Health And Safety Training Means A Safer Business Enterprise

By Leah Potter


No modern working environment can be totally free of potential hazards, and due to their nature they can be extremely busy places. To try and minimise these risks for everyone there are various health and safety training programmes. These should be attended by all who are attached to the company, and at all levels. The target is to create a safe work place for all concerned.

Employers have a duty of care to both their staff and visitors to their establishment. All activities carried out on the business premises should have had a workplace risk assessment carried out. This is meant to highlight any potential safety issues, and also how to safely conduct any activities. Most items covered will normally have obvious solutions, but sometimes these can lead to complacency.

Employees also have to shoulder some of the responsibility too. Apart from look out for their own well being, they also have a responsibility towards their colleagues. It could something as basic as wearing the provided safety clothing when completing a task, but also conducting that task in the safest way. These simple steps help make the working environment a safer place for all.

If any person, either employer or employee, spots a potential hazard they are to immediately report it to the company's trained representative. This will result in the hazard being assessed. If it can be rectified there and then it will be, if not then everyone will be made aware of the problem and how to address it.

The majority of companies and businesses will have common issues that their respective staff need to be aware of. These can range from various chemicals that are in use, how to safely lift items, and how to avoid strain injuries. Yet at the same time they will also have their own separate concerns.

As an example a company could have a concern about people working in a confined space. By which they mean an enclosed area with restricted access, but an individual could potentially face the dangers of asphyxiation, drowning, explosion or fire. Due to the nature of these potential risks guidance and instruction can be obtained from specialist companies.

Companies should have all confined space risk areas clearly marked. They should also be secured to prevent anyone untrained accidentally gaining entry. While at the same time there should be enough entry and exit points if the confined space is of a long length.

Businesses will often use such confined spaces as convenient locations to store fuel or chemicals. In turn this often means that the internal oxygen levels become very low, so constant monitoring is required, and also looking for potential contaminants. Due to these low oxygen levels, all staff employed in that section will have undergone training in using forced air breathing apparatus. Despite their training it is possible that they could also face problems so there also has to be specially trained rescue teams.

It is quite obvious that any work environment has the potential for risks, although some are potentially riskier than others. These risks can be minimised by both employees and employers working in conjunction with one and other. Remembering to keep all health and safety training up to date, helps to create a safer working environment for all.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment

Don't use active link, spamming, phising or making chaos

Popular Posts