Promoting health and safety in the workplace requires an all-in, collective effort across any organisation.

While it’s the responsibility of management or business owners to educate, train, and supervise their employees with regard to health and safety, employees also play an active and important role in maintaining a healthy and safe work environment. Their willingness to learn and their participation in the organisation’s workplace health and safety training is crucial for safe outcomes.

We are running a six part series on how small businesses can be work, health & safety compliant. In part one we looked at why management commitment is important in the development and prioritisation of workplace health and safety practices. In part two, we looked at the importance of employee consultation in developing health and safety policies and in part three, we looked at the steps to managing hazards and developing a safe work plan.

This week, we look at ways in which you can promote workplace health and safety through training and supervision.

With education, training, and proper supervision, employees should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to make safe decisions that prevent accidents and injuries from occurring.

Training:

• Provide your employees with the information, instructions, and advice they need to ensure that their work is performed safely and without health risks. You can do this by creating and implementing a health and safety induction programme for new starters or employees starting new jobs. This general safety orientation and training programme should cover workplace facilities, emergency procedures, the company’s health and safety regulations or policies and tips on reporting a hazard or other safety issues.

• Assess the role and competence of your employees and provide task-specific training for them. Provide appropriate training on the risks they may be exposed to, particularly on how they can protect themselves and other safety skills their work requires. It’s important that employees learn the correct use, care, and storage of tools or equipment they will handle as well as the steps to follow in case of an accident or injury.

• Consider running tailored training courses such as first aid, manual task training, chemical handling, fire safety, equipment/machinery safety, safe driving, and others. There are also risk and injury management courses and other customised training programmes similar to myGBeducation online training courses.

• Include technology in your training, such as instructional videos and learning materials that your employees can access on any device, any time they need to. Through these platforms, training can be accessed at a time that is suitable to each individual employee and it’s often a preferred learning method for your millennial employees.

Supervision:

• Supervising your workers is essential, especially when they undertake a new task. After undergoing training, ensure employees can competently perform their jobs safely, and that safe work practices are being followed.

• Keep a record of the training your employees have completed and make sure they are given the opportunity to use what they’ve learned.

• Keep track of injury and accident reports so you can closely monitor incidents, near misses and take preventive measures.

• As an employer, you can monitor your employees’ workplace health and safety habits and experiences by discussing this issue during your toolbox meetings. At these meetings, you can discuss and learn from incidents, near misses and remind everyone of the importance of work health and safety.

Business owners, managers and employees must work closely together to create and maintain a healthy and safe work environment. Ensure you have implemented the above tips and for more information on how GB can assist you with information and education on health and safety at work, please contact us.

Stay tuned for part five of our series on how small businesses can be work, health & safety compliant.