If you are a manager or a supervisor, you are responsible under law for health and safety management within your workplace. You might not realise it, but this is a very important part of your role within the workplace. It is your duty to protect the well-being of all people working for you and any others who might possibly be affected by their actions. The law requires you to do what needs to be done which is “reasonably practicable” to promote health and safety in the workplace.
In order to learn more about what exactly this means, it is essential for all those in a managerial role to undergo the appropriate safety training. Ignoring dangerous work practices in your workplace and failing to promote health and safety is an unacceptable mistake for a manager. If you are not confident or you don’t have the information or skills to keep the employees working under you safe – you should ask for support or improve your training (before it is too late!).
The Responsibilities of An Employer
This means that it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure that all of your workers (and others) are protected from any potential hazards that could cause them harm. It is also your duty to ensure that a thorough risk assessment of the workplace has been carried out, so that all risks are accounted for and prevented against. This is all part of managing safely and will be covered in your health and safety training courses.
Since you are in this position of responsibility, it is necessary that you keep the workplace safe and check on all machinery and equipment to make sure that it is safe to use. You will also need to provide adequate first aid facilities and supplies for your staff as well as making sure that temperature, ventilation, lighting, toilet facilities and other amenities meet the health and safety requirements. The premises should be lit up sufficiently so that workers can move about safely and work and the manager should ensure that the working area is large enough to allow for easy movement. Items should be stored so that they are not likely to fall and potentially cause an injury and all open-able gates, doors and windows should be fitted with safety devices.
A manager is also responsible for being aware of the risks of working with any potentially dangerous hazards, such as explosives, electrical equipment, flammable or corrosive materials, radiation and noise. Protective clothing and equipment should be provided free of charge to all employees if the risks cannot be adequately controlled by any other means.
It is also important for a manager to encourage a culture of open communication with their employees. If employees have any concerns about health and safety, managers should be able to offer instructions, information, training and supervision in order to resolve the issue.
Safety Training for Managers
The four day IOSH Managing Safely training program is accredited officially by the well-respected Institution of Occupational Health and Safety (IOSH). It is designed to provide delegates with the information and skills that they need in order to manage the important health and safety issues that they are responsible for in their job.
The managerial course covers a number of important aspects of health and safety in the workplace. Candidates will learn how to assess potential risks in the workplace by carrying out a risk assessment. Also, they will understand their responsibilities and legal obligations when it comes to health and safety law. The managing safely training will also teach candidates how to investigate accidents and incidents as well as how to measure performance.
The course is assessed at the end of the training with a practical assessment at the workplace of the candidate. Also, candidates will need to take part in a 20 minute multiple choice question exam. When the candidate has successfully completed this, they will gain their accredited Managing Safely Certificate from IOSH.
This program has been created for anyone who is in a position of responsibility in the workplace, such as manager, supervisor or site manager.
The course includes all of the essential information relevant to managers in the workplace who have a responsibility to promote health and safety. The course will cover the details of health and safety legislation, regulation and laws and what that means for you. Also, it will cover risk assessment and risk control, as well as how to conduct reviews and safety audits. The course will teach candidates about active and reactive health and safety monitoring and much more.
Providing your supervisory and managerial staff with managing safely training will have a number of benefits, including reducing insurance premiums, increasing productivity, saving money on work related health issues and much more. You will have competent managers who are able to create a culture of health and safety and ensure that employees follow the guidelines. Also, it will ensure that your business is adhering to the legal requirements related to health and safety in the industry – avoiding the negative effects that a workplace accident has on your employees, reputation, morale, finances and other factors.