employees in addi on to taken
preven ve and precau onary measures. Some employers provide advice and assistance on
topics such as smoking, diet and exercise.

Others have introduced general health screening even if the employer is not required to do so.
A programme of health surveillance is required by law in certain circumstances, such as where
substances hazardous to health or radia on are involved.

Key Words and Phrases

Environmental Monitoring – test to determine whether the work environment is safe and
healthy for workers.
Health Surveillance – the systema c monitoring of the health of any worker who may be
exposed to harmful substances or harmful work ac vi es.
Medical health screening – medical test to determine the health status of individual at work.

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What Is Health Surveillance?

Health surveillance involves the systema c
monitoring of the health of any worker who may
be exposed to harmful substances or harmful
work ac vi es. The purpose of the surveillance is
to iden fy adverse health effects or inadequate
health and safety controls.

Types of surveillance
Generally, there are two types of health related
surveillance at work- medical health screening and environmental monitoring.

Medical health screening slows early detec on of specific work related illnesses. It enables
employers to prevent ill health and evaluate the need for changes that reduces the risk of the
disease.

Various techniques of medical health screening are used including:

· Biological monitoring- tes ng employees for harmful substances in the body
· Eyesight and hearing test
· Lung capacity test chest x-rays
· Manual dexterity assessments- for example, test to determine whether a person has
repe ve strain injury or back damage
· Physical examina on- for example, hairdressers can iden fy skin irrita on by observing
symptoms and repor ng them to their supervisors
· Interview

Environmental monitoring can assist a health surveillance system by linking environmental

result to medical results.

Such monitoring includes:

· Environmental sampling – for example, the measurement of harmful substances in the
air
· The use of noise dose meters - meters that indicate the level of noise to which an
individual is expose to in the office.
· The use of breathing zone air monitors – similar to noise dose meters, but for measuring
the amount of a harm substance being breathed in by an employee.

Why Monitor Employee Health?

The main aim of monitoring the health of employees is to protect them from harm, but
individual privacy must also be considered. Health surveillance should be used only where it is
likely to benefit those at risk, because it provides essen al informa on on the effec veness of
control.

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Health surveillance is normally used in order to:

· Measure the body's absorp on of toxic substances
· Look for adverse effects on the body at an early stage
· Iden fy from clinical and personal records any work-related diseases in groups of
employees
· Iden fy and protect employees who have a greater risk of poor health than others
before they start a job that may expose them to harmful substance or other health
hazards. It is common for organisa ons to monitor the health of employees who wear
personal protec ve equipment is the only health and safety control in some
circumstances where they are hazards that cannot be controlled by other methods.

Employers can use health surveillance procedures to iden fy workers who may have adverse
health symptoms and to find out whether the workplace health and safety precau ons are
adequate. If the measures are inadequate, then health surveillance should indicate which other
measures need to be introduced. Some common symptoms of work related illness are easily
confused with non-occupa onal illness. Expert diagnose is needed to pinpoint work related
causes. This can be a complex and lengthy process.

When To Monitor Employee Health

Employers must ensure that their employees are provided with health surveillance appropriate
to the risks to their health and safety that have been iden fied by a risk assessment.

The following criteria should be used to decide whether

health surveillance should be introduced.
· There is an iden fiable disease or adverse health
condi on related to the work
· Valid techniques are available to detect the
disease or condi on
· There is a reasonable likelihood that the disease or
condi on may occur under the par cular
condi ons at work
· Surveillance is likely to increase the protec on of
the health of the employees concerned.

Monitoring at different stages

Health surveillance can be done at different stages of an employee's employment – at
recruitment or before transfer to a job with health risks, for example. It can also be done during
work involving a risk to health and even a er the exposure to the health hazard has stopped.

Surveillance can also help to predict whether someone is likely to be at risk from developing
work-related diseases from harmful substances used in the workplace. For example, where a
person is suscep ble to skin condi ons, some substances can make the condi on worse. Health
surveillance may help to prevent this exposure occurring.

Informa on from monitoring health can set a baseline for later comparison with the results of
surveillance carried out over a long period. For example, a hearing test at the beginning of an
employment contract involving noisy work establishes the state of the employees hearing

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abili es at that me. It can be used to compare with later hearing test to establish whether
there has been any deteriora on in hearing ability.

Surveillance a er exposure has stopped is useful to detect long term ill health effect such as
mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the lungs, usually due to asbestos exposure). This can
help to detect the disease at an early stage, so that, should it occur, appropriate treatment can
be given
.
Biological monitoring
Biological monitoring is used to find out if a substance is being absorbed into the body. The
technique is typically used to monitor lead or pes cide levels in the blood. Results can suggest
whether exis ng controls are adequate and can help to iden fy employees who are over-
exposed and need to be given addi onal protec on or moved from the job.

Surveillance can also help to iden fy insufficient control of a harmful substance – for instance,
where ven la on controls are inadequate to deal with airborne lung allergens, such as those in
wool-processing workshops.

Harmful substances
Where harmful substances are in use, there must be a health surveillance programme. This is
required by law for asbestos, lead and ionising radia on, for example. Employees working in
compressed air or diving opera ons must also receive health surveillance.

Some Important Precau ons

There are some issues which employees should know before
they par cipate in a health surveillance programme and there
should be certain safeguards for privacy in place.
· Employees should give their consent to par cipa ng in
the programme, or it should be a clear, prior condi on
of employment that they must take part.
· Employees should be given informa on about the possible consequences of
surveillance- for example, the possibility of discovering adverse effects. (Supervisors or
managers can be trained to recognise the symptoms of some condi ons that may
indicate health problem in their par cular workplace- for example, skin condi on such
as redness, itching and soreness from substances which can damage the skin.
· The programme must be under the direc on of a competent person- for example, an
occupa onal health doctor or occupa onal hygienist.
· The informa on obtained from the programme must remain confiden al but should be
available to the individual employee at any me.
· Details should be passed on to third par es, such as the health and safety execu ves,
local authority or court, only with the wri en consent of employee
· Employees cannot be dismissed because they are at high risk of developing a work-
related disease, unless they has been a detailed and thorough medical assessment and
they have been given a full explana on of what has happened. Job redeployment
should be considered first.
· There should be a system of quick referral for medical advice and treatment in the event
that adverse effects are detected, so that treatment can be given at the earliest stage
possible.

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Health Surveillance Records

Sickness records are an important source of informa on in health surveillance and can be an
early indica on that something is wrong in the workplace. The details included in health
surveillance records are likely to be:
· The name of the employee
· Sex of the employee
· Date of birth of the employee
· Employee's address and other contact details
· Employee's na onal insurance number
· Date the employee started his or her current employment
· Current health surveillance details, including the type, frequency and result of test
· Details about the employee's previous job that involves exposure to harmful
substances
· Dates of previous health surveillance
· Comments made concerning previous health surveillance
· The name of the competent person carrying out the health surveillance
More detailed records can be kept for at least 40 years from the date of the last entry.

Managing a Return to Work

Managing an employee's return to work a er illness can help to create good rela ons with
workers, reduce profit losses and increase produc vity.
Organisa on should record and monitor sickness absence, the reason for absence and the me
taken off.

Managers or supervisors should keep in contact with people on sick leave and consider
arranging to visit workers who have been off work for some me to discuss their progress and
when they hope to return to work. When an employee is ready to return to work, managers
should discuss the return and any circumstances or prac ces that could con nue to have
adverse effect on the person's condi on. (This should be based on the advice on the suitably
qualified occupa onal health staff). Managers should ensure that employees returning to work
a er long term sickness absence are not subjected to excessive demands during their planned
return. This can be done through an informal interview at their home or on their return to work.

Taking It Further
You can get advice and prac cal help about health surveillance from an occupa onal health
adviser or from the Employment Medical Advisory Service which is part of the Health and
Safety Execu ve.

Legal Requirements
According to the management of health and safety at work regula ons 1999 every employer
must ensure that employees are provided with health surveillance appropriate to the risks to
them that have been iden fied by a risk assessment.

There are many sets of regula ons that require specific health surveillance of employees who
work with hazardous substances. Example include the control of substances hazardous to
health regula ons 2002; the control of asbestos regula ons 2006; the control of lead at work
regula ons 2002; the ionising radia ons regula ons 1999; the control of noise at work
regula ons 2005; and the control of vibra on at work regula ons 2005.
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Unit 5: Accidents and ill Health Reporting

Recordings and repor ng accidents, ill health and dangerous

occurrences can help organisa ons to reduce accidents and ill
health in their own workplace and in others around the country.

There are legal requirements to report some types of injuries

and illnesses. The health and safety execu ves analyses these
reports and uses the results to help to shape na onal policy on
health and safety at work and priori es for ac on. The be er
backs campaign for example was based on reported accident
informa on.

Under social security legisla on there are also requirements to

keep records of accidents at work.

Key Words and Phrases

Accident – any unplanned event that results, or could have resulted, in personal injury or ill
health; damage to, or loss of, property, plant or materials; damage to the environment; or loss
of business opportunity.

Dangerous occurrence – a hazardous incident that arises out of, or in connec on with, work
and is specified in RIDDOR (see opposite).

Reportable accident – an accident that must, by law, be reported to the enforcing authori es.
Such accidents are those resul ng in death, major injury, injuries that cause an employee to
take more than three days off work and dangerous occurrences.

Reportable disease – a disease that arises out of, or in connec on with, work and is specified
in RIDDOPR.

Responsible person – an employer, the duty manager, a self-employed person, the owner of
premises or a vehicle, or the person in control of the premises at any one me.

RIDDOR – the repor ng of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regula ons 1995.

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Why Report & Record Accidents & Ill Health?

There should be an effec ve system for repor ng and inves ga ng accidents and ill health in all
organisa ons. The procedures should be clearly established in wri ng and all staff should be
trained in the system.

The principal objec ves for the system should be to:

· Enable prompt remedial ac on to be taken
· Prevent a similar occurrence in the future
· Ensure compliance with legisla on
· Comply with a company instruc on, usually in the health and safety policy
· Detect trends
· Assists decisions making, planning and resource alloca on.

Failure to report and record

Many accidents and incidences of ill health go unreported and this can affect the health and
safety performance of an organisa on, as well as its compliance with the law.

A failure to report accidents or ill health can starve the organisa on of an essen al source of
informa on which could be used to shape changes in work prac ce.

Employees may be reluctant to report accidents or ill health for a number of reasons – for
example, they may:
· Think that the accident or incident is too trivial
· Not appreciate the benefits of repor ng accidents and ill health
· Not relate ill health to work
· Worry that repor ng wastes me
· Fear a reprimand by the manager or supervisor
· Believe there Is pressure from managers to keep down the number of reported
accidents
· Not want to admit errors for fear of appearing incompetent
· Not want to fill in forms
· Worry that they will lose pay or their job.

Encouraging good prac ce and legal compliance

Managers, supervisors and safety representa ves have a crucial role to play here. They can
encourage staff to report accidents by:
· Removing any fear of reprimand from employees who do report accidents or ill health
· Running appropriate training sessions and providing regular reminders
· Se ng up a repor ng system that gives all reports of accidents and ill health equal
importance
· Inves ga ng all accidents or incidence of ill health
· Taking immediate remedial ac on and longer-term measures in the light of the hazards
and their risks iden fied by inves ga on.
· Including accidents and ill health in safety mee ng agendas
· Informing employees of the outcomes of anything they reported.

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Legal Repor ng Requirements

Some accidents and ill health must be reported to the enforcing authori es. These are
reportable accidents or reportable diseases as defined by the repor ng of injuries, diseases and
dangerous occurrences regula ons 1995, some mes referred to as RIDDOR.
Employers must report the accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences specified in the
regula ons.

Examples include:
· The depth of an employee, self-employed person or a member of the public
· A major injury to an employee or a self-employed person
· Accidents that result in a member of the public being taken to hospital
· Injury to an employee or self-employed person that prevents them from doing their
normal work for more than three days
· A reportable disease related to work
· A dangerous occurrence – an incident arising from, or in connec on with, work and
which is specified in RIDDOR, such as the collapse of a scaffold more than 5m high or the
failure of a load bearing part of fairground equipment
.
What to Report
Major injuries
Examples of a major injury include:
· Any feature other than to the fingers, thumbs or toes
· Any amputa on
· Disloca on of the shoulder, hip, knee or spine
· Loss of sight (whether temporary or permanent)
· A chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or any penetra ng injury to the eye
· Any injury resul ng from an electric shock or electrical burn (including any electrical
burn caused by arcing or arcing products) leading to unconsciousness or requiring
resuscita on or admi ance to hospital for more than 24 hours
· Any other injury:
- Leading to hypothermia, heat-induced illness or to unconsciousness
- Requiring resuscita on
- Requiring admi ance to hospital for more than 24 hours

Over three day injury

An over three day duty is one that is not a major injury, but results in the injured person being
off work for more than three calendar days. This means three consecu ve days, but does not
include the day of the accident. Non-working days should be counted in the three consecu ve
days.

It is important to note that an accident includes physical violence to a person at work and
should be reported if it results in death, major injury o ran over three day injury.

Dangerous occurrences
A dangerous occurrence is an occurrence arising out of, or in connec on with, work and which
is specified in RIDDOR. Examples of dangerous occurrences are:
· The collapse, overturning or failure of a load bearing part of any li or hoist, crane or

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derrick, mobile powered access pla orm, access cradle or window cleaning cradle,
excavator, pile-driving frame or fork-li truck.
· Electrical short circuit or overload a ended by fire or explosion which results in the
stoppage of the plant involved for more than 24 hours or which has the poten al to
cause death.
· Plant or equipment coming into contact with overhead power lines
· Accidental discharge of a biological agent that Is likely to cause severe illness.

Diseases
Specified diseases include:
· Certain poisoning
· Some skin diseases such as occupa onal derma s, skin cancer, chrome ulcer and oil
folliculi s/ acne
· Lung diseases including occupa onal asthma, farmer's lung, pneumoconiosis,
asbestosis and mesothelioma
· Infec ons such as leptospirosis (Weil's disease), all types of hepa s infec on,
tuberculosis, anthrax infec on, legionellosis and tetanus
· Other condi ons such as occupa onal cancer, certain musculoskeletal disorders,
decompression illness and hand arm vibra on syndrome.
Such diseases must be diagnosed by a doctor and the employee must be engaged in the work
ac vi es specified in RIDDOPR.

Repor ng an accident involving a member of the public

An accident involving a member of the public that arises from, or in connec on with, work
ac vi es must be reported to the incident contact centre if the member of the public is killed or
is taken to hospital directly from the accident scene.

How do you determine whether an accident arises out of, or in connec on with, work? You
need to consider the following three issues:
· The way the business is run – how it is organised, supervised or performed by an
employer, or any of its employees, or by a self- employed person.
· The plant or substances used to carry out the work- for example, li s, air condi oning
plant, any machinery, equipment or appliance, gas installa on or substance used in the
premises or in any process in the workplace
· The condi on of the work premises, or any part of them – this includes the state of the
structure or fabric of a building or outside area forming part of the premises, and the
state and design of floors, paving, stairs, ligh ng and so on.

Examples - reportable
The following three accidents are reportable because they arose in connec on with work.
1. A shopper is injured using a shop escalator. The design or condi on of the escalator is
the cause of the accident.
2. A resident in a nursing or residen al care home trips and falls over an obstruc on, such
as an electrical cable lying across the floor.
3. A member of the public who is visi ng a factory is overcome by gases that escaped
accidentally from a process being carried out and is taken to hospital.
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Examples – not reportable

The following three accidents are examples that may be reportable.
1. A child falls off a safe piece of play equipment while being supervised by the parents.
2. Death by natural causes of a pa ent/resident in a nursing residen al care home
3. A person in an ice rink, using his or her own ice skaters, falls while ska ng on the ice.

Who must make the report?

The duty to report/no fy accidents, ill health, deaths and dangerous occurrences falls upon a
responsible person. That person may be the employer, the duty manager, a self-employed
person, the owner of premises or a vehicle, the person in charge of the premises or the process
at the me of the accident or incident. Supervisors may also be given the du es of a responsible
person.

A reportable injury to a travelling employee, such as a postman, delivery driver, refuse collector
or service engineer, has to be reported by that person's employer if the accident causing the
injury happened while he or she was working away from base.

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Accident Records
Employers must keep records of accidents, ill health and dangerous occurrences at work. They
can do this in several ways, such as by:
· Using an amended accident book BI 510 (which has perforated, tear-out forms to
comply with data protec on legisla on)
· Keeping photocopies of completed F2508/F2508W forms
· Storing informa on about each accident on a computer.

Accident records should be readily available to inspectors and to employee concern. Safety
representa ves have the legal rights to inspect and take copies of accident records.
Records of injuries/condi ons, dangerous occurrences and diseases must be kept for up to
three years. They should include the following informa on:
§ Name of the person who was injured or ill
§ Date and me of accidents or illness no fica on
§ Loca on of accidents
§ Details of any witnesses
§ The ac vity, equipment or substances involved
§ Environmental condi ons – for example, floor condi on, ligh ng, ven la on and space
available
§ What was been done and how
§ The training, skill and general health of the person injured or ill
§ Previous similar incidents
§ Witness comments
§ Supervisor's comments
§ Any treatment given
§ Ac on taken in the short term and long term
§ If and when no fied to the enforcing authority

Legal Requirements
The repor ng of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences regula on 1995 require that a
responsible person must no fy and send the report to, the health and safety execu ve of
accidents that result in fatality or major injury, or when an employee is absent from work for
more than three days as a result of work-related accident. Certain specified diseases and
dangerous occurrences must also be reported.

Separate legisla on requires records to be kept of all accidents and incidents at work.

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Unit 6: When to Carry out Accident Investigations

No one wants an accident to occur in their workplace and responsible employers do everything
possible to ensure that none occurs. But what should you do if, despite all your best effort,
something does go wrong and an accident occurs?

An accident inves ga on is an opportunity to find out what happen and to introduce changes
aim at preven ng a similar accident.

Key Words and Phrases

Accident – any unplanned event that results or could have resulted, in personal injury or ill
health; damage to, or loss of, property, plant or materials; damage to the environment; or loss
of business opportunity.
Incident (near-miss or near-miss accident) – an unplanned events that does not result in
personal injury, death or damage, but has the poten al to do so.
Representa ve of employee safety – an employee elected by non-union employees to
represent them on health and safety ma ers.
RIDDOR – the repor ng of injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regula ons 1995
Safety representa ve – an employee elected by a trade union member to represent them on
health and safety issues.
Safe system of work – a set of procedures for carrying out task safely.

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Why Inves gate Accidents?

A detailed inves ga on of an accident or a near-miss should be carried out as soon as possible,
so that remedial ac on can be taken to prevent further accidents. The inves ga on should aim
to establish the:
§ Sequence of events leading to the accident
§ Unsafe acts or condi ons
§ Root cause of the accident
Accidents and ill health can indicate that risk control measures have failed. A full inves ga on
can reveal weakness in the controls that need to be remedied.

Organisa ons should inves gate all accident and incident, as the informa on gained can help
to protect employees and others. Data obtained in the inves ga on can then be used to
develop safe system of work and safety strategies to ensure compliance with legisla on. An
inves ga on will also reveal whether a company health and safety policy and procedures have
been followed.

Staff morale can be damaged by an accident. An inves ga on followed by rapid

implementa on of correc ve measures can help to restore confidence and commitment
because it demonstrates the employer's determina on to maintain high standards of health
and safety in the workplace.

Who Should Be Involved?

An accidents should be inves gated by people such as the organisa on safety officers/advisers,
if there is one, a safety representa ve ( or representa ve of employee safety), a manager and
the supervisor of the job involved. You may be one of the people involve in drawing up the
report.

Employees who were involved in an accident, or were witnesses, may be reluctant to give as
much informa on as they could for fear of being blamed. Including safety
representa ve/representa ves of employees' safety in the inves ga on team can give
employees the confidence to co-operate fully. Witnesses include anyone who was hurt or who
saw the incident and anyone who was, or might have been, involved in any part in a chain of
events that could have contributed to the accidents.

Whoever is involved in the inves ga on should be competent to do the inves ga on and

should have the skill and experience to:
§ Explore the possible cause and ques on the people involved
§ Understand the relevant record and document
§ Avoid bias, deal fairly with conflic ng views and not make premature or unsound
judgements
§ Gain respect and confidence
§ Recognise the significance of all the likely contribu ng factors
§ Have the authority to make recommenda ons.

People from outside the organisa on may also want to inves gate the accident – for example, a
health and safety inspector from the health and safety execu ve or an environmental health
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officer from the local authority.

If a civil claim for compensa on is made against the organisa on, the company's insurer will
also need to carry out their own enquiries.

If a death occurs, the police may be called in. a coroner (England, Wales and Norther Ireland) or
procurator fiscal (Scotland) may organise an inves ga on if there is likely to be an inquest
(England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or a sudden death inves ga on (Scotland). Employers
and employees have legal du es to co-operate fully with these officers.

What May Be Involved?

An inves ga on is shaped by the circumstances of the accident, but there are many common
features and steps you should consider.

Dealing with an accident

The first priori es are to give first aid and make the immediate area safe. Someone should
access the scene of the accidents to prevent further accident happening. For example, if the
injured person slipped on a wet floor, the area should be cordoned off; if the accident involved a
machine, it should be switched off; or if a fire has broken out, people should be evacuated from
the building.

If the injury is such that medical a en on is needed, then an ambulance should be called.
Someone should wait for the ambulance and direct it to the scene of the accident. Someone
should note the details of the injured person if possible. If it is not possible then, the paramedics
should be asked to inform the injured person to contact their employer when they can.

If the accident comes within the scope of RIDDOR, a request must be submi ed in accordance
with the regula ons. A report should also be submi ed to the appropriate job holder in the
company or organisa on.

Inves ga ng an accident –
step 1
The first step in the inves ga on is to gather informa on by inspec ng the area where an
happened, no ng the physical and the environmental condi ons and any damage caused.
You should decide whether the condi on of the premises or area where the accidents
happened is a factor in the accidents. If not, does it involve equipment or harmful substances?
Look at the work procedures if you suspect that they have not been followed. Were any controls
not in place or tempered with? Were the work procedures adequate to prevent accidents
happening?

Consider whether an employee several employees contributed to the accident. Were they
playing around? Were they competent to do the job? Had they been adequately trained, and
are the training records up to date? Had the health and safety risks been adequately explained?
Had they been given sufficient informa on to carry out the task? Was the employee under the
influence of alcohol or drugs or under stress? Alterna vely the inves ga on could be organized
by looking at the typical factors involved in accidents such as occupa onal factors,
environmental factors, human factors and the organiza onal factors.

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Decide whether photographs or measurements of the posi on of relevant objects would be

useful. Consider taking samples of substances or ar cles involved.

Step 2
The second step is to interview any witnesses, including the injured person if possible, and
anyone else who could give relevant informa on.
Emphasize that the interviews are confiden al. It is important not to a ribute blame and to
bear in mind that there is rarely only one cause of an accident. If a health and safety
enforcement officer visits the premise to inves gate the accident the accident, he or she should
be given as much co-opera on as necessary to assist in his own inves ga on.

Step 3
The third step is to analyse the informa on gathered and to discuss possible conclusions with
other members of the inves ga ng team and, if necessary, to review the working procedures
and risk assessment for the ac vi es involved in the accident. Was the work procedure
followed and was the risk assessment adequate? Did it foresee the accident? Were the controls
iden fied by the risk assessment followed or not?

Step 4
The fourth step is to compile a wri en report containing all the facts and any proposals for
improving condi ons, procedure or polices in the health and safety management system.
Iden fy any control measures that are necessary to prevent a similar accident. Set priori es and
mescales for improvement and establish how changes will be monitored and success judged.

Step 5
Step 5 to implement the recommenda ons of the inves ga ng team. It is likely that a
supervisor will be given the responsibility of implemen ng the ac on plan and repor ng back
to management once all ac ons have been completed. The measure taken will need to be
checked to be use a help to use a checklist covering the important points.

Example of an accident inves ga on

A work suffers an electric shock from a defec ve electric drill. Once the worker has been treated
and as soon as it is safe to do so, the drill should be inspected by a competent person who can
determine where the drill was faulty, and if so, what that fault was.

An a empt should also be made to find out what led to the electric shock occurring. Was there a
design fault in the drill? Was the drill over-used and poorly maintained? Was it due to someone
interfering with the drill's safety controls?

The following list has sugges ons for some of the ques ons that could be asked during the
inves ga on.
§ Why did the drill give the worker a shock?
§ If the drill is found to be defec ve, why was the problem not found drill the regular
maintenance inspec on
§ What was the condi on of the area of the workplace in which the worker was working?
§ Was the worker trained to use the drill?
§ Was the worker told not to use the drill a supervisor, manager or someone responsible

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for its maintenance?

§ When the drill was last inspected and who inspected it?
§ Was the supervisor or manager aware of the condi on of the drill?
§ Who was responsible for ensuring that the drill was maintained?
§ Were the maintenance and inspec on record being up to date?
Depending on the answers to these ques ons, the solu ons could be one or more of
the following ac ons:
§ be er maintenance procedures
§ improved training and instruc on
§ clearer individual responsibili es
§ be er communica on
§ drill replacement
§ Drill repair.
If we look back to the cause of the accident, we can see that the unsafe act was using the
defec ve drill and the unsafe condi on was the defec ve or damaged drill.

Legal Requirements
There is no legal requirement to inves gate accidents or incidents, or but there is
guidance on inves ga ng accidents that gives reasons for and benefits of doing so. (See
Inves ga ng accidents and incidents – a workbook for employers, safety
representa ves and safety professionals HSG 245.)

The Management of Health and Safety Work Regula ons 1999 require employers to
review their health and safety arrangements at intervals. Following an accident,
employers should review their arrangement by inves ga ng the accident and
implemen ng the findings.
An accident inves ga on would help to inform that review.

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Unit 7: How Do Training, Instruction & Information
Improve Standards
Training is an essen al part of health and safety management and control. It prepares
employees, through the means of informa on, instruc on and prac ce, to achieve a
desired skill, knowledge or competence.

Training is very effec ve in reducing the likelihood of injury because the employee is
made aware of the hazards, risks and controls involved in work ac vi es. Trained
employees make fewer mistakes and they o en do a be er job all round.

Managers, supervisor and safety representa ves are o en in a posi on to influence the
type and extent of the health and safety training provided for employees, and some are
qualified to provide the training themselves.

Key Words and Phrases

Informa on – verbal or wri en advice, which should be in a style and at a level that is
easily understood by the employees to whom it is being addressed.
Instruc on – guidance or direc on regarding a specific procedure or ac on.

Performance indicators – measurements used to an organiza on to define and

measure progress to words the organiza on's health and safety goals.

Training – preparing a person to achieve a desired of skill, knowledge or competence

through the means of informa on, instruc on and prac ce.

Training needs – the type and extent of training the workforce or an individual
employee requires.

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What Is Training?
Training can be described as the process of preparing someone to achieve a desired
level of skill, knowledge or competence. This is usually achieved by giving informa on,
instruc on and prac ce.

Instruc on is giving guidance or direc on regarding a specific procedure or ac on.

Informa on is verbal or wri en advice, which should be in a format and style that is
easily understood by the intended listener or reader.

Why Provide Training?

One of the underlying causes of accidents is lack of training for employees and others
who may be affected by work ac vi es.

So it is essen al that employers provide well med, good quality, appropriate and
focused informa on, instruc on and training for employees, and any others affected by
the work ac vi es. The benefits can include:
§ a reduc on and ill health in the workplace
- accidents and ill health because of sickness
- costs of accidents and insurance
§ an increase in
- Produc vity

- The hazards iden fied in the workplace
§ an improvement in
- the response to fire drills and emergency alarms
- customer sa sfac on
- The organiza on's reputa on as a good employer.

Responsibili es for Training

Employers must provide informa on, instruc on and training for employees and people who
may be affected by their business. Managers are usually accountable for this. They usually
decided on the scope and type of training needed by the organiza on. Supervisors and safety
representa ves are an excellent posi on to influence the provision of training. They can advise
managers about the type and scope of the training and they can o en plan and organize the
training courses. Some may be able to run courses themselves.

You may be involved in assessing the organiza on's or an individual employee's training needs
– what sort of, and much, training is required to enable employees to work as safety as possible.

Which level of training is needed?

Competence in relevant health and safety ma ers. You then to match this informa on to the
type of informa on and instruc on that is most appropriate for employees and others who be
affected by work ac vi es.

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Legisla on some mes specifies the type and level of training, instruc on and informa on to be
provided – for example, for first aiders.

New employees
Training should be given a er someone has been appointed and when employees are exposed
to new or increased risks.

The current knowledge, skills and experience of employees will also influence the type and
level of training to be provided. For instance, a supermarket shelf-stacker who has received
induc on training on manual handling and who has been working in the stop for four years will
not need a full course of instruc on about manual handling, but may need a refreshing course
or, if the method of moving goods changed, a training course that deals with the new method.

Training is very important in achieving competence and refresher training has an important role
to play in maintain that competence.

Instruc on and Training

The provision of instruc on and training is a con nuous process, not a one – off exercise. It
needs to be provision for new and exis ng employees and those take on new jobs and
responsibili es. If you have the responsibility for instruc on and training you must also take
into account the impact of new processes, new ways of working and new equipment.

The type of training

When deciding what kind of training should be given you must first decide whether training is
the best or most appropriate way of reducing risk. Purchasing newer equipment with more
built-in safety features might be a be er solu on, for example. Once you have iden fied who is
to be training, ask yourself whether training is the most appropriate method of improving the
employee's knowledge. Would giving informa on or instruc on be more appropriate?

Designing the programme

You then need to decide which subjects the employee needs to learn about which skills they
need to prac ce and who will run the training course. You can then create a programme of
training yourself or devise it with the appointed trainer.

You need to decide who the target group is and what they need to know. You also need to
decide on the most suitable training techniques to accommodate different learning styles – the
way people learn most easily. Is the training going to use visual and physical training aids? Are
you going to use interac ve techniques to consolidate learning? Could you incorporate actual
and relevant example such as repor ng forms, risk assessments and legisla on. Finally, you
need to break training into manageable segments.

Evalua on, monitoring and review

When training has been completed, you need to evaluate the quality of training and decide
whether it has fulfilled your expecta ons. You need to monitor the effect of the training on the
job and on the health and safety standards of the workplace – the accident and illness rates, for
example. From me to you also need to review the whole training provision. This might be
annually, whenever there are changes in processes or materials, a er an accident or near-miss

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or at the request of the safety commi ee.

Methods of training
There are several methods of training and you must decide which is best in the circumstances.
Examples include the following.
§ One- to –training – an experienced person, such as a supervisor, trains one person in a
par cular subject or skill.
§ Learning from an experienced person at work – in the past this might have been
referred to as the 'si ng by Nellie' method. The disadvantage is that bad habits can be
passed on if the experience person is not alert to the responsibility of the helping the
trainee.
§ Mentoring, in which employee such are paired up' with an experience, and usually
more senior, employee such as a supervisor.
§ Formal training by a qualified trainer at the workplace or at a college or learning centre.
§ Role- play where people engaged in a hypothe cal situa on play the part of the people
involved-for example, if the scenario is an accident inves ga on, the people involved
could be the injured person, the employer or manager of the local authority
environment health officer and the employer or manager of the workplace
§ Report wri ng – projects where the learners are given a subject to study or inves gate
and are required to compile a report on their findings
§ Study or discussion groups where the learners are given a scenario of an accident and
asked to discuss the health and safety issues around the facts given in the scenario
§ Distance learning course – some educa onal organiza on and publishers provide
learning a course in a specially designed book, CR=ROM, DVD, internet site or pack of
learning materials: the student studies at his or her own pace rather than a ending a
training course with a tutor. Some of these could be interac ve, involving the learner in
answering ques ons to which the computer can respond with answers, or a tutor or
adviser marks the answers and provides email or telephone support.
§ Case studies – the leaners are given a set of fact about a real or imaginary case involving
health and safety and are asked to presents a report outlining all the health and safety
ma ers involved – for example, the legisla on applying to the case, the interac on of
the fact and the facts and the conclusions, which could include the op on for
improvement of health and safety standards and any enforcement ac on that could be
taken.

Evalua on
In deciding the type of training method, we should consider the capabili es of the employees
and the cost and likely effec veness of each method. The capabili es of the employees can be
assessed during recruitments, at work and by discussion with them.

The cost and effec veness of each type of training method can be gauged by experience and
whit reference with colleagues who have used the method in their own training course. You
can, of course evaluate the training method by asking employees to give their own opinion on
the method, and the managers should measure health and safety performance over me and
decide whether the method used were successful or not comparing performance before and
a er the training courses.

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All training programme should be evaluated a er they have taken place.

You can do so by asking yourself a number of ques ons immediately and some mes a er the
training, say six months later. The ques ons could include:
· To what extent were the iden fied training needs objec ves achieved
· To what extent were the learners need achieved
· What specifically did the learners learn or what were they reminded about that proved
to be useful
· What commitment have the learners made about how they are going to implement
what they learnt when they return to work.
· How successful were the trainees in implemen ng their ac on plan
· To what extent were they supported in their line managers?

When you have the answers to these ques ons you will be in a be er posi on to assess
whether the training programme has been successful. This needs to be measured against the
company's health and safety performance indicators to see whether the training has improved
the health and safety performance of the organiza on.

Informa on
Informa on can be verbal, printed (text and/or illustra ons) or other forms of visual materials,
including computer based material, video and DVD. It is important that the person who needs
the informa on can understand it easily.

Informa on can be given to employees through the use of safety no ces and signs, safety
bulle ns or newsle ers, no ceboards or a network of safety representa ves.
If you have responsibili es for providing health and safety informa on in the workplace, you
must decide first of all who needs informa on on health and safety ma ers – for example,
employees, visitors or members of the public.

Secondly, you need to iden fy what informa on should be provided – for example, precau ons
for reducing risks, emergency evacua on procedures or how to use work equipment safely.
Thirdly, you must decide when it is appropriate to provide the informa on – when staff starts
employment or their changes, for instance.

Finally, you need to decide how the informa on is to be provided – for example, on a poster, in a
leaflet, through conversa on or presenta on or by a computer. The informa on must be easy
to understand and the people receiving it need to know why they are receiving it.

Common types of health and safety informa on

Some of the informa on that is commonly distributed in the workplace includes:
· The health and safety policy
· Safety responsibili es
· Safe system of work
· Hazards in the workplace
· Controls in place to protect employee from injury and ill health
· Changes in procedures, equipment and so on
· Where informa on, instruc on training can be obtained
· Feedback on how well the staff have complied with health safety work prac ces.

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Induc on Course – What to Include

The best me to give general health and safety training is before the employee start work. This
can be done in an induc on course which is o en carried out informally.

Supervisors are o en directly involved with induc on training and they can ensure that the
training establishes good working prac ces. The health and safety issue that should be covered
include:
· Fire safety – emergency evacua on procedures
· Where to get health safety informa on
· Accident and hazard repor ng procedures
· The organiza on's health and safety policy
· First aid facili es
· Employer/employee communica on and representa on, including safety
representa ves and safety commi ees
· Informa on on who is the enforcing authority.

Records
You should keep records of the training given to employees. There should be enough
informa on to iden fy the employee: the nature of the training completed, including refresher
training: and a copy of details of any cer ficate obtained.

Legal Requirements
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. act 1974 employee must provide informa on,
instruc on, training and supervision that ensures, so far as is reasonable prac cable, the health
and safety of employee at work.

The management of Health and Safety at work Regula ons 1999 require every employer to
provide employee with adequate and suitable health and safety training. The training should be
a er recruitment and when employees are exposed to new or increased risk because of new
responsibili es, the introduc on of new work equipment or new technology or the
introduc on of a new system of work. The training must be repeated periodically and take place
during working hours.

Several other piece of legisla on includes specific requirements to train employees. For
example, under the control of substances hazardous to health regula ons 2002 employers
whose work exposes an employee to a substance hazardous to health must provide that
employee with suitable and sufficient informa on instruc on and training. The same principle
applies to legisla on including the provision and the use of work equipment regula ons 1998,
the Ironizing Radia on Regula ons 1999 and the control of Vibra on at Work Regula ons 2005.

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 Revision Question

Do the following qiuz to evaluate your performance of study and review with your course
tutor.
Good star ng for you:-)

1.List the five (5) steps involved in carrying out risk assessment in the workplace?

2.Define the following terms:

-Ac ve monitoring

-Health surveillance

-
Training and factors to consider

3.List two (2) types of health and safety-related surveillance at workplace?

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