From Gloucester to Anfield, from amusement parks to yachts, the news this week was rife with accidents involving worker safety.

One would think slips, trips, and falls, are down to worker error, but its not always the case. What about the case of the first-day-on-the-job fellow? Or the worker who just resumed work after an accident?

As an employer, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), you are obligated to carry out a risk assessment and do all that is needed to guarantee employee and visitor safety. By law, employers are also bound by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 , RIDDOR 2013, The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, PUWER 2002, to name a few. All these laws are in place to eliminate hazards that are likely to cause death or physical harm to employees.

Now that you know your obligations, you may wonder how and where to implement any changes. We understand that the need for training is continuous and never really stops, but the first step is to determine when staff need training.

Common health & safety training scenarios include:

• As part of an induction when you employ someone new,

• As part of training when new machinery or equipment is installed,

• Whenever job roles change,

• Or whenever there has been an accident or HSE incident at work.

Keep staff abreast of Health & Safety results in:

• Increased worker morale and higher productivity.

• A reduced likelihood of prosecution and legal costs associated with workplace injuries.

• The development of an efficient safety management plan that can become a marketable asset.

Here are some steps that you can implement today to keep your staff aware and up to speed with health & safety policies:

1. Make It A Team Effort.

Engage and involve employees by asking for their input. Remember they are the ones on the shop floor, facing customers, and handling goods. Depending on the size of the organisation, you can employ a dedicated HSE rep that staff can always contact or use a suggestion box to record any concerns. As a manager, endeavour to occasionally visit the shop floor to assess conditions and interact with staff.

Doing these, shows you value staff input and shows them that you take their health and safety seriously.

2. Encourage a Reporting Culture.

Staff should be encouraged to report any damage they see or cause. This includes anyone who becomes aware of a hazard, is involved in a near-miss or an accident. This extends to incidences of work related illnesses and injuries.

In 2013, RIDDOR was enacted to enforce this, but there have been numerous instances where RIDDOR has failed. In many cases, the employees who witness incidents expect the manager to report it. When they don’t, it usually leads to the accident occurring again. Creating a company-wide reporting culture prevents such from re-occurring.

3. Make Training an Experience.

All training should be informative and actionable. Making employees sit through a four-hour presentation on safety is an inefficient way of training. Mix up the presentations with role-playing, encourage questions and interaction among participants.

Take training outside the ‘classroom’ and show staff how to use equipment and make them practise correct equipment usage. The instructor can provide immediate feedback and guidance to correct those may not be using it correctly. A staff walk-about is another way that staff can be made aware of their surroundings and the potential hazards that may exist.

4. Use Multiple Training Methods.

There are four types of health and safety training courses generally available. It may be licence or certificate courses, accredited and approved courses, short courses, or vocational and professional courses.

Locate training providers in your region and help your staff get accredited on relevant safety courses. If you choose to train them on-site, use a professional trained in workplace health and safety. Any cost incurred now will be offset any threat of litigation in the future.

5. Show Management Commitment.

Demonstrate your commitment to maintaining safety on the premises by supplying staff with the necessary PPE. You can also provide staff with copies of the organisation’s safety charter, for them to study. Machine operators can have a pocket card with the important things they need to do in the event of an accident. You should also ensure that HSE signs and notices are prominently displayed around the workplace.

It is important that you have up to date safety records that can be periodically assessed. These records can even be used as evidence in the event of litigation or a compensation claim. Accurate records help to monitor the health and safety performance, analyse safety trends, and help you make decisions.

Don’t let your staff learn about health and safety the hard way, by accident. Maintaining a staff training programme is more effective when everyone is working to one set plan. Regardless of the size of your operation, HSE can always be tweaked, even a 1% improvement across the board could save a life.

Interested in how we can help you keep your staff safer? Contact Monarch Shelving today.