Article: Safety - health and safety at work - advice and training Online interactions for this service Apply for this service Article Body Getting started The HSE has produced a very helpful guide 'Health and Safety made Simple. Training and information Employees must be given information and training to enable them to carry out their duties safely. "The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: Approved Code of Practice" specifically identifies employer's responsibilities on training. Employees must understand the potential hazards and how to avoid them. Every employer must display a poster or distribute a leaflet to employees: "Health & Safety Law - What you need to know". You should keep records of any training given - even "in-house" training. The records should include course content and people trained. Remember to pay particular attention to the training of young and inexperienced employees. Safety policies If you have five or more employees, you must prepare a written safety policy, which clearly sets out the organisation and arrangements for workplace safety. A safety policy is a working document that helps to clarify responsibilities for safety, formalise procedures such as accident notification and explain safety rules to staff. As such, it is the starting point for effective safety management. Policies should include the following items as a minimum: A brief statement of the company's commitment to health and safety. Details of your organisation for safety including people and their responsibilities, and any committees or working groups. Details of the main hazards in the workplace and precautions to be taken to control the risk of injury. This can include safety rules and procedures such as accident reporting, fire and first aid. The length of the policy will depend upon the complexity of your business. Council officers will be able to advise further and guidance booklets are available. Your safety policy must be reviewed regularly to ensure it is still up to date, be actively brought to the attention of all staff and be signed and dated by senior company management. Risk assessment The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 places a duty on the employer to identify hazards in the workplace and assess the risks of injury that they present to both employees and non-employees. Non employees may include contract workers, customers and the public. Assessments and control measures identified need to be recorded and the information made available to employees. The person who you appoint to carry out the risk assessments should be competent and understand what is required. If you are self-employed you are also required to assess the risk to their own safety. Specific risk assessments must be carried out for children (below minimum school leaving age 16) and young persons (17 years old and below) and also for new and expectant mothers. The HSE have provided a useful template and guidance including examples for specific types of premises that we recommend you refer to. Systems of work A quarter of all fatal accidents at work involve simple failures in systems of work. Employers are under a legal duty to provide safe systems of work, such as ways of doing things for their staff. It is unlikely that safe systems will occur in a workplace naturally so it is important that tasks are assessed with safety in mind and that the following items are considered: What are the risks from this task? How can these risks be eliminated or minimised by a safe system of work? Does everyone know and understand the safe system of work? Safe systems can involve the use of protective clothing, proper lifting techniques or the use of proper equipment or guards. For certain jobs, such as machinery maintenance or working in confined spaces, safe systems of work should be incorporated into a permit-to-work system in which workers must read and sign written instructions prior to starting work. Assessing your performance Inspections by managers and supervisors should check that the workplace is safe, that guards and other items of protective equipment are being used; that safe systems of work are being followed and that the measures identified from the risk assessments are being applied. Such inspections should aim to improve safety standards and to demonstrate the importance of safe working to staff. Improvements should be made and checked where problems are identified. Worker involvement It is essential for employers to consult their employees if they want to improve your health and safety standards as their co-operation and knowledge is vital. Where unions are recognised in the workplace staff are legally entitled to appoint their own safety representatives to discuss health and safety matters with their employers. They are also entitled to carry out inspections and investigation in the workplace. In non-union workplaces it is still a legal requirement (Health and Safety (Consultation with employees) Regulations 1996) for employers to consult employees about matters that affect their health and safety. Employers may either consult them all directly or through representatives employees have elected. Employees are also legally required to consult their employers if they consider there are situations or shortcomings which affect their health and safety. Further information sources In addition you may wish to contact the following safety organisations: Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) www.iosh.co.uk British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) Provides a register of occupational hygiene practitioners. www.bohs.org.uk National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) Provides details of safety courses. www.nebosh.org.uk Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA) www.rospa.org.uk Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Provides details of safety courses. www.cieh.org Regulatory Services contact details and opening times