It is imperative that members of staff in a workplace have a good grounding in the correct health and safety at work practice. All employees should have a good general knowledge about workplace health and safety. According to the Health and Safety Executive 172 workers were killed at work during the 2011 / 2012 period, while 111,000 other injuries to employees were reported.
All employers are responsible for health and safety in the workplace by law, however employees do hold some responsibility as well. Employers are responsible for protecting the health, safety and welfare of all of their employees as well as anyone who comes into contact with the business within reason Employers must carry out regular risk assessments and ensure that their employees are kept well informed about the risks they might encounter in the workplace.
With workplace injuries and ill health costing society an estimated £13.4 billion clearly more needs to be done to safeguard workers. There are various different courses which an employer can undertake, or send their employees on to ensure health and safety is practised in the workplace. These courses are designed to teach delegates the risks involved, whatever industry they work within. Whilst construction is considered to be the most high risk industry to work within, people working within an office can also be affected by poor health and safety practice. In addition, as the office is generally viewed as a safe environment, over confidence can set in and health and safety compliance can be viewed as a nuscience rather than a necessity.
Some of the training courses available from our website are specifically targetted at those working within the construction industry. For example, the CITB Heath and Safety Awareness course which takes place across the UK is a one day basic course aimed at those about to enter or already working within the construction industry. Similarly, the CCNSG Passport is also geared towards those working in construction and teaches employees to work more safely and to minimise their and their colleagues risk of having a workplace accident.
You may also have heard about the IOSH Working Safely course. This is applicable to workers from any industry. The course gives delegates a basic understanding of 'working safely'. It is aimed at all levels, so an employer could pay for in-house training by one of our training providers. Our training facilitator would come to your offices and teach the course to all employees. Alternatively, those in management positions could take part in an IOSH Managing Safely course, which is slightly more advanced and teaches more senior personnel how to manage health and safety, risks and minimise injury. IOSH Directing Safely is is aimed at and tailored to company directors and those who might make final decisions on health and safety issues.
Workplace health and safety should not be left to chance. 27 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury in the 2011 to 2012 period. Health and safety training can ensure that your organisation and your employees do not become part of this statistic.