Imagine there has been a serious accident at your workplace and someone has been severely injured. Luckily your staff had the appropriate first aid at work qualifications and they dealt with the situation in the best way that they possibly can.

Perhaps the victim was left with serious injuries or maybe they even perished as a result of the accident, despite of the efforts of the first aiders on your staff. In a situation such as this, the incident is not over yet and there are a number of important steps to take to ensure that your staff members are supported in this traumatic time.

Psychological Aftercare

When your first aid team has responded to a traumatic emergency situation, they will be likely in need of psychological aftercare to process the emotional and mental responses to the trauma. Exposure to events such as a sudden staff death or a serious accident can affect your workers very deeply.

Your staff members who were involved in responding to the emergency situation might experience shock, shakiness, anger, flashbacks, lack of sleep or appetite or fatigue. They will be struggling to make sense of what has happened and they will be constantly recounting the event in their own mind. Most of the worst symptoms will disappear and many of your staff members will return to normal after the first month. However, approximately 30% of your staff will have symptoms for longer and might need professional counselling to help them move past the trauma. Approximately 1-2% of the population has a risk of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after administrating first aid at work in a very traumatic situation.

What You Can Do to Help?

What is the best thing that you can do for your employees to help them through their process of dealing with the accident? First of all, rather than getting everyone together for a meeting and treating all participants the same, you can offer low profile individual counselling for each member of your staff. Let your staff members know that if they need to seek further help and are feeling distressed, the option is there for them. Reassure them that they will not be judged for they need to seek counselling and psychological support. Let them know that the feelings they are experiencing are natural reactions to such an event.

Many people think it is best to send their staff home so that they can “relax for a few days and get over it”. However, many counsellors agree and it is much better for people to be with their work team and to get on with their daily routine as soon as possible. Putting someone on sick leave can actually encourage an “ill” or “victim” identity and make the person wallow in their emotions.

Of course, if you have a multi-cultural workplace it is important to always keep cultural differences in mind which might affect the way that staff members deal with a trauma, such as different attitudes toward death.

With these tips, you will be better able to care for your staff after a traumatic first aid at work situation.

In an emergency situation, it is a natural human reaction to panic – especially when you or someone else is seriously injured. The dangerous situation evokes the instinctual “fight or flight” response in your brain. In this situation, your blood flow is diverted to your lungs, heart and legs so that you can run away or fight for your life. Adrenaline is released and this makes it very difficult to stay calm and think logically.

Responding quickly is very important in an emergency situation and a few minutes of panic can make a very big difference. This is why staying calm and reacting in the right way is so important when administering first aid at work or any situation. Luckily, having the right first aid training for the situation will help you to remain calm, refrain from panicking and deal with the situation correctly.

How Emergency Aid Training Helps

How does having workplace first aid & emergency training help you to react better in these situations? First of all, if you have undergone training, your workplace and your co-workers will likely be more prepared for a possible emergency. This means that you will be likely to have emergency equipment available and a process already in place – such as an evacuation plan or a number to call when something happens. This can really help, as you won’t have to use your adrenaline addled brain to think of what to do – you can just follow the steps already set out.

Also, when you have the appropriate training for the emergency situation, then performing CPR and other rescue skills will feel automatic and ingrained. You will have practiced it so many times in a training scenario that you will already feel familiar with the procedure. Many people have reported that in an emergency situation, they went into “autopilot” and their training took over, resulting in them carrying out the procedures they had been trained in without even thinking about them. This is why first aid training – as well as frequent refresher courses – is so important.

First Aid Training Courses for the Workplace

• Emergency First Aid (1-day)
• First Aid at Work (3-days)
• First Aid at Work Refresher (2-days)
• FAQ Level 2 Award in Mental Health: Workplace Responder
• FAQ Level 3 Award in Mental Health: Workplace First Aider

Other Tips for Remaining Calm in an Emergency

Along with having the appropriate first aid training for your workplace or situation, here are some other tips that you can keep in mind to help yourself remain calm:

• Breathe deeply. Your brain cannot function properly without oxygen, so make sure that you are breathing as slowly and deeply as possible.
• If you are in an emergency situation and there are a lot of people standing around in shock or panicking, take control and tell them what they can do to help. Ask them to bring you supplies or call the ambulance.
• Talk through what you are doing, it will help to calm you down as well as the victim. For example: “I’m just going to elevate your leg now to help stop the bleeding.”

To find out more about first aid training, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Other Health and Safety Courses

• IOSH Working Safely
• IOSH Managing Safely
• NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation
• NEBOSH General Certificate
• NEBOSH International General Certificate
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate
• NEBOSH International Construction Certificate
• NEBOSH Fire Certificate
• NEBOSH International Fire Certificate
• SMSTS – Site Management Safety Training Scheme
• SSSTS – Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme

As we all know, prevention is a far better approach than cure. This applies in the Health and Safety arena as much as in any area of life and the basic principles of Health and Safety in the workplace are grounded in the ability to conduct effective risk assessments. Risk assessments are something that we are all familiar with and conduct in our daily lives without thinking – hopefully we start early in life with the familiar “Stop, Look and Listen” approach to crossing roads. In most cases this most simple of principles is the founding basis of a good risk assessment. With workplace safety being of paramount importance to employees, employers and the public in general, there are, however, a few refinements needed to this basic approach.

Risk Assessment Training

IOSH courses are available that provide an excellent basis in the theory and practice of risk assessment in the workplace. IOSH is a recognised body internationally, providing accreditation for training courses and acting as the only chartered body for Health and Safety professionals. While risk assessment is very often a common sense based task, training can help to ensure that your employees are thoroughly versed in a professional approach and can help to meet legislative requirements for your business – minimising not only risk but the chance of falling foul of Health and Safety regulations, which can be costly and disruptive for firms of any size.

• Risk Assessment courses

What Should a Risk Assessment do?

Basically, very much what it says on the form! Risk assessments are a legal requirement for businesses and are aimed at identifying hazards in the workplace, ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to minimise risks and eliminating any risks that are evaluated as too dangerous. Identification of risks is straightforward and by using a simple 4X4 grid they can be evaluated; risks are rated in terms of severity; negligible, marginal, critical and catastrophic. This is compared on a scale of probability; extremely remote, remote, reasonably probable and probable. Any risk identified as ‘catastrophic’ and ‘probable’ should immediately be addressed. Risks identified to be at the lower end of the scale should be noted and sensible action taken to manage them. Introducing new procedures or placing warning signs can often be the only action required.

Constant Vigilance

Risk assessments should be reviewed at least annually but in reality constant vigilance should be part of every employee’s working day. We don’t, for example, check that roads are safe to cross only once a year. Risks can develop or escalate at any time and well trained staff should be alert to this fact. Risk assessment training can provide a strong focus and safety ethic in those responsible for creating and managing risk assessments – this focus is invaluable for employers in ensuring that practical, common sense approaches are adopted to risk management at all times.

Related Content

• NEBOSH courses
• IOSH courses
• CITB courses
• First Aid Training
• Risk Assessment training

In the five years since the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007 came into force (in 2008) the number of prosecutions under the act has risen sharply. Figures released by the Criminal Prosecution Service (CPS) demonstrate that the number of cases in 2012 rose by 40 per cent on the previous year. In addition to corporate prosecutions under the act, senior management are increasingly finding themselves subject to prosecutions.

Increasing Cases of Corporate Manslaughter

According to the CPS there were 63 cases in 2012, compared to 45 in 2011. To date only three cases have resulted in prosecution, 141 have been settled and 56 are ongoing. The apparent low level of prosecutions masks the fact that the process is complex and takes an extended period to come to court. The first successful prosecution was in 2011 but it related to a death in 2008, shortly after the Act came into force. Even if a case does not end in prosecution the length of the process itself can have serious impacts on any business.

Corporate and Personal Prosecutions

While the act was established to create a legal framework in which corporate bodies could be prosecuted, it works alongside existing Health and Safety regulations with the result that senior executives are increasingly finding themselves facing additional charges relating to their duty of care. These charges, if negligence is proved, can result in custodial sentences. The act is designed to protect employees and companies alike, but for small firms, the burden of legislation and meeting Health and Safety or Human Resources requirements can be onerous. The profile of the companies prosecuted so far demonstrates that it is indeed the smaller, owner-managed firms, which are most vulnerable to prosecution.

Executive Responsibility

For the smallest of firms, working in high risk industries, ensuring that senior managers have relevant training in regards to Health and Safety laws is perhaps more crucial than ever. For any firm IOSH safety courses for senior executives are an essential consideration and important tool for raising awareness and fostering good practice. Safety training is crucial in any firm, but given that the three successful prosecutions under the new legislation have, to date, have featured small firms, then the implications for small firms are obvious. In one of the recent cases the company pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter in order to avoid the likelihood that a senior director would face manslaughter charges and a potential prison sentence. Whilst Health and Safety training cannot supplant good practice, or adequate safety provisions, the training can reinforce positive attitudes and stronger understanding of the legislation involved. Given that the number of prosecutions is on the rise the apparent low level of prosecutions should not leave room for complacency; IOSH Safety for Senior Executives is increasingly a basic business essential.

IOSH Safety for Senior Executives is an increasingly important resource for all firms, this is especially the case for smaller firms.

The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (known as IOSH) is recognised as a global leader in workplace safety. The organisation provides accreditation for training bodies around the world who deliver work based safety courses. Training providers offer a range of safety courses designed to offer workers and business owners with comprehensive skills to work safely and to manage safely. The strength of the IOSH Managing Safely course content is in that it is based on practical skills to identify risks and manage safety. There are a number of different levels of safety qualifications available, suitable to different levels within any company ranging from the ‘IOSH Working Safely’ options, designed for employees in general, right through to those focussing on executive levels. IOSH course content is grounded in risk management and identification.

Ground Level Health and Safety Qualifications

The two ‘ground level’ qualifications, working safely and managing safely, are designed for employees and managers. Both courses compliment each other strongly; they are designed to help both employees and managers work closely together on risk management. This is crucial in the workplace as every individual is, under legislation, responsible for their own, their colleagues and any visitors or contractors safety. Understanding this and fostering good, safe working practices is a key method to minimising risk at all times. IOSH course content at both levels is designed to cover the following areas;

• Hazard identification and evaluation
• Use of workplace precautions and/or finding information on these
• Preparation of risk assessment (for workers this is limited to assisting managers)
• Fostering cooperation and communication in relation to health and safety
• Reporting accidents or events and monitoring activities.

In the Managing Safely courses these elements also provide the basis for the training but are more focussed on specific management responsibilities, including risk assessment production, providing new working practices and safety implementation, accident reporting procedures and implementing company specific policies. Managing Safely in Construction is a qualification aimed specifically at the construction industry and while covering all basic elements of health and safety it is focussed specifically on relevant legislation and practices in what is considered one of the riskier industries in which to work.

High Level Responsibilities

The IOSH course content for directors and executives differs from the working and managing safely courses in that it is focussed more on legislative responsibilities of business owners, executives and directors. Some elements of risk assessment are included but the overall focus is on strategic objectives of Health and Safety and the role of owners and executives in taking a lead on these issues. With increased legislation relating to corporate manslaughter and homicide, along with rising fine levels in cases of breaches of Health and Safety legislation, these higher level courses provide an excellent basis for executives and directors to understand their own legal responsibilities and to ensure that Health and Safety is a core concern at all levels of a company.

IOSH course content delivers practical information for employers and business owners, relevant to their different roles and responsibilities.

Training and work goes hand in hand. Even when you take on a brand new employer who comes fully loaded with qualifications and experience training is still an important area that cannot be brushed off. You have a responsibility to provide the right health and safety courses and qualifications to those that require them in your workforce. They need training on how to use equipment, carry out certain aspects of the job and of course safety training is essential.

When it comes to health and safety you need to provide the right type of course for the role of the individual. There is no need to send a general labourer or worker on a course that has been designed for construction site managers and site managers may not need to receive training on how to use a certain piece of equipment. Getting it right will ensure everyone knows exactly what they need to know in order to contribute to a safe and healthy place of work.

Types of Training

The Institution of Occupational Safety & Health have a number or training courses suited to everyone in the workplace. The IOSH courses come in different formats. Some can be taught at local training centres or even in your own premises. These are the courses that are generally led by tutors and often consist of a small group of professionals rather than one to one private tuition. The e-learning version of the courses are often completed in a short time frame with the examination taking place right after the course has come to an end. It’s a fast way of educating your employees quickly and getting them the qualifications they need to perform their job fully.

Many courses can be taken via classroom, e-learning, distance learning or virtual online learning. You may need to keep your employees on site and working most of the day in which case the tutor led short courses might not be ideal. As an employer you do have to legally provide time to your employees for training but you could allocate one or two hours a day or even a week if it fits into your working requirements more comfortably.

The e-learning, distance learning and virtual learning courses still provide recognised training and qualifications, however they are a lot more flexible. The candidate just needs a personal computer/laptop or other suitable handheld device and some time to dedicate to the course materials and exam.

Train Your Employees the Right Way and Protect Business

By providing the right training courses you can protect your workers and provide a safe and healthy working environment. It is possible to ensure your employees help you to comply with the laws and legislation and reduce the risk of your company or managers being prosecuted by the HSE. Furthermore you can cut down costs from employee absences caused by work related illnesses and accidents at work.

Don’t take risks with the lives of your employees or your business. Provide IOSH courses for your managers today.

There are many injuries and accidents that are caused by health and safety mismanagement. Many of them could have been completely avoided had the right systems been in place. It is essential that your managers are competent when it comes to effectively managing the safety and the health of the employees to help prevent these accidents and incidents from occurring.

When someone is injured or suffering from poor health caused by working conditions the business immediately have costs to meet. There may be sick pay to cover, the cost of replacing the injured or ill party, albeit temporarily. Other costs might come into play such as legal costs and lost revenue from concerned customers or investors. This is why it is essential to ensure that your managers are trained to the IOSH Managing Safely and / or NEBOSH General Certificate standard.

What Health and Safety Management Training is Best?

Training comes in different forms. First of all you need to educate and inform people on how to do their job properly. Then you must let them know what can be done and what never must be done and finally you provide relevant information. Many business owners fail to provide the right training to their managers – providing basic information that doesn’t include all of the necessary facts. This means managers are left guessing on how to prevent accidents and illness, which is not appropriate or sufficient in the eyes of the law.

Even if you have a minimal budget set aside for training you will still be able to find an affordable option. You need not send your managers away on a long training course, there are suitable options that are fully recognised that can be completed in a matter of days.

Many of the IOSH Managing Safely and NEBOSH General Certificate courses are held all over the UK at local training centres and are also available in online and e-learning formats – helping to reduce costs and the time that your employee needs to be away from work.

Tutor-led courses are the most popular, however online and e-learning provides more flexible studying. A professional tutor will ensure that the course materials are understood by your manager. They are there to answer questions and provide assistance as and when needed.

What Your Manager Has to Know

There are some areas of health and safety that your manager must be aware of. It is vital that they know what the legal risks are and what can happen if the welfare of the employees and the Health and Safety at Work Regulations are not followed. It is also essential that you provide them training in spotting potential hazards and how to conduct a risk assessment.

Choose the right course for your managers to avoid any of your employees getting hurt or illness from work. Look out for suitable courses that teach them about the law and how to conduct risk assessments.

Other Health and Safety Courses to Consider

• NEBOSH Construction Certificate
• NEBOSH Fire Certificate
• NEBOSH Environmental Certificate
• NEBOSH Diploma
• NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation
• NEBOSH Award in Health & Safety at Work
• SMSTS – Site Management Safety Training Scheme
• SSSTS – Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme

Even if your staff has been trained with the right IOSH courses and performs their job very carefully, there is still a chance that a workplace accident might occur. If it does, it is crucial to follow the right procedure afterwards. There are important steps to follow after a workplace accident so that you can ensure that the incident is dealt with properly and it does not happen again.

Always Report It

Your staff should know that every time there is an accident at work, it is imperative that they report all details to the management. The accident needs to be recorded and this is important for a number of reasons. First of all, this helps to prevent the same accident from happening again. Also, it ensures that there is a record of exactly what happened in case there are legal proceedings later. The employee involved and any witnesses should write down their account of what happened and any photos or other evidence should be included within the report. All details should be included and these details should be written down as soon as possible, as they might be forgotten or confused as time goes on.

Doctor’s Visit

If an employee has been injured at work, they should see a doctor to make sure that their injuries are properly assessed. An employee could be seriously hurt, but not quite realise it right away and think they are fine, only to have complications later.

Also, having the medical records from the doctor will be important evidence in the case of legal proceedings. The employee should always follow all advice and recommendations for the treatment of their injury as prescribed by the doctor.

Assess the Hazard

After the accident, it is also important to take a look at the workplace hazard that caused the accident in the workplace. Perhaps it was a slippery floor, a broken stair rail or a malfunctioning machine. If the hazard is left alone, it might cause another injury to someone else. Make sure that you take a close look at what caused the accident and think about how you can improve it to be safer in the future. Perhaps a new procedure should be developed, or a safety feature needs to be installed.

Follow Up With the Employee

Take time to follow up with the injured employee and see how they are coming along with their recovery. Perhaps they have taken some time off work or they are in the hospital. Check in with them and find out how they are doing.

These are just a few important steps that should be taken every time an accident occurs in the workplace, so that the incident will be dealt with thoroughly and properly.

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

Safety at work is absolutely fundamental to a successful business. In order to avoid litigation and costly accidents, it is important for senior managers to keep up to date with the legal requirements and practices of their industry.

This is why IOSH training for Senior Executives is so crucial. The IOSH Safety for Senior Executives course is designed for any professionals who have a strategic responsibility for implementing effective health and safety management systems within an organisation of more than 250 employees. There are no entry criteria, other than being in a senior management role. Health and safety is a very important management function and in order for it to be effective, it must emanate from the top layers of management and descend downward through the hierarchy of the company.

What Does the Course Cover?

Not only will this course cover the important basics of health and safety, it will also teach managers and senior executives about how best to implement and enforce these basics within the workforce.

This safety management course, offered by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, will give senior managers and executives a solid overview of their legal responsibilities as well as cost effective strategies for loss control and accident prevention. The course will cover the roles and responsibilities of senior executives when it comes to health and safety and their important legal aspects. It will also cover the financial implications of ill health and accidents caused by working conditions.

The course will also make senior executives and managers aware of the current legislation and the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974, as well as the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations of 1999. Participants will be made aware of the penalties that will be incurred should any health and safety problems happen. The course will also cover the concept of corporate manslaughter and the implications of this.

By the end of the training, all participants will appreciate the need for integrated health and safety goals within their wider business objectives, in order to minimise risk. They will also be able to keep health and safety in mind during their strategic planning, decision making and supply chain management. With the guiding principles learned in the curse, they will be able to create a health and safety management system that will offer them continuous improvement.

How Are Participants Assessed?

When senior executives and managers take part in this course, it will be assessed by a short paper. The course is moderated by the IOSH (Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) and all final course work will be approved by the institute. When the course is successfully completed, all participants will receive a certificate.

Looking after the well-being of staff and visitors within in an organisation should be a primary concern of employers and business owners. Through the implementation of important safety measures and a solid health and safety policy, organisations are able to create a safe and happy work environment. Understanding and complying with health and safety regulations is a crucial part of creating a safe working environment and this ensures that your business is secure, safe and legal.

To create a safe workplace, employers must consider investing in training material, safety equipment and security measures. These elements all work to promote the well-being and safety of staff and visitors by giving them the knowledge and expertise to manage risk and minimise danger in the workplace.

This article will explore why businesses should invest in training and safety procedures to protect their workforce and visitors whilst creating a safe working environment.

The Importance of Health and Safety Training

Good training is an essential component of any organisation as it is in training sessions that staff are given the knowledge of how to promote good working practices and reduce risk. A business will benefit greatly from investing in training schemes because this will give employees a standard of working which will ensure that they know how to work effectively, safely and efficiently. Health and safety training should be combined with practical learning to ensure that staff understand their responsibilities and are confident that they know how to promote safety in the workplace.

2 Occupational Health & Safety Qualifications for Managing Workplace Health & Safety

• IOSH Managing Safely
• NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety

Course Material

There are many variations of course material which organisations can invest in and this means that companies can find courses which provide their staff with knowledge and practical guidance which is specific to their role and needs. Course providers offer training which is designed to give employees the information and experience which relates directly to their position within the company. This means that there are different courses which provide managers, supervisors and general operators with the information that they need to work safely and effectively.

Health and safety course providers have devised training schemes which can either be completed over a short period of time in a classroom environment or online courses which can be undertaken at home. Classroom courses or workplace courses are designed to give staff theoretical and practical advice on how to work effectively to reduce risk. Some tutors will even teach the course at your premises to save you travel costs and to help you understand the dangers which are inherent in your specific business.

Practical courses like the IOSH Working Safely course are to be completed in a single day and provide you with the necessary information to complete a short assessment at the end of the session. E-learning courses on the other hand offer complete flexibility and are designed to fit around your busy work schedule. These can be completed in a longer period of time and they track your progress, offering your advice and guidance as your work your way through the course material.

Investing in health and safety training is a great way of providing your staff with the relevant material to help them create a safe working environment. For more information on training schemes, research courses like the IOSH Working Safely E-learning.