Site supervisor safety is incredibly important in the workplace and it is essential for anyone who is in a supervisory role to have the appropriate health and safety training for their position.

Health and safety training will ensure that you or your employees are not made ill or injured while they are carrying out work tasks. Also, it will help to develop a culture in the workplace that is positive toward health and safety – rather than regarding it as an unnecessary nuisance.

Site supervisor safety will help to avoid the financial costs and the disruption that accidents cause, as well as helping your business to adhere to the law.

Why is Site Supervisor Safety so Important?

There are many reasons why site supervisor safety in the workplace is so important, such as:

Legal Reasons

It is required by law for all supervisors to have the appropriate health and safety training for their position. If you are in a position of responsibility, you must be proactive in managing the health and safety regulations of the company and enforcing them among your employees.

Moral and Ethical Reasons

Of course, one of the most important reasons for promoting health and safety in the workplace is that you have a moral obligation to do so. The people who are working at your company are individuals, with lives of their own and families who care about them. If there were to be hurt or killed in a workplace accident, it would be a devastating event that would have a huge impact on them, their loved ones and their community. If the accident was due to a factor that could have been prevented by following proper health and safety procedures – this is a serious ethical issue.

Economic Benefit

Having an effective health and safety policy will save your company money and will promote efficiency in the workplace. Work related diseases and ill health have a negative effect on productivity and also cost the company money. These problems can be avoided with the proper site supervisor safety training.

Taking action on health and safety will reduce your absenteeism, improve your profit and loss statement, help you to become more efficient and much more.

Avoiding Lost Time

As well as saving you money, having the right health and safety procedures in place in your organisation will also save you time. An accident that shuts down your workplace and requires an employee to take time off work will cost you a lot of productive hours, which can put you behind in your goals and put pressure on the company.

Business Reputation

Having many workplace accidents and incidents can have a negative effect on the reputation of your business. Your company will be regarded as unsafe and irresponsible, which will make potential clients and contractors hesitant to work with you. Also, you might have trouble recruiting staff because they will be turned off by the record of unsafe working conditions.

These are just a few of the reasons why site supervisor safety is so important in the workplace and why it is crucial to pay attention to it.

Steps Toward Site Supervisor Safety

There are many reasons why site supervisor safety is important, but what are the steps to making it happen? Once you are armed with the knowledge that you will have gained from your health and safety training, you will be able to follow the right procedures in order to establish site supervisor safety in the workplace.

The first step is to conduct a risk assessment in order to figure out what dangers are present within your workplace and how you can avoid them. A risk assessment should be thorough and should be conducted according to the guidelines that you will have learned in your training. Take a close look at the workplace and the tasks that are being carried out and determine what risks are involved.

Once you have figured out all of the potential risks in your workplace, you will need to take these into consideration when establishing the health and safety procedures for your employees. Ask yourself if you have selected the correct control measures in order to prevent these main risks and whether are not they are adequate.

Afterward, another important step in site supervisor safety is the monitoring process. You will need to monitor the workplace to ensure that your health and safety procedures are actually being carried out. Are the correct working practices that you have outlined actually being put into practice? As a supervisor, it is your responsibility to inspect the workplace regularly or investigate accidents and “near misses” in order to avoid the risk of them happening again.

If any of your employees have been cutting corners and not following the correct procedures, it is important for you to enforce the right disciplinary act on them. They should be corrected when they are doing things wrong and if they continue, action might need to be taken to retrain them or enforce consequences.

Also, another important step to site supervisor safety is gathering feedback and communicating with employees. Health and safety should be a team effort and collaboration, so seek to find out from your employees about how the procedures that you have established are working. If they have any concerns, such as ill-fitting equipment, inefficient scheduling, faults noticed in the machinery or concerns with the safety of the working environment or the tasks at hand, they should feel comfortable coming to you to voice those concerns. When you hear these concerns from your employees, you should take them seriously.

Health and Safety Training is Key

In order to ensure that you are following all of the right guidelines when it comes to site supervisor safety it is important to have the correct site supervisor safety training. Envico offers a range of excellent fully accredited health and safety training courses in different locations around the country.

Construction Health and Safety Courses

• SMSTS – Site Management Safety Training Scheme
• SSSTS – Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme
• CITB Health and Safety Awareness
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate

Health and safety is more than just a few rules and regulations – it is an absolutely essential part of business that has a huge impact on the lives of employees. Health and safety procedures, when they are put into place, help the workplace to run more smoothly and protect the health of employees.

If you are in the role of site manager, supervisor or another role of responsibility, it is important to be informed about safety in the workplace. As a leader, you are responsible for making sure that your employees are informed about safety risks, have the right protective equipment and are following the right procedures. You may also be interested in reading our post the biggest mistakes managers make.

This is why all supervisors (SSSTS) and managers (SMSTS) are required to have the appropriate site management safety training before they take on this role in the workplace. Site management safety training will ensure that all managers and supervisors will have the knowledge and expertise to be able to develop a high quality safety program for the workplace – preventative against all dangers that workers face.

The Site Management Safety Training Scheme is designed for site managers who aim to develop understanding, knowledge and awareness of their moral, legal and social responsibilities when it comes to health and welfare on their worksites. This is a well-recognised course in the construction industry and it can also be renewed after five years with a two day refresher course.

So what are some of the main questions that course participants have about the site management safety training scheme before they begin? Here are some of the frequently asked questions and their answers.

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for anyone who is responsible for monitoring, organising, planning, administering or controlling a work force. This would usually be a site manager, supervisor or anyone who has the responsibility of overseeing health and safety for the workplace.

What Does it Cover?

It covers a number of very important topics related to health and safety in the workplace and the role of the site manager. The course will offer information about the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Health and Safety at Work Act and the current updates regarding these regulations and the legal responsibilities of a manager. The training will also cover how to conduct a risk assessment and a method statement.

During the course, participants will also learn how to correctly report injuries, diseases and dangerous events. It will cover how to manage sub-contractors and how to measure and monitor performance. Risks specific to the construction industry, such as working at height, personal protection, fire, electricity and asbestos will be covered. The course will also highlight the need for risk assessments in the workplace as well as the importance of adequate communication to create and uphold a healthy and safe culture within the working environment. Participants will be encouraged to engage in discussion and to ask questions, in order to make certain that they fully understand the site management safety course material.

How Will The Training Benefit My Company?

Making sure that supervisors and managers are trained will have a number of positive benefits for your company. Here are a few of the major factors that it will impact:

• You will reduce the amount of injury time and sick time that your employees take due to workplace accidents and illnesses.
• You will avoid the risk of an employee becoming seriously injured or even killed by a workplace injury, an event that would have a devastating effect on your workforce, their family and the community.
• When your supervisors have the correct training, you can rest assured that you are complying with the appropriate laws and regulations.
• Supervisors who have the training will know how to establish safe working practices and enforce them, creating a culture of safety within the workplace.
• Accidents in the workplace can cause damage to equipment, which is costly and time consuming to repair. If your company is prone to accidents in the workplace, this can have a negative effect on your public reputation. This will inhibit your success and make clients and employees not want to work with you.
• The costly legal procedures surrounding a workplace injury compensation claim is something that no company wants to go through, so avoiding accidents and injuries will help to avoid this.

These are just a few of the benefits that this course can have for a construction company – which highlights the ultimate importance of training supervisors and managers with the appropriate training course for their position.

Invest in Safety

In order to be able to create a safe working environment, site supervisors and managers must undergo the appropriate health and safety training for their particular workplace.

Other Safety Training Courses

• IOSH Managing Safely
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate
• NEBOSH Fire Certificate
• NEBOSH General Certificate
• NEBOSH Environmental Certificate
• NEBOSH National Diploma
• NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation
• NEBOSH Award in Health & Safety at Work

Related Posts and Content

• How to deal with and prepare for emergencies in the workplace

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.

Hazards Specific to the Construction Industry

• Construction work can involve working at height, which must be carried out with approved safety harnesses and scaffolding to prevent the risk of falls.
• Workers on a construction site are also at risk of injury when lifting heavy loads.
• Correct lifting techniques or machines to assist lifting should be employed at all times.
• Another risk is the exposure to particles in the air during demolition, such as asbestos. This can be extremely harmful to a worker’s long term health and safety precautions should always be taken.
• Power tools are also a potential danger on a construction site and should be used with the correct procedures and any applicable safety gear.
• Construction workers also find themselves at risk for permanent long term hearing loss, due to the extremely loud sounds of machinery and vehicles that they are subjected to on the job. Proper ear protection should be worn at all times and working procedures should limit exposure to loud noises.
• Vibrating equipment such as machines and hand tools can cause musculoskeletal problems and a condition known as “white finger”. It is important to limit exposure to vibrations or use equipment that minimizes the effects.
• Workers who drive vehicles, such as dump trucks or forklifts, are subject to hazards as well.

Who is Site Management Safety Training For?

What Does Site Management Safety Training Cover?

What to Expect from the Course

Choosing the Right Training Course

Construction Site Safety Courses

• SMSTS – Site Management Safety Training Scheme
• SSSTS – Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme
• CITB Health and Safety Awareness
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate

Related Courses

• Accident Reporting and Near Miss training
• Asbestos courses
• CCNSG courses
• CDM courses
• CITB courses
• CPCS courses
• Confined Space training
• Environmental Management training
• EUSR courses
• Fire Safety Training
• First Aid training
• Health and Safety training
• IOSH courses
• Legionella and Water Treatment training
• LOLER training
• NEBOSH courses
• NRSWA courses
• NVQs
• PUWER training
• Risk Assessment courses
• Working at Height courses

Related Content

• Construction Health and Safety Regulations
• How to Prevent Accidents & Injury on Construction Sites
• ‘Completely Avoidable’ and Other Construction Terms
• Health and Safety Risks Specific to the Construction Industry
• How to Ensure Site Workers are Safe in Construction Sites
• How To Become a Construction Site Supervisor
• What are construction NVQs?

There are many industries and jobs that involve heights. In such jobs a typical day’s work might involve working at a height, such as construction, window cleaning, electrical repair and painting. Whenever you are working at a height, there is always the risk that you might fall and hurt yourself. Unfortunately, falling from a height is a major cause of workplace fatalities – it causes thousands of major injuries to workers in the UK every year.

The Work at Height Regulations of 2005 (amended in 2007) outline the appropriate procedures for working at height and legally require employers to adhere to these. How exactly is working at height defined and what should employers and employees know before the scaffolding or ladder is used?

What is the Definition of ‘Working at Height’?

The Work at height definition – The official regulations define working at height as working at a place where the worker could potentially fall a distance that is liable to cause injury to them. This could be above ground level, such as on a ladder or scaffolding, or it could be below ground level such as working in a mine shaft or a well. Also, working at height could apply to moving around the workplace on anything that could cause injury if the employee were to fall off of it.

Reducing the Risks of Working at Height

Any activity in the workplace that meets these regulations should be subjected to a working at heights risk assessment, in accordance with the proper health and safety regulations. The risks involved need to be identified and eliminated and suitable control measures need to be introduced.

Supervisors and managers can take a health and safety course in order to know how to assess these risks and enforce the appropriate working practices. A certificate or diploma level general NEBOSH health and safety course will cover all of the dangers of working at height, the relevant laws and regulations, how to conduct a working at heights risk assessment and how to implement safe working procedures.

Working at Heights Safety Advice for Employers

Here are some important points for employers to know about working at heights:

• It is important to hold a working at heights certificate or qualification so that employees know they have received the appropriate and proper training. They will be more knowledgeable and skilful in doing their jobs, and also ensure the safety of their fellow colleagues.
• You are responsible for making sure that every employee you hire and set on a task that involves working at heights is competent to perform that task. They should have the appropriate health and safety training for the task, or if they are currently undergoing that training they should be working under the supervision of another fully trained employee.
• Any work should not be carried out at height, if it can be reasonably carried out otherwise than at height. This will help to avoid creating unnecessary risks for your employees.
• As an employer, it is also very important for you to choose the right work equipment and ensure that this equipment is kept well maintained and functioning correctly. All appropriate equipment should be provided to the employees, including airbags, nets, working platforms, ladders, guardrails, personal fall protection systems and any other essential tools.
• Your role is also to ensure that none of your employees ever need to work from a fragile surface unless absolutely necessary. If it is required, all appropriate safety equipment should be used and support and protection should be provided to all employees at all times.
• It is also important to take into consideration what the consequences of a potential fall might be as well as the need for timely evacuation and rescue in an emergency situation.
• Before beginning a work project, employers have the responsibility to inspect the work surface as well as any fall protection equipment to ensure that it is in good repair, sturdy and working correctly.
• All ladders must be securely placed and fixed – as they are a means of gaining access rather than a safe working platform.

Important Things for Employees to Know

While the responsibility for keeping employees safe is up to the employer, it is also important for the employee to take responsibility for their own safety. Here are some things that you should keep in mind when you are an employee working at heights:

• Resist the temptation to cut corners and save time by not following safe working procedures. Perhaps it might be faster to just “jump up” on the ladder really quickly to fix something without securing it properly – but a two minute job might result in a serious injury that could affect you for the rest of your life.
• You should always have three points of contact on a ladder at all times – such as two feet and one hand. If this is not possible, you should have an alternate safety system in place.
• If you know that you are not competent and you don’t have the training to do a particular task, you should let your employer know. Never take on work that you are not trained or qualified to do.
• If your employer asks you to do something that feels unsafe or goes against health and safety regulations, you have the right to challenge them and refuse to do the work. They cannot force you to do something that is against health and safety regulations and puts you in danger. Don’t worry about losing your job, just report the incident to the Health and Safety executive.
• You can improve your knowledge and skills when it comes to health and safety and working at heights by taking courses. There are many different health and safety courses available that will teach you the appropriate procedures that you need to know when working at heights.
• Make sure that you get enough sleep and that you don’t indulge in drugs or alcohol before working at heights. Sleep deprivation and intoxication can affect your balance and make you more likely to fall, not to mention the risk of losing your job if you are working under the influence.

Working at Heights Training and Courses

• All Working at Height Training Courses
• Ladder Association – Ladders and Stepladders for Users
• Ladder Association – Ladders and Stepladders Inspection
• Ladder Association – Ladders and Stepladders Combined User & Inspection
• Ladder Association – Ladders and Stepladders for Managers
• PASMA Training Courses
• IPAF Training Courses

These are just a few of the important things that employees and employers should know when it comes to working at heights. With the right regulations and requirements, working at heights can be safe and employees can be protected from the risk of injury.

FAQ

What must employees do to follow working at height regulations?

To follow working at height regulations employees must must not engage in any activity in relation to working at height or equipment for work at height, unless they are competent to do so or, if being trained, are supervised by a competent person.

What height is classed as working at height?

According to the HSE working at height means work in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person may fall a distance which could cause a personal injury. You are considered to be working at height if you work above the ground / floor level, can fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface or. Previous regulations defined “Work at Height” as being at least two metres high above ground level.

At what height do you need a harness?

Harnesses and fall arrest systems are required in the UK whenever there is a risk for a worker to fall from an elevated position, or whenever an activity is carried out at a height of two meters or more.

Related Construction Training Courses

• SSSTS – Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme
• SMSTS – Management Safety Training Scheme
• SEATS – Site Environmental Awareness Training Scheme
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate
• Construction NVQ
• NEBOSH Health & Safety Management for Construction
• City & Guilds Confined Space Rescue 6150-01 (Low Risk)
• City & Guilds Confined Space Rescue 6150-02 (Medium Risk)
• City & Guilds Confined Space Rescue 6150-03 (High Risk)
• Workplace First Aid and Emergency Training

There has been a campaign for the ban on Asbestos for more than 50 years, but this dangerous material is still in use within our midst. In fact, this toxic fibre is still the single greatest cause of work related deaths in the UK.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring set of silicate minerals that form long and thin fibrous crystals. This material is used within buildings, because it is strong and has many beneficial properties including sound absorption, tensile strength and resistance to heat, fire and electrical damage. It has also been used in many other products, including floor tiles, plastics, garden products and car brakes. It would be the ideal building material, if it weren’t so terribly deadly to humans.

The Problem With Asbestos Exposure

The problem with asbestos is when the tiny fibres within the material become airborne. They are breathed into the lungs by anyone working in the vicinity and can cause serious damage, resulting in an early death.

Once they have been breathed in, the tiny fibres become trapped in the lungs and they stay there for many years. Over time, these fibres will accumulate and will lead to serious health problems. One of the issues that they can cause is Asbestosis, which is an inflammation of the lung. The symptoms of this are coughing, shortness of breath and even scarring of the lungs.

Another major health risk of asbestos is Mesothelioma, which is a rare type of cancer that affects the lining of your lungs and the inside of your chest cavity. Also, asbestos can cause other lung related issues including thickening of the membranes around the lungs and collection of fluid within the lungs.

These problems might not show up right away and could take years to develop. In some cases, lung cancer will not develop until 15 or more years after the exposure to asbestos occurred. In most cases, people have no idea that they have inhaled asbestos.

Health and Safety – Handling Asbestos Correctly

When it comes to handling asbestos, there is a proper procedure for how it should be done with minimal risk. This deadly fibre is very toxic and needs to be handled in a certain way. You can take health and safety courses in order to learn how to manage asbestos safely. Within the health and safety course you will be instructed on the proper procedures for removing and disposing of this material, without any risks to your health. Also, you will be informed of the up to date asbestos regulations that have been recently introduced.

Tips to Keep in Mind when you are Handling Asbestos

1). Follow Proper Procedures

When you are working on a project that involves asbestos removal, it is tempting to want to cut corners and skip the proper safety procedures. However, don’t sacrifice your long term health for a quick shortcut right now! You will regret it later on in life when you are diagnosed with lung cancer.

This is why you should always take all of the steps required when working with asbestos, such as sealing off the area carefully, wetting down the materials and wearing the required safety mask. You can take a health and safety course in order to learn these safe working procedures.

If you are an employee in a workplace and your manager or supervisor is asking you to cut corners and not take proper precautions when working with asbestos, you don’t have to listen to them. They should not be asking you to compromise your safety and health, so you have the right to refuse to do the work and bring the matter up with the Health and Safety Executive.

2). Educate Yourself

It would be a terrible shame to suffer from asbestos exposure simply because you were not aware of a risk within a particular situation. This is why it is so important to make yourself aware and educated about asbestos. Find out the common locations for this material and learn which products are most likely to contain it. This way, you will be able to spot the presence of asbestos so that you can take the correct safety precautions when dealing with it.

3). Always Wear a Mask

If you are working in an environment where asbestos exposure is a threat, it is important to wear the right safety equipment. This includes a self-contained breathing apparatus, which will protect you from dust, gases and toxic substances. This mask should have a HEPA filter to make sure that it is filtering all of the toxins out. Some workers are not very diligent about wearing their masks, but unfortunately this can put their health at risk.

4). Wash Your Clothes

Did you know that families of those who work with asbestos can be exposed to the substance when workers bring the fibres home with them on their clothes? If you are working with asbestos, you should not wear your work clothes directly home but should rather wash them at your workplace.

If this is not possible, at least change out of them and carry them home in a plastic bag. Rinse the clothes first before washing them, because when the asbestos fibres are wet they will not become airborne.

5). Take a Shower

If asbestos fibres can cling to your clothes, they can also become attached to your hair and skin.

As soon as your workday is over, you should take a shower to make sure that all of the fibres have been removed from your body. It is a requirement enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that any company which handles asbestos should provide showering facilities on the jobsite.

Asbestos can be a dangerous material, so make sure that you follow these important precautions when working with it. With the right Asbestos Awareness training, you should be able to deal with the risks of asbestos in a safe way so that you will protect the health of your lungs in the future.

• Health and safety courses
• Construction and engineering courses

If you work with vibrating tools in your workplace on a regular basis, whether you are driving a fork truck or using a drill, you might be at risk for long term damage to your hands, arms and entire body.

Many workers don’t realise that long term exposure to vibrations can be a health hazard. When you are constantly exposed to vibrations, it can cause issues such as back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and even vascular disorders.

When you think about it, your body is a delicate thing. Shaking up your bones, joints and blood vessels violently for hours every day, for years on end will certainly have an effect. It might not be an effect that you notice right away, but it is something that will cause you damage over time.

Some of the industries that are at highest risk for vibration related injury are farming, forestry, transportation, construction and shipping. When it comes to vibration exposure, there are two different classifications – hand and arm vibration and whole body vibration. These two types of vibrations have very different sources and they have different effects on other parts of the body.

Hand and Arm Vibration

This is a type of vibration that damages only the hands and arms and it is caused by holding power tools such as chippers, grinders, screwdrivers and drills. It can also be caused by holding the controls of a vehicle.

Over time, the vibrations of the power tools that you are using will cause your muscles, bones, joints and tendons to change – and it can also damage your nervous system.

Some of the symptoms associated with hand and arm vibration damage include decreased sensation in the hands, decreased grip strength, blanching of the fingers (referred to as “white finger”) and carpal tunnel syndrome. You might experience tingling and loss of sensation in your fingers, as well as the loss of your ability to experience light touch. Many sufferers from hand arm vibration damage find that their symptoms are much worse when they are exposed to cold.

Whole Body Vibration

This type of occupational vibration exposure affects the entire body and it is caused by sitting in a vibrating vehicle or standing on a vibrating floor. This can include standing near a power press or shakeout equipment, or driving a fork truck or an off-road vehicle.

One of the major symptoms of whole body vibration is back pain, which can be so severe that it affects quality of life. Also, sufferers of whole body vibration damage find that they experience insomnia, fatigue, stomach problems, headache and an overall feeling of “shakiness”. You might have experienced these symptoms briefly after a long boat or car trip. However, after daily exposure over many years the vibrations that you are subjected to in your work environment will result in serious health problems.

Studies that have been conducted on bus drivers and truck drivers find that people in these professions suffer problems such as muscular and back disorders, bowel problems, circulatory issues, respiratory problems and much more. It is thought that these disorders are caused by a combination of body posture, dietary habits and the whole body vibration that these workers are subjected to on a daily basis.

How Much Vibration is Dangerous?

How much vibration can a person take until it starts to cause long term damage? How do you know if you are exposed to a dangerous level in your job? If the level of vibration is low enough, workers can be exposed to it for their entire working life without any risk of damage.

Of course, there are always individual differences when it comes to how much someone is affected by sensitivity to vibration. However, there are a number of important factors to consider, such as:

• What is the intensity of the exposure? Measure the level of the vibrations to determine just how strong they are.
• What is the duration of the vibration exposure? Is the vibration coming from a tool that is only used once every few days, or is it something that is used all day every day?

What are the Legal Standards?

Unfortunately, at the moment there are no legal standards when it comes to limiting the exposure that workers get to vibration. This means that workers all over the UK are being exposed to unhealthy levels of vibration every day. There are also no clinical tests that are designed to measure the effects of vibration damage, so it is difficult for doctors to diagnose this problem. Not every physician will recognise the issue or consider it right away.

What Can I Do to Reduce My Risk?

There are a number of things that you can do in order to reduce your risk of vibration related damage:

• Installing a suspension system between yourself and the vibrating source can be a good way to decrease your levels of whole-body vibration.
• Choosing the right power tools can be the best way to decrease your hand and arm vibration exposure. Consider the properties of the tool, its size, weight, the location of the handle and the tool drive mechanism. There are different ergonomic tool designers that can reduce hand and arm vibration.
• Your supervisor should make sure that positions are being rotated and that workers are given rest periods, so that they are not exposed to vibration constantly all day.
• All workers should receive health and safety training so that they can learn about vibration risk and how to avoid it. This health and safety training will instruct on regular tool maintenance and will teach workers how to grip their tools as lightly as possible, while still working safely.
• Workers should be encouraged to report any initial symptoms of vibration exposure as early as possible. If these symptoms are reported and monitored early, the chronic health effects can be dramatically reduced.

These are just a few important pointers to keep in mind, so that you can reduce your risk of vibration exposure in the workplace.

Electricity is an important part of our daily life and we use it all the time. However, if it is not handled correctly electricity can be dangerous enough to kill or severely injure. It also has the potential to cause serious damage to property. People work with electricity in a number of different industries and there are important precautions that need to be followed in order to reduce the risk of injury and death when working with electricity.

Did you know that approximately 1000 workplace accidents every year take place in the UK involving electric burns or shock? Around 30 of these accidents are fatal. Sometimes poorly installed electrical wiring or faulty appliances can start a fire, which can also cause death and injury. These deaths and injuries are avoidable, with careful planning and precautions.

The Health and Safety at Work Act states that employers are responsible for making sure that their employees and the public are safe when work is being conducted. This, of course, covers electrical safety as well. You have likely taken health and safety courses for your job, which will cover all of the important aspects you need to know about electrical dangers and how to avoid them.

Your workplace might also be visited by an Electrical Inspector, whose aim it is to reduce the number of electrical accidents by enforcing the law and providing workers with advice on good working practices. They will help to guide you in the technical changes required to equipment and working methods.

Electricity At Work Regulations

In 1989, the Electricity at Work Regulations were created and these regulations apply to all workplaces as well as the electrical equipment which is used in these workplaces. These regulations set out a number of important rules that must be followed in order to work with electricity safely.

They identify how electrical equipment, systems and conductors should be set out as well as making regulations on the competence of the people working on or near electrical equipment.

These regulations state that everything within the workplace that uses or carries electricity should be safe to use and that employees should not alter or abuse it. Also, if any electrical equipment has been damaged – employees are encouraged to report this to their supervisors immediately rather than attempting to fix it themselves. The regulations also outline the need for regular visual inspections of electrical equipment, which should be part of each employee’s work habits.

How to Reduce the Risk

What can you do in your workplace to ensure that the risk of electrical injury is reduced? Here are some ways that you can control the electrical hazards:

Maintaining Electrical Installations

How long ago were the electrics that you use in your building installed? Have they started to deteriorate over the years? It is important to make sure that the electrics are still in good shape, so you might need to install new electrical systems that meet a suitable standard. Check up on the electrics frequently and maintain them if necessary.

Avoid Overloading Socket Outlets

One of the main causes of fires is overloaded socket outlets with too many cords plugged into them.

This can be a serious electrical hazard, so try to avoid this as much as possible. It might necessitate creating another socket outlet to solve the problem, but this is worth it to eliminate the risk of a fire.

Lowering Voltage

Another way that you can make working with electricity a little bit safer on your job site is to lower the voltage that you are working with. Decrease it to the lowest amount that you need to get the job done.

Also, you could consider using battery operated tools rather than electrical ones – if this is possible for the task at hand.

Choosing the Right Equipment

When you are choosing your working equipment, it is important to make sure that it will be safe and appropriate. You should select equipment that is suitable for the working area and check it over when it is ordered to make sure that it is safe. Make sure that all connectors and cable couples are not damaged and that cable ends are always firmly fixed. Don’t try to use makeshift repairs such as taping wires together.

All equipment should have an emergency “Off” switch that will cut off all power immediately and the whereabouts of this switch should be easily accessible and known to all employees. If you are using portable equipment, the socket-outlet should be close by so that it can be easily disconnected in an emergency.

Perform Frequent Inspections

It is important to always perform inspections on your equipment, so that you can spot any damage before it becomes a hazard. Electrical equipment needs to be maintained, or it will become dangerous. All electrical installations and equipment in your workplace should be inspected and tested on a regular basis by a person who is competent to do so. Also, all employees should know to report any damage or defects that they notice when using the equipment.

If equipment has been found to be faulty, it should be labelled with a prominent “DO NOT USE” sign and should be kept secure until it can be examined and repaired.

Competent Employees

It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that all employees who are working with electricity are competent in performing their tasks. Even simple tasks that might seem obvious, such as wiring a plug, could be dangerous if the worker doesn’t know what they are doing. Make sure that everyone is competent and has received the appropriate health and safety courses before having them work with electricity.

These are just a few important things that you should know about staying safe when working with electricity. Electrical equipment has the power to seriously injure or kill, but this dangerous hazard can be avoided, with the right careful planning, good health and safety habits, frequent inspections and competent staff.

Accident Training Courses

• NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation Course
• Lead Accident Investigator Online Course – IIRSM-approved course explains how to structure and lead accident investigations that uncover root causes and deliver meaningful improvements in safety performance.
• Accident Reporting and Near Miss Training

Slipping and tripping accidents seem like something that might happen in a slapstick comedy, but when they happen in real life in the workplace they are not so funny and can actually be quite dangerous. A slip or a fall at work could result in a head injury, a broken bone, a bruised tailbone or a spinal injury. These injuries can cause workers to have to take time off from work and can even disable them permanently.

Statistics show that 66% of falls in the workplace happen from the same level, resulting from slips or trips – only 34% of falls are from a height. There is a difference between a slip and a trip. Slipping occurs when there is not enough friction between your footwear and the surface that you are walking on, such as when your feet slip out from under you on a wet or oily surface.

A trip occurs when your foot or leg collides with an object, which causes you to lose your balance and fall. This could be caused by obstructions in your way, bad lighting, cables across the floor, uneven carpeting or a bumpy walking surface. The similarity between both slips and trips is that they both involve an unexpected change in how your feet interact with your walking surface – causing you to fall. Depending on how you fall and what part of your body strikes the ground (or other objects in the area) you could injure yourself quite severely.

Most slips and trips in the workplace are caused by obstructions or uneven surfaces. These problems are simple to fix and if attention is paid to this issue, the working environment can become a lot safer. When you take health and safety training for your job, you will be instructed on the dangers of slips and trips and you will learn about guidelines that will help you reduce your risk.

Common Causes of Slips and Trips

Most of the time, we walk from place to place uneventfully without falling and injuring ourselves. However, there are certain factors in our environment that can make it more likely for us to slip and fall. For example, if you are walking on a surface where oil or grease has been spilled, the slippery surface can make it more likely for you to lose your footing and fall – potentially injuring yourself. Also, if the working area is poorly lit you will not be able to see hazards correctly and you will increase your risk of tripping over them. Other factors that can make trips and slips more likely include trailing wires and cables, smoke or dust obscuring vision, wearing unsuitable footwear, unsecured mats, uneven walkways and inclement weather conditions.

What Kind of Injuries are Caused by Slips and Trips?

Many people think that slips and trips only cause minor injuries, but this is not the case. If a person slips and lands on a hard floor surface, or collides with another object such as a metal machine or the edge of a table or desk – they can injure themselves quite severely. Also, if the slip occurs on a staircase this can result in a dangerous fall.

Slip and trip incidents have resulted in broken bones, concussions and deep lacerations. Also, in some serious cases they have resulted in brain injuries, spinal injuries and even fatalities.

How to Prevent Slips and Trip at Work

There are a number of things that you can do in order to prevent slips and trips at work and the injuries caused by them. Here are a few steps that every business should take:

• Ensure that all workers are trained and advised of the risks associated with slips and trips in their job.
• Make sure that all employees have received the appropriate health and safety training as relevant to their job, so that they are aware of the risks and how to prevent them.
• Perform a risk assessment of the workplace and identify any hazards that might make a slip or a trip more likely. Create a custom tailored plan for your workplace to decrease these hazards.
• Check in frequently to make sure that preventative measures are working and assess any issues.
• Take a look at the surfaces that employees are walking or standing on. Are they oily or greasy? Could they be covered with snow or ice? Are they uneven? Supervisors and managers are responsible for making sure that the surfaces that employees walk on are as stable and secure as possible.
• Always follow safe working procedures. For example, if a large cart needs to be transported and one worker cannot see around it, there should be two employees working together to transport it safely.
• Make sure that spills in walkway areas are cleaned up as quickly as possible before they become a hazard. Equipment for doing this, such as buckets, mops and shovels, should be readily available.
• When wheeled carts are being used, the castors should be cleaned and maintained frequently so that they will always roll smoothly and not “pull” in any direction.
• When working outside, remove snow and ice from all pathways to prevent slipping.
• Monthly inspections by the Health and Safety Committee should be carried out in the workplace to identify risks.
• Any rugs and carpets that don’t lay flat should be secured by tacking or taping them down.
• Employees should always wear the appropriate footwear for the task, such as grip soles and anti-slip boots.
• Workers should also be instructed to maintain a safe pace of walking and avoid running in the workplace. It is also safer to make wide turns at corners and walk with feet pointed slightly outward.

Slips and trips are more dangerous than you might think, but preventing them is really quite simple. If you can keep these tips in mind and follow the guidelines covered in your health and safety course, you will avoid this risk of injury and make the workplace much safer for everyone.

Whether you are taking a first aid training course as a workplace health and safety requirement or simply for your own knowledge, the information that you learn is incredibly valuable. Here are a few reasons why you should take training:

• Once someone stops breathing or their heart stops pumping blood, they can only survive for approximately five to six minutes until the lack of oxygen results in death or severe brain damage. CPR works by artificially circulating oxygen to the brain until professional help can arrive.
• According to a statistic, a high percentage of cardiac and breathing emergencies happen in the home while a family member or friend is present to help the victim. If you are this family member, knowledge of CPR can save their life. Your children are more likely to suffer from a choking accident at home than anywhere else and a quick response from someone trained in first aid can make a difference between life and death or permanent damage cause by oxygen deprivation. Sometimes the natural response in an emergency is to freeze up and not do anything. This is a response that comes from fear but it is not a very good way to react. Many people report that taking first aid training helped them to feel more calm and in charge in a scary emergency situation. They were able to revert to the training and know what to do so that they didn’t panic. Knowledge of first aid also helps people to be safer. When you have knowledge of hazards and risks you will be more aware of your environment and better able to anticipate danger and avoid it.
• Whether you are saving someone’s life or simply helping them with an injury until the ambulance arrives, knowing first aid means that you have the ability to help people, which is something that is incredibly important, valuable and rewarding.

These are just a few of the reasons why learning first aid and CPR is so important and why everyone young and old should complete a first aid training course.