The case for training
October 1st 2004

Health & Safety Matters has established itself

as the No1 source of information for workplace equipment, specially designed with health and safety in mind. However, if companies want to reduce accident-related losses, then investment must be made in both equipment AND education by way of training. Accidents will be reduced by training staff to conduct potentially risky tasks in a more safety conscious way. Over the next year HSM will be looking at the relevant types of health and safety training available. Just as HSM has presented the most relevant equipment so it intends to cover the most relevant training available so that readers can keep their workplace safe and at the same time productive. HSM will help in sourcing the training that is required to meet health and safety requirements without incurring unnecessary costs or falling foul of litigation and/or legislation through under provision.

The waste of resources, let alone the human consequences of injury and ill-health, is simply staggering. Every year some 25 000 people are forced to give up work through avoidable accidents or illness. This amounts to a loss of around 25 million working days at a cost to the economy of 18 billion thats 660 for every employee in the UK. Some managers still see safety

management as a costly legal requirement with no real business benefits, but the facts do not bear this out.

It is estimated that accidents and ill health cost UK companies 10% of their annual profits. However, by establishing good safety management systems firms can make savings through lower accident costs, sick pay bill and insurance premiums, fewer lost working days, less money spent on training replacement staff and avoiding court fines. Good health and safety regimes save organisations money by increasing productivity, that in turn helps to win new contracts and repeat business.

One of the central sets of legal

regulations covering workplace health and safety, the Management of Workplace Regulations 1999, has tightened even further the duties of a company to manage its activities. It is the legal duty of a company to ensure that employees have safe working areas and safe equipment with which to work. To check this happens the HSE sends inspectors out to visit workplaces and advise companies on how to meet these legal requirements.

One of the sanctions that an inspector has, is that they can take enforcement action, including prosecution against individuals in a company such as directors and managers. This can result in individuals facing fines and even prison. The long-debated corporate killing legislation could increase the powers of the HSE in punishing individuals to the fullest extent of the law.

The management regulations require that whoever

is appointed to look after health and safety at a workplace is competent, this implies a level of knowledge, experience and training. How can a

senior manager or director be certain that their employees are competent? An increasingly popular avenue is some form of formal training that helps individuals to achieve the competency requirement. This training can be delivered in many forms with residential courses ranging from days to weeks or it can be delivered simply on-site in the form of books, videos, on-line courses etc.

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