Mia Simpson, Author at The Hub | High Speed Training

How to Support Children with Attachment Disorder

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 08:30:00 +0000

A child’s ability to form healthy emotional bonds during the first years of their life is vital for their social and emotional development. If they aren’t able to do this, this can lead them to develop an attachment disorder that affects them for the rest of their lives. Children with attachment difficulties can struggle with social situations, as well as regulating their emotions and behaviour, making it difficult to cope day-to-day, including at school.

These children require strategies and interventions to ensure they can lead happy and fulfilling lives. In this article, we will outline what attachment disorder is and what causes attachment disorder in children. We will also cover the signs that indicate a child is experiencing attachment difficulties and provide guidance for teachers and caregivers on providing support for children with attachment disorder.

What is Attachment Disorder in Children?

Babies usually develop a close attachment to their primary caregiver in the first few months of their life. This is the person who provides the closest care for the baby from birth. The attachment forms as a result of them consistently providing for the baby’s needs, from food when they’re hungry, to comfort when they’re upset.

According to attachment theory, this provision of care teaches the baby that the primary caregiver will always be there to fulfil their needs. This gives the baby a sense of security, known as a ‘secure base’, from which they can then begin to explore their environment and deal with new situations. This allows them to learn how to express their emotions and build healthy relationships.

Research has shown that forming a secure attachment during this time increases the likelihood that a child will develop emotional intelligence, good social skills and strong mental wellbeing.

However, some children do not have the opportunity to form a secure attachment with their primary caregiver during their early life, due to that person not consistently fulfilling their needs. If a baby is not comforted when they cry, or not changed or fed as soon as they need it, these are examples of their fundamental needs not being met. This can lead to them developing attachment difficulties.

It can also develop if a child only has their needs met occasionally or conditionally, as this teaches them not to expect consistent care, or if a child only gets attention when they are exhibiting ‘naughty’ behaviour.

Without this attachment, a child may lack the sense of security and safety they need to explore their environment, emotions and relationships. This also means that they won’t have the opportunity to practise overcoming stressors and anxieties and, as a result, may struggle to cope with managing their emotions and behaviour, new experiences and building relationships with others as they grow up.

Attachment difficulties can affect a child’s emotional, cognitive and physical development and fall under the category of social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. In severe cases, children with attachment difficulties may be diagnosed with an attachment disorder.

As an adult, attachment difficulties can also affect someone’s ability to form stable and secure relationships, as they can perceive other people as inherently unreliable or untrustworthy. This puts them at greater risk of entering into abusive relationships. Additionally, they may have poor parenting skills and struggle to form an attachment with their own children.

If you’d like to find out more about how a child’s early development can affect them in later life, take a look at our article Why is Child Development So Important in Early Years?

Causes of Attachment Disorder

Some of the circumstances that lead to a child developing attachment disorder are unavoidable and are not necessarily due to the caregiver intentionally withholding care from their child. However, regardless of the circumstances leading to a lack of secure attachment, it always has the potential to negatively impact a child.

The following circumstances may prevent a child from forming a secure attachment with their primary caregiver:

The child is separated from their primary caregiver for an extended period or periods of time or permanently. For example, if the child or caregiver is hospitalised, the caregiver goes to prison, they are separated due to war, the caregiver passes away or the child is put into care.
The child is frequently moved from one caregiver to another. This means they do not have the time to form a secure attachment with one adult and could occur if the child is in foster care.
The caregiver suffers from physical or mental illness. This could mean they are unable to sufficiently provide for their own needs, let alone their child’s needs.
The child or caregiver has experienced abuse, neglect or maltreatment.
The caregiver is suffering from substance misuse.
Difficulties during pregnancy or birth, including if the parent is separated from their baby immediately after birth, for example for neonatal care.

This is not an exhaustive list of the circumstances that could cause a child to develop attachment difficulties. Anything that causes a caregiver to be unable to consistently provide for their child’s needs may cause an attachment disorder to develop.

Signs of Unhealthy Child Attachment

Children with attachment difficulties may adapt different ways of communicating in order to have their needs met, including particular behaviours. Many of these behaviours may be interpreted as being ‘bad’ or ‘disruptive’, particularly when seen in the classroom.

The longer attachment difficulties go unmanaged, the more severe they can become and the greater impact they can have on a child’s development. It’s therefore important that adults are able to identify the signs of attachment difficulties in children as early as possible, so that they can give the child the support and care they need.

Some common signs of attachment difficulties in children include:

Poor academic performance.
Lack of focus and/or engagement (including with other children or adults).
Limited or unsuccessful social interactions and inability to build relationships.
Inability to calm themselves down.
Frequent overstimulation.
Low self-esteem.
Stress and low-mood.
Resistance to change and desire for control.
Inappropriate familiarity with strangers.
Unwillingness to seek help.
Anger and aggression, often without obvious reason.
Not smiling.
‘Attention-seeking behaviours’ that can be extreme and dangerous.
Hyperactivity and fidgeting.
Dislike of physical touch.
Never seeming truly happy.
Lack of understanding of ‘unacceptable’ behaviour.
Lying.

As the child gets older, symptoms may also include self-injury, substance misuse and criminal behaviour.

This list is not exhaustive and not all children with attachment difficulties will show all of the signs listed above. Every child is different and may show different signs, even if they have had very similar circumstances. Some behaviours may also only be apparent at certain times, such as only when the child is with their primary caregiver or when they are apart from them, or when the child is at school.

It can be challenging to understand why a child is exhibiting ‘bad’ behaviour, whether at school or at home. However, as an adult supporting a child with attachment difficulties, it’s important to recognise that this type of behaviour is an indicator that the child is struggling with how they are feeling and how to express it. It is your responsibility to find ways to help the child manage these difficulties, in order for them to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.

You can learn more about supporting children who have suffered adverse childhood experiences to succeed in school in our article, here.

How to Help a Child with Attachment Disorder

Children with attachment difficulties or attachment disorder will require additional support in order to have the same opportunities as other children, particularly in the classroom.

Attachment difficulties can make it particularly challenging for a child to succeed in the school setting. For example, their memory and comprehension skills can be affected and they may have trouble forming friendships and trusting adults. Children with attachment difficulties can also struggle with communicating and expressing themselves and their emotions. This struggle to express themselves may then present itself as ‘outbursts’ or ‘bad behaviour’.

Looking for a Course?

We offer a range of Courses for Teaching and Education that will help you to provide the appropriate care and support for children in schools, including children with additional needs, such as our Challenging Behaviour and Child Mental Health courses.

The treatment for attachment difficulties involves making significant, practical changes in the child’s life. While there is no medication for treating attachment difficulties, if the child suffers from related symptoms, like anxiety, ADHD or depression, medication may be beneficial. Additionally, certain therapies, such as talking therapies, can be used to help the child to work through their negative experiences.

The following list of strategies can also be used to support a child with attachment difficulties, However, it is important to remember that what works best for one child may not work for another. Every child is unique and will require a tailored plan for support and intervention. These interventions may need to be long-term, spanning a child’s entire school life, in order to ensure they can succeed in a mainstream setting.

Providing a secure base

For a child who has never formed a secure attachment with an adult, providing them with a secure base is essential. This will create opportunities for them to develop a sense of safety, security and confidence that allows them to begin exploring their environment, their feelings and their relationships in a healthy way.

As an adult working with children with attachment difficulties, it’s vital that you show them you are secure, reliable, fair, kind and trustworthy. These children can benefit from having a ‘champion’, a key adult who will always be available to them and who sees the best in them. Repeated good experiences with this adult will help to challenge their previous conception of adults and, ideally, teach them that some adults can be trusted.

In school, a champion can be a designated member of staff who is always available to support the child, should they need it. Additionally, having the opportunity to work together with others can give a child a sense of impact and purpose, so it can be beneficial to appoint a key person who can work alongside the child when required.

De-escalation

Children with attachment difficulties can struggle to regulate their emotions, meaning they can be prone to becoming overwhelmed, resulting in agitation and sometimes physical aggression. As a teacher or caregiver, you need to know how to respond appropriately in these situations to prevent them from escalating.

De-escalation involves remaining calm and professional during challenging situations, something that, whilst not always easy, is vital when working with children with attachment difficulties.

De-escalation requires the adult to reduce the negative feelings a child is experiencing to the point that discussion is possible, before they become physically aggressive. To achieve this, you must be able to identify the early signs that a child is becoming agitated. These can include:

Sudden outbursts.
Disruptive or impulsive behaviours.
Fidgeting and difficulty sitting still.
Excessive talking or movement, including pacing.
Lack of focus or ‘zoning out’.
Irritability and/or anxiety.
Clenched fists or wringing hands.

When a child is becoming agitated or angry, the last thing you should do is ignore them or use separation to punish them, such as by giving them a ‘time out’. This can create a sense of abandonment and lack of security and attention that can increase a child’s emotional state and lead to worse behaviour. You need to be there to support them in regulating their emotions, as this is something they can struggle to do alone.

You can use the following tips to help you de-escalate a child:

Be calm and self-assured. Even if you are feeling agitated or upset yourself, you should avoid showing this to the child where possible. Try not to show any of the signs listed above as doing so could encourage the child to mirror you. Additionally, excessive eye contact can be perceived as threatening to the child.
Maintain a neutral facial expression. Our facial features can easily give away how we are feeling, for example a furrowed brow and downturned mouth can show we are upset. Maintaining a neutral expression can help to reduce tension in these situations.
Allow the child space. While you shouldn’t ignore or leave the child alone as punishment for behaviour, you should avoid taking over their personal space as this can be perceived as a threat, increasing the risk of an aggressive response.
Control your breathing. Taking slow, deep breaths will calm you down and may encourage the child to match your breathing, calming them down also.
Distract the child. When agitated, children can struggle to think clearly, making them more likely to behave inappropriately without thinking. You should try to distract them and encourage them to focus on something other than their emotions, rather than arguing with them. However, it is important to let the child know that you are listening to them and acknowledging their feelings.
Give them time. It can be hard for a child to talk or process what others are saying to them in a state of high emotion. You should wait for them to calm down before trying to engage them in conversation.

Following a conflict, it’s important that you are there for the child in order to reinforce your status as a stable and consistent figure in their lives. You should debrief, repair and rebuild to ensure you maintain the secure attachment you are forming with the child.

Consistency

Consistent boundaries help to create predictability and stability for a child with attachment difficulties. It is important to teach them what behaviour is acceptable and what isn’t, and to outline consequences before incidents occur.

Children with attachment difficulties can struggle with change and a lack of structure and this can make them feel unsafe. Consider implementing routines and schedules for unstructured times, such as lunchtimes as this will give the child a sense of stability, consistency and predictability.

Patience

When a child is being ‘naughty’ or ‘acting out’, try to avoid responding emotionally, as this can heighten their emotions, resulting in a conflict. Instead, keep calm and follow through with the previously established consequences.

You can use a ‘calming box’ to provide a child with sensory regulation. This provides them with a range of sensory tools and activities that can give them a sense of control and distract them from their agitation, calming them.

Recognising and expressing emotion

Practise recognising and expressing emotion with the child. If you recognise that a child is becoming overwhelmed and agitated, you can use the ‘Wondering Aloud’ strategy. Try to speak to them about how they are feeling using phrases like ‘I wonder if…’ or ‘Maybe we can…’. This can help to re-engage them in a more positive way. However, you should avoid telling the child what you think they are feeling.

Starting a feelings display or feelings diary in school can help children with emotional regulation, strengthening their ability to manage difficult emotions. This will allow them to practise self-analysing and recognising their own emotional state

Building self-esteem

Children with attachment difficulties often feel ‘destined to fail’ or that they lack worth. Giving them low-stakes tasks where success is guaranteed can help to make them feel important and good about themselves. One way you could do this in the classroom is by giving them a specific role to play, such as handing out resources. You can also build self-esteem by offering specific praise or by having them create a ‘success book’ where they record their accomplishments.

Roleplay is another way to give children opportunities to experience success, giving the child a chance to practise having real-life situations, without the pressure of real-life consequences. This can increase their confidence in exploring the world around them.

Managing the environment

Children with attachment disorder are prone to overstimulation which can make it hard for them to manage their emotions, even positive ones. Overstimulation occurs when someone has more experiences than they can cope with, and can result in ‘bad’ behaviour.

For this reason, it’s important to keep the child’s environment as lighthearted and calm as possible. This teaches the child that life should and can be fun and enjoyable by giving them the opportunity to discover what they like to do, without the pressure of failure. Play has been shown to reduce stress, strengthen attachments and reduce behaviour problems.

Skills training

Every new relationship a child enters into has the potential to challenge what has come previously. For caregivers, the main treatment you can provide for a child with attachment difficulties is to build a secure relationship with them, ensuring they feel loved and cared for. If you struggle to recognise the needs of your child you may consider parenting skills training. This teaches carers how to recognise and respond appropriately to the needs of their child.

Research shows that when a child is placed in a suitably caring environment, where their needs are consistently met and they feel safe, the signs of attachment disorder can improve very quickly.

Some children require more support than others in the classroom and at home, including those with attachment difficulties or disorder. It is vital you can identify the signs of attachment difficulties and that you are able to provide appropriate care and support for children experiencing them. Behaviour is an indicator that a child needs something from you and, as a responsible adult, it is your role to recognise this and ensure these needs are met, so that the child can lead a happy and fulfilling life.

Further Resources:

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How to Improve Quality Control in the Food Industry

Wed, 13 Mar 2024 09:30:00 +0000

According to the UK Government, the third greatest concern for consumers regarding the food they purchase is its quality. It is essential for food manufacturers to ensure that the products they distribute are of a consistently high quality. This will allow them to meet consumers’ expectations and maintain their trust and loyalty. In the food industry, having rigorous quality control procedures in place will help to ensure you achieve this.

In this article, we explain the importance of quality control in the food industry for ensuring the quality and safety of products. We also explain the difference between quality control and quality assurance within a food quality management system. Finally, we offer some examples of how you can implement quality control in your food manufacturing business.

What is Quality Control in the Food Industry?

Quality control is a process used in manufacturing industries, including the food industry, to ensure products consistently meet the necessary quality and regulatory standards to make them safe for consumers. A food product’s quality typically refers to its sensory attributes, including its appearance, taste, texture and aromas, as well as its nutritional content.

Quality control in the food industry involves testing and measuring food products throughout the production process. This is to ensure that they are meeting set specifications and do not deviate from these specifications. Specifications can relate to a product’s safety, nutritional value and sensory qualities. If products do deviate, this is considered a defect and would need to be corrected. The product may be removed or quarantined from production, before it can reach consumers.

Once problems are identified in the production process, steps can then be taken to identify why they occurred. Corrective actions can then be implemented to prevent them from reoccurring.

In the food manufacturing industry, quality control identifies risks in food products relating to their quality and/or safety. Even one food safety incident has the potential to cause permanent harm to a manufacturer’s reputation. Having effective quality control procedures in place to reduce the risk of contamination and other safety hazards will protect consumers. This will increase their trust and loyalty and reduce the risk of legal consequences.

Quality control is a reactive process, meaning it aims to correct defects that have already occurred. However, by identifying why defects occur, organisations can take proactive steps by implementing actions to prevent these problems from reoccurring.

Looking for a Course?

Root cause analysis is a form of reactive quality control. It identifies the root causes of product quality and/or safety issues so that actions can be implemented to eliminate or manage them, preventing those problems from reoccurring. Our Root Cause Analysis course teaches you how to perform a number of root cause analysis techniques as part of an incident investigation in the food manufacturing industry.

It is important to have quality control checks at the end of a production process. These will determine if the finished product has any defects that would make it unsuitable for consumers. However, it is also possible, and indeed preferable, to pick up on quality problems earlier on in the process.

Implementing quality control points throughout production allows manufacturers to identify non-conforming products more quickly. This reduces unnecessary costs from producing faulty products to completion.

There are a number of essential components that make up quality control for a food manufacturer. These include:

Inspection – this involves examining raw materials, finished products and processes to identify any deviations from established quality standards.
Testing – this involves conducting tests and measurements to assess various elements of products to determine quality.
Statistical Process Control (SPC) – statistical techniques can be used to monitor production processes, ensuring they stay within expected quality standards.
Corrective action – after identifying defects, this involves implementing actions to manage or eliminate them, preventing their reoccurrence.
Documentation and records – it’s important to keep records of your inspections, testing and corrective actions as this can help during future investigations and shows due diligence.
Training – employees must be trained to uphold the necessary quality standards.
Continuous improvement – an effective quality control process should result in continuous improvement within a business.

Quality Control vs Quality Assurance

While quality control is one part of a food quality management system, quality assurance is another.

Quality control is a reactive quality management process that identifies and manages existing product defects. Quality assurance, on the other hand, is proactive. It involves implementing processes and equipment to prevent food products from becoming defective in the first place.

It ensures that production procedures are decided, prior to manufacturing, that will ensure products meet their required quality standards. It involves reviewing production to ensure these procedures are followed and these standards are actually met.

Quality control also ensure that a finished product complies with its label, according to specifications and regulatory requirements. For example, if a product’s label says that it is ‘sugar-free’, quality assurance would ensure that the product contains zero sugar or so little sugar that it is unlikely to affect the body.

Food manufacturers should have both quality control and quality assurance processes in place, as part of a quality management system. This will best ensure that food quality standards are consistently met by ensuring that problems are prevented before they occur, or identified and managed to prevent them from reoccurring.

What is the Importance of Quality Control in Manufacturing?

Quality control in the food industry helps to ensure that all products within a batch are consistent with one another and that their quality is consistently high.

This is particularly important in the food manufacturing industry where food quality can affect its safety for consumption. If unsafe food – for example contaminated or falsely labelled food – is distributed to consumers, this could result in a public health incident. Take, for example, the horsemeat scandal, which threw the vulnerability of supply chains in the food industry into the headlines and the public eye.

This could have significant legal, reputational and ultimately financial repercussions for an organisation and can result in a loss of consumer trust that would be difficult to regain.

It is therefore essential that food manufacturers have quality control procedures in place throughout the production process to ensure food quality and/or safety problems are picked up before products are distributed to consumers.

Having a robust quality control system in place as a food manufacturer can lead to improvements in the following areas:

Consumer safety – quality control allows for the identification of safety defects in food products, such as chemical, physical or microbial contamination, including allergens. Were these to be missed, this could harm public safety and have severe reputational and legal consequences for the manufacturer.
Consumer confidence – quality control ensures that the materials and processes used to create products are consistent. This helps to ensure that products in the same batch are consistent every time, regardless of who produces them. When a product is consistently safe and high-quality, this builds consumer trust, loyalty to the brand and positive word-of-mouth, ultimately boosting sales.
Compliance – having quality control measures in place ensures that products conform with regulatory requirements and food safety standards. This protects manufacturers from the legal consequences of providing unsafe food to consumers.

When a finished product does not meet the specifications on its label, this is called food fraud. Committing food fraud is against the law. Quality control can prevent food fraud by ensuring that a product’s ingredients and processes match what is on its label. You can learn more about food fraud and the impact it can have on a food manufacturer in our article, What is Food Authenticity?

Production costs – being able to catch food safety or quality issues during the production process reduces the time and money wanted on producing a defective product to completion. It also reduces the costs of product recalls and refunds from defective products as well as any costs resulting from legal action.
Continuous improvement – by constantly monitoring the production process, implementing feedback and making changes to improve quality and safety wherever necessary, manufacturers can build a culture of continuous improvement. Creating more streamlined processes can result in increased productivity and efficiency.
Employee engagement – along with the culture of continuous improvement, taking pride in the quality and safety of your products can increase your employees’ pride in those products and their workplace. This can increase work ethic and morale.

Examples of Quality Control in the Food Industry

As previously mentioned, quality control is a set of checks that should be implemented throughout the production process, from sourcing raw materials to the final check of the finished product. The more checks you do, the more likely you are to identify food safety and quality issues quickly.

Some examples of areas where quality control procedures should be implemented during the food manufacturing process are listed below.

Ingredient Specifications

The quality of ingredients used in a food product will determine the finished product’s overall quality. Ingredient specifications are written documents that provide information about a specific ingredient used in a product. They ensure that every ingredient provided by a supplier is high quality.

Ingredient specifications should include:

The name of the ingredient.
The source of the ingredient.
A description of the product, including its physical and chemical composition.
Delivery and storage requirements.
Any restrictions on the use of the ingredient, including its shelf-life.

If you’d like to find out more about how to create an ingredients list, you can read our article, here.

Approved Supplier List

This is a list of suppliers who have been approved to provide ingredients or other raw materials to a food manufacturer. Approved suppliers generally offer high-quality materials that consistently meet regulatory requirements. Having an approved supplier list helps to ensure that the materials sourced for production are always high-quality, increasing the likelihood that the finished product will be, also.

An approved supplier list should include:

The supplier’s name.
The ingredient name.
The supplier’s contact details.
The ingredient code.

To learn more about what it means to be a reputable food supplier, check out our article ‘How to Choose a Reputable Food Supplier’.

Incoming Goods Inspection

This involves inspecting raw materials after they arrive at the manufacturing site and comparing them against the ingredient specifications. This inspection involves testing various properties of the ingredient, including its appearance, pH level and more.

If an ingredient does not meet the specifications, it should be quarantined and returned to the supplier. In this case, the supplier may need to be removed from the approved supplier list.

Product Formulation

Once the raw materials are approved, the product can be formulated. This involves establishing a set of production instructions and ingredients for manufacturing each product. These must then be monitored to ensure they are complied with.

This should include:

Product name.
Ingredient list.
Ingredient percentage formula.
Product weight.
Batch size.
Process time.

Having these instructions in place helps to ensure that those involved in production always follow the same process. This should, in turn, produce the same product every time, ensuring consistently high quality.

Manufacturing Procedures

These are instructions for exactly how to manufacture food products. They help to ensure foods are produced to a consistently high-standard, no matter who is producing them.

These instructions should include:

How to transport and store ingredients and final products.
The environmental requirements for the facility, such as temperature.
The specific sequence for adding ingredients.
Techniques for combining ingredients.
Tool and equipment specifications and settings.
Details of each member of the production team and their role.
Quality control checks for the whole production process.

Label Specifications

Product labels allow consumers to make informed decisions about the food products they buy and consume. Food labels should accurately reflect what is inside the packaging, including ingredients, nutritional value, handling and storing instructions and allergen information. Quality control involves checking the finished product’s label to ensure that it accurately reflects the product within.

You can find out more about the regulations concerning product labelling in Britain at our article, here.

In-Process Records

In-process records are documents used to track the production process to identify and manage any safety and/or quality problems that could occur during it. This helps to ensure that the final product consistently meets its specifications.

At any stage during the production process, where it is identified that a hazard could occur that impacts food safety and/or quality, controls must be implemented to manage or eliminate them. These are known as Critical Control Points (CCP).

Identifying problems during the production process, rather than at the end, can mean less time is wasted producing a defective product to completion. Additionally, being able to identify when a problem occurred in the production process will make it easier to identify the root cause of that problem during a root cause analysis. This can then be managed or eliminated to prevent the problem from reoccurring.

In-process records will vary depending on an organisation’s specific facilities, production processes, environment and equipment.

There are a number of factors that must be documented as part of in-process records, including:

Batch size.
Processing time.
Incoming and outgoing product weight.
Appearance of product.
Product pH level.
Product moisture content.
Product temperature.

Want to Learn More?

Internal auditing is a form of proactive quality control that will help to ensure that food quality and safety standards are being met and maintained throughout the production process. Our Introduction to Internal Auditing and Management Training course teaches food manufacturers how to identify areas that require internal audit and to implement effective auditing procedures.

Product Standards

These outline the accepted limits for a product, set by the manufacturer, on a number of sensory qualities, including weight, size, shape, colour, scent, texture and taste. They are a very specific description of what the final product should be like.

Recall Procedures

Food manufacturers must have a food recall procedure in place in the event of a serious product defect being identified after distribution. Should this happen, it is vital that consumers are protected from further harm. Even if this means a financial loss for the organisation, the reputational impact of a badly-handled public health situation is far more costly.

To ensure that a food product recall can be effectively implemented when necessary, manufacturers must have detailed traceability records in place. This will allow you to quickly and correctly identify what products may be affected and need to be recalled during a food safety and/or quality incident, thereby limiting exposure to affected products and possible harm to consumers.

Quality control is a critical process for ensuring food safety and quality. It is not just a single check over your finished product, but a series of checks performed throughout production, starting from the acquisition of ingredients and ending with assessing the final product. This continual process ensures that any safety or quality issues that arise are identified and managed as quickly as possible, ensuring the consistent safety and quality of your food products.

Further Resources:

The post How to Improve Quality Control in the Food Industry appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

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What are Safe Systems of Work?

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 09:30:00 +0000

In every industry there are hazards present that pose a risk to the safety of those in the workplace. Fortunately, many of these hazards can be eliminated through proper control measures, but this is not always possible. When this is the case, employers have a legal and moral duty to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of those in their workplace by implementing safe systems of work.

In this article, we will explain what safe systems of work are, how to design and implement them in your workplace and how they work to reduce the risk of harm, as well as providing some examples of safe systems of work in the workplace.

What are Safe Systems of Work?

A safe system of work (SSoW) is a procedure, or set of procedures, that explains exactly how a work task should be carried out, to make it as safe as possible for the person completing it and those around them. It is a legal requirement for employers and must be put in place whenever a work task involves hazards that cannot be eliminated, thereby posing a risk to the safety of the employee.

SSoWs should be based on the findings of a workplace’s risk assessment. An effective risk assessment identifies the hazards and risks in a workplace and evaluates whether they can be sufficiently controlled through engineering measures, or if a SSoW is required. While SSoWs are not a replacement for the other control measures included in the hierarchy of control, they are necessary when these measures alone do not provide adequate protection from risk.

A SSoW should be completed by a competent person, meaning they have the knowledge, training and experience required to understand the nature of the task being considered for a SSoW.

The specific requirements for designing a SSoW will depend on an organisation’s needs and industry regulations. The higher risk the activity being performed, the more detailed a SSoW should be. For very low risk activities, it may be sufficient to distribute a SSoW orally, though it is best practice to have all SSoWs in writing. If a task is particularly high-risk, a permit-to-work may be required.

Safe System of Work vs Permit-to-Work

A permit-to-work is a type of SSoW that allows only certain individuals to carry out a specific task within a defined time frame.

The following work tasks are considered to be high-risk and would therefore require a permit-to-work:

This list is by no means exhaustive and a competent person is needed to determine whether a task requires a permit to work.

Like a standard SSoW, a permit to work is based on the findings of a risk assessment and establishes the safety precautions needed to carry out a task safely. However, it also requires declarations from a number of individuals, including those authorising the task and those carrying it out. The person carrying out the work must also complete a request form which must then be approved by a competent person.

A permit to work should include:

The type of work carried out.
The location of the task.
Details of the hazards that are present.
Proposed methods for completing the task safely.
Who can authorise the task.
Plant and equipment used.
Safety precautions required.
Length of time required to complete the task.
Conditions that must be met on completion of the task.
PPE requirements.

Safe System of Work vs Method Statement

A method statement is a written document that sets out the step-by-step process for completing a task safely, as determined by a SSoW. It includes risks identified through the risk assessment and the measures that will be taken to manage those risks. A method statement is intended for use by the person carrying out the task, meaning it should clearly and concisely explain how that task is to be carried out.

A SSoW contains additional information to the method statement that is not required by the person carrying out the task for them to complete it safely. For example, as well as outlining the process for safely carrying out a task and emergency procedures, a SSoW should also include information on the procedures for monitoring and updating the SSoW.

This extraneous information could create confusion in the person carrying out the task and increase the risk of human error. For this reason, the method statement is useful because it only contains information the person completing the task needs to know to be safe.

An effective method statement should outline:

The location of work.
A step-by-step description of the work and method to be used.
Specific hazards relating to the task.
The plant and/or equipment to be used.
Control measures, including any PPE required.
Emergency procedures (including entry and exit procedures).

You should avoid using complicated ‘jargon’ when writing a method statement as it is essential that anyone who may perform the task can read, understand and follow it easily. This reduces the likelihood of misinterpretation or misunderstanding that could lead to harmful errors when completing a task.

A method statement can be presented in a variety of ways, depending on what best describes the task at hand. Some examples include:

Step-by-step instructions.
Decision aids.
Checklists.
Diagrams.
Flow charts.

When deciding on the best format for a method statement, you should consult those who will be completing the task to find out how they prefer to receive information and direction, as they will be the ones using the SSoW and need to understand it. It’s important to monitor whether method statements are actually being used in your workplace and if they aren’t, then they may need to be revised.

Unlike SSoWs, method statements are not a legal requirement for employers. However, because they make SSoWs clearer and more accessible to workers, method statements are a vital tool for ensuring health and safety in the workplace. It is therefore good practice for all SSoWs to be documented in a method statement, though this is particularly important for higher-risk activities.

If you’d like to learn more about method statements, including how to write one, why not check out our article ‘What is a Method Statement and How Do I Fill it in?’ which includes a free, downloadable method statement template.

Safe System of Work Examples

Safe systems of work are used in a number of different industries, particularly those where high-risk work is regularly carried out, such as the construction industry. However, they may also be needed in industries where the hazards are not as obvious, for example in supermarkets or restaurants. For this reason, completing a risk assessment is essential for identifying where SSoWs are needed.

A safe system of work is a combination of physical controls, procedures, plans, training and information that provides a safe work environment or a safe work activity for all employees. For example, SSoWs include:

Safe Place of Work. The work environment should be safe and not pose risks to health or safety for the work activities that will be undertaken. For example, there should be adequate lighting, access, and ventilation.
Safe Work Equipment. The safe system of work should include the selection of the most suitable type of work equipment and/or substance by an experienced manager, with the advice of a specialist company where necessary.
Safe Substances for Use at Work. The safe system of work should only allow the safest substances possible. This may mean substituting dangerous, flammable, or toxic substances, such as chemicals or gases, for safer alternatives.
Safe Management, Supervision, and Monitoring. Managers, supervisors, those who plan the work, and other duty holders should be competent in their duties. This includes an understanding of the hazards and risks involved with the work activities and work environment, and how to safely supervise and monitor activities.
Safe Workers. Employees and any others undertaking work activities must be fully trained in the safe system of work, including any work equipment, use of substances, and rescue arrangements. For example, workers are given training before using a dangerous piece of machinery, such as an excavator.

This list is by no means exhaustive. Whenever there is a risk of harm involved in performing a work task, regardless of what that task is or the industry it is taking place in, a safe system of work should be put in place to keep workers safe from harm.

Why Does My Business Need a Safe System of Work?

It is a legal requirement for employers to implement SSoWs in their workplace where there is an unavoidable risk of harm. The Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 requires employers to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. This includes providing and maintaining systems of work that are, as far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to health.

If a high-risk task is performed incorrectly because there is not an effective SSoW in place, this may not only put the person completing the task at risk of harm, but others as well. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are also required to ensure that their activities do not harm the health, safety and welfare of anyone not in their employment that may result from their employees’ work activities, as far as is reasonably practicable.

Employers also have a moral responsibility to ensure safety in their workplace, both to their employees and others in the environment. If an employee is not fully informed on how to perform tasks safely, despite how hard they may try to do so, there is still a significant risk of human error leading to incidents and harm. Employers must do all that they can to provide employees with the tools and information they need to be safe at work.

Looking to Learn More?

Safe systems of work are just one of the ways to manage workplace risk. We offer a range of health and safety courses that provide employers and employees with the knowledge required to effectively manage risk by implementing the appropriate control measures for the activity at hand. These include our Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) course, our Working at Height course and our Working in Confined Spaces course.

How to Develop a Safe System of Work

There are a number of key requirements for an effective safe system of work. They should:

Include a brief description of the scope of the task to be undertaken. An effective SSoW should only look at one specific task or activity.
Identify all potential hazards involved in performing each step of the task, as well as the task as a whole.
Provide step-by-step instructions for how to complete the task that cover the task from beginning to end.
Outline the safety measures in place to protect against each hazard identified – for example PPE.
Be readily available and accessible for anyone who needs them.

When it comes to developing a SSoW for a task, there are a number of key steps involved. These are outlined below.

Step 1: Assessing Tasks and Identifying Hazards

The first step of creating a SSoW is to identify work tasks where the risk of harm cannot be eliminated. This should be achieved by performing a risk assessment of the whole workplace and the activities taking place there.

While a workplace risk assessment should be carried out by a competent person, meaning they have the appropriate knowledge, experience and skills, it is vital that the employees are consulted during this process. As they are the ones most often carrying out the tasks, they are best placed to know exactly how the task is performed and, therefore, what the associated risks are, some of which management may not be aware of or could overlook.

When looking at individual tasks, it can be useful to consider the following:

The equipment and/or materials used for a task – considering whether the resources used are safe, or if they could be substituted for safer materials.
Who performs the work – looking out for foreseeable human error that may relate to gaps in knowledge and/or skill.
Where the task is performed – looking for environmental hazards that may need to be eliminated.
How the task is performed – looking for risks that may arise in the established process for completing the task, that may require a change in the process.

After assessing each task, with input from the workers, you should be able to recognise the hazards and associated risks involved in performing it. Make a list of all potential hazards involved in each task.

For each task, you should determine:

Possible causes of harm.
The likelihood that this harm will occur.
What safeguarding measures can be taken to reduce the risk of harm as far as is reasonably practicable.

Once the hazards have been identified, you should try to eliminate them as far as possible. A SSoW should not be implemented where a hazard could instead be eliminated or avoided, it should only be used when elimination of the hazard is not reasonably practicable.

Step 2: Defining Safe Systems of Work

The best way to manage a risk is to eliminate, or, where this is not possible, to substitute the hazard or implement engineering controls to physically protect workers it, effectively removing the hazard. Where none of these can be achieved, and therefore the risk of harm from the hazard can’t be eliminated, safe systems of work must be established to manage this risk as far as is reasonably practicable.

SSoWs are less effective than the other safety measures mentioned above for managing risk because SSoWs do not stop a worker coming into contact with a hazard and its associated risks. However, they are intended to reduce the level of risk posed to workers when interacting with hazards.

A certain task may have a number of possible precautions that could be put in place to make it safer and identifying the most effective can be a challenge. This is why it’s important to consult with your workforce when establishing SSoWs. It’s important to consider which precautions your employees find most practical, as well as what will be most practical to implement logistically and financially. However, you must remember that safety is always the priority.

The process of defining a SSoW includes:

Determining whether authorisation is required for individuals to perform a task.
Considering any preparation required to set up the task and conditions that must be ensured.
Defining a step-by-step procedure for completing the task, including identifying the hazards involved.
Identifying safe work methods.
Outlining safe means of entry and exit, including escape, where necessary.
Considering procedures required after a job is completed, such as dismantling equipment, disposing of dangerous materials or locking machinery.

Step 3: Implementing the Safe System of Work

SSoWs cannot be effective safety measures in and of themselves, rather, they need to be understood and implemented fully by those carrying out the work. Some individuals may be tempted to ignore SSoWs if they are overly complex, so it’s essential that they are easy to read and concise, and only containing the key information workers need to know to complete a task safely.

There is no one specific way to introduce and implement a SSoW in your workplace and the process can be formal or informal, depending on the level of risk involved in the task. A formal implementation may involve producing documentation which is then distributed among employees, such as a standard operating procedure (SOP). A less formal implementation may involve putting diagrams next to machinery to explain exactly how it should be used or putting on training for specific processes.

It is good practice to provide employee training every time a new SSoW is introduced to ensure that employees understand it and can implement it effectively. If employees are struggling to understand any part of the SSoW, this also gives you the opportunity to make changes or provide additional upskilling. Any training undertaken by employees in relation to SSoWs should be recorded and competency tests performed where appropriate.

It’s vital that your employees understand why SSoWs are being implemented, otherwise they may be inclined to ignore them or not complete them properly. For this reason, your training may include an explanation of how exactly SSoWs contribute to workplace safety. Toolbox talks are an effective addition to formal training for cementing health and safety knowledge in the construction and trades industry. You can learn more about toolbox talks in our article, here.

It is equally important that your managers and supervisors are trained on SSoW procedures, as they are the ones who will be implementing and maintaining the SSoWs so must understand them fully.

It is also helpful to give each of your SSoWs a unique reference number so that they can be easily written into risk assessments and workers know which SSoW to refer to for specific tasks.

Step 4: Monitoring the Safe System of Work

You should monitor your SSoW as soon as it is implemented to identify whether it is having the intended effect – i.e. managing risks and increasing safety. It’s also vital that this monitoring is continual as, while a SSoW may be effective when it is first implemented,certain factors may cause it to lose effectiveness, meaning it no longer manages risk as it once did.

For example, if you need to introduce a new material to a process due to changes in industry regulations, this may introduce new hazards and associated risks that the existing SSoW is not designed to manage. This would require a change to the SSoW to ensure that it can manage those risks.

Effective monitoring of SSoWs ensures that:

Employees continue to find the SSoW usable.
Employees are performing the SSoW properly and it is still effective for managing risk.
Changes in the nature of the task (or other circumstances) that necessitate a change to the SSoW are identified and implemented as soon as possible.

Particularly when performing a task they do often, employees may be tempted to ignore the SSoW in place for that activity, thinking that they know exactly how to do it already. As well as ensuring employees understand a SSoW, it is also vital that you can ensure they are complying with it, including every step and detail. This is best achieved through a combination of monitoring, regular inspections or checks and supervision.

Monitoring SSoWs allows you to identify when changes need to be made to the SSoW so they can continue to effectively manage risk. The following list outlines some circumstances where changes to SSoWs may be required:

If a step in the process needs to be changed for any reason.

When new machinery or equipment is introduced to an organisation and/or process.
When new materials are introduced or the formulation of a product changes.
If an accident or incident occurs during work – this indicates that your SSoW is ineffective or that employees are not using it correctly or at all, meaning changes are necessary.
When there are changes to working patterns or staff involved in a SSoW.
There are relevant changes to legislation or industry regulations.

Even if a change seems minor, it is important to always consider if it may affect the effectiveness of your SSoWs.

The details of how a SSoW should be monitored and by who should be stated as part of the SSoW documentation, as well as communicated to and understood by the individuals responsible for monitoring.

Having effective safe systems of work in place ensures that employees perform tasks in the safest way possible each and every time. This drastically reduces the risk of accidents and incidents occurring that could lead to harm. Effective safe systems of work, that are regularly maintained and updated, are therefore an essential part of any safe and healthy workplace.

Further Resources:

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A Vegan Diet: Benefits & Meal Ideas

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 09:30:00 +0000

People who follow a vegan diet do not eat any food that comes from animals or from the exploitation of animals. An increasing number of people are seeing the benefits of veganism and are looking to reduce the amount of animal-derived foods they buy and eat. In fact, according to The Vegan Society, as many as 46% of people in Britain aged between 16-75 are considering reducing their intake of animal products in the future.

This means that, even if you are not vegan yourself or even considering becoming one, it’s likely that someone you know or meet in the future will be and it’s important to be knowledgeable and accommodating of their diet. In this article, we will explain what you can eat in a vegan diet and provide an ingredient list and example recipes for vegan cooking. We will also explain the benefits of becoming vegan and how to safely balance a vegan diet.

What Can Vegans Eat?

Like vegetarians, vegans do not eat any meat or fish, however, unlike vegetarians they also don’t eat any products that are made by animals. This includes dairy, eggs and anything else that is made through what they consider to be the exploitation of animals. This also includes insects, like bees, meaning most vegans do not eat honey.

Veganism is more than just a diet, it’s a lifestyle, and vegans try not to buy any products that come from the exploitation of animals. Examples include clothing made from leather, suede and in some cases wool, as well as cosmetics that were tested on animals.

A vegan diet consists primarily of plant-based foods in either their natural, unprocessed form, or processed into other forms, such as meat substitutes. Like any diet, a vegan diet can vary, often based on the health outcome that the individual wants to achieve. Some of the different types of diet that a vegan may follow include:

Raw vegan diet. People on this diet only eat raw plant foods, such as raw nuts and seeds, uncooked fruit and vegetables and soaked grains. This is because they believe that the process of cooking food breaks down the nutrients in the food, meaning it has fewer health benefits. While this is true to an extent, cooking plant-based foods can also increase the amounts of healthy nutrients in some foods, such as tomatoes.

Vegan keto diet. This is a low-carb, high-fat diet primarily followed for weight loss. A regular keto diet usually involves high quantities of animal-derived foods as they are high in fat, while a vegan keto diet features high-fat plant foods like avocados, nuts and seeds and oils. High-carb foods like bread, rice and pasta, as well as high-sugar fruit and vegetables are excluded from this diet.

Vegan diabetic diet. This diet aims to reduce carbs, particularly refined carbs and is primarily undertaken by diabetics who need to control their blood sugar levels. Refined carbs cause blood sugar to spike, so this diet focuses on foods that stabilise blood sugar. This includes high-fibre foods like beans and legumes, high protein foods like tofu and healthy fats like avocado, nuts and seeds and oil.

High protein vegan diet. This diet may be followed by people who are very active, such as athletes, as it is high in protein. Protein helps to build and repair the muscles and is a good source of energy. One concern people may have when going vegan is the loss of protein from animal-derived foods. However, there are lots of high-protein vegan foods such as beans, tofu, seitan, oats, nuts and seeds. Vegans can also use vegan protein supplements like protein powder made from plant sources.

There are other types of specialised vegan diets to suit different health needs, such as the vegan anti-inflammatory diet, the alkaline vegan diet, the mediterranean vegan diet and the low-carb vegan diet.

However, it’s important to note that not all vegan diets are created equal in terms of their health benefits. If a vegan diet is too restrictive in the types of food you can eat, this can cause you to miss out on vital nutrients your body needs to function properly. You need to eat a wide range of plant-based foods to ensure that you’re gaining enough nutrients as different nutrients come from different types of food.

If you become deficient in a certain nutrient this can have a harmful impact on your body. However, it is completely achievable to get all of the nutrients your body needs within a vegan diet. The Vegan Society provides a Vegan Eatwell Guide that outlines exactly how much of each food group you should be eating to gain the nutrients you need.

If you do decide to follow a restrictive vegan diet, such as the vegan keto diet or the raw vegan diet, you should consult with your doctor before doing so. Your doctor can also test to determine if you have a deficiency and, if you do, they may suggest changes to your diet or provide you with a nutrient supplement.

Benefits of a Vegan Diet

Research from the University of Oxford shows that if everyone in the world was vegan, over eight million human lives could be saved each year by 2050, due to reduced consumption of red meat, alongside increased fruit and vegetable intake and reduced calories. This would result in fewer people being overweight or obese and the health problems that stem from this.

The research also showed that greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture would be reduced by two-thirds if everyone adopted a vegan diet. So, while the mistreatment of animals through farming is a primary reason that many people become vegan, there are also clear health and environmental benefits to a vegan diet.

Cutting meat and dairy out of your diet is proven to be the best single way to reduce your environmental impact, due to the damage that animal farming does to the earth. Additionally, the loss of wildlife for agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction.

Research shows that even the meat and dairy products with the lowest environmental impact still have a significantly more damaging effect than the least sustainably grown fruit, vegetables and cereals.

A vegan diet can also have significant health benefits, such as promoting weight maintenance, when followed appropriately. Plant-based foods are higher in fibre than animal-derived foods and fibre can help to make you feel fuller for longer, reducing snacking and supporting weight loss or maintenance. Additionally, animal-derived foods are higher in fat than natural plant-based foods, so switching them out can also be beneficial for weight loss.

However, some vegan foods are healthier than others and if you eat a lot of ultra-processed vegan foods that contain unhealthy additives, then you may not see the weight loss benefits mentioned above. It’s important that your vegan diet has balance and that you mostly eat natural, nutritious plant-based ingredients.

A vegan diet may also reduce your risk of developing certain diseases. Research shows that meat and fish contain certain toxins linked to diseases including cancer. In fact, processed meat is called as a group 1 carcinogenic by the World Health Organisation, the same classification as cigarettes, alcohol and asbestos. Certain fish also contain toxic mercury.

A plant-based diet has been proven to help control blood sugar levels, reducing your risk of Type-2 diabetes. It can also help to manage blood pressure and cholesterol, lowering your likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases, as plant foods are far lower in salt and saturated fats than animal-derived food.

Other health benefits associated with a vegan diet include healthier skin due to the quantity of vitamin C and E in plant-based foods, as well as anti-inflammatory qualities as plant foods are rich in antioxidants. This reduces your risk of developing conditions like arthritis.

A vegan diet can also improve your gut health. Research is really just getting started into gut health but there is evidence to show that the state of your gut can affect both your physical and mental wellbeing. The food we eat changes our gut biome and a vegan diet has been shown to increase the variety of microbes living there. The more diverse your microbiome, the better equipped it is to fight different diseases.

Finally, there are the benefits to animal wellbeing that come from adopting a vegan diet. While you may think going vegetarian would be enough to counteract the animal maltreatment involved in animal farming, in actual fact, mass dairy and egg farming can be just as harmful. In the UK, more than two million land animals are killed every day for farming.

In the egg industry, male chicks, which do not lay eggs, are often killed as soon as they hatch, either by being thrown into a grinder or being gassed to death. The hens who lay the eggs are forced to live in ‘enriched’ cages, thought to be more ethical than battery cages, but that in fact allow the hens less than an A4 paper sized space to roam. These hens are usually then killed within a year, despite their natural lifespan being seven years.

This is just scratching the surface of the mistreatment of animals that results from animal farming and similar practices are reflected in the dairy industry. Adopting a vegan diet reduces demand for animal-derived products, meaning less animals are bred for farming and slaughter. It can also reduce commercial fishing practices, reducing the likelihood that certain fish and seafood species will become extinct in the future.

Research from the Humane League UK suggests that going vegan could save one animal per person, per day. While this number may seem small, the more people who switch to a vegan diet, or even just buy fewer animal-derived products, the more animals will be saved as demand shrinks.

Whatever your reason for considering veganism, there are a number of tangible benefits that would make your effort worthwhile.

Vegan Food List

As a vegan, you need not miss out on any of the foods that you know and love and your new diet may open your eyes to ingredients you’ve never tried before. You also shouldn’t be missing out on any of the nutrients that your body needs.

We have provided a list below of some of the most essential nutrients that your body needs to function properly and the vegan foods that they can be found in. You should try to include as many of these food groups as possible in your regular diet:

Calcium: Soy foods, including tofu and soy milk, legumes, almonds and brazil nuts, seeds, including tahini, a sesame seed paste, chia and flax seeds, dark leafy greens, raw figs, oranges and berries.

Vitamin D: Mushrooms, fortified tofu, plant milks including soy, almond and rice milk, fortified breakfast cereal, fortified orange juice.

Vitamin B12: This does not come from fruit or vegetables, so in a vegan diet it must be eaten primarily in foods fortified with B12. This includes some plant milks, soy products and breakfast cereals, as well as nutritional yeast fortified with B12.

Iron: beans and lentils, nuts, dried fruit, leafy greens including spinach and chard, tofu or tempeh, blackstrap molasses (a type of syrup).

Omega-3 fatty acid: Nuts and seeds, plant oils, leafy greens, beans, algaes including seaweed, spirulina, nori and chlorella.

In addition to these foods, a vegan diet should also include a large quantity of fruit and vegetables, legumes and pulses and vegan carbohydrates like bread, rice and pasta. These will provide a good range of nutrients and provide long-lasting energy.

You can find a more detailed vegan grocery list to use when you next go shopping in our article ‘A Vegan Grocery List – 50 Ideas for a Healthy Vegan Kitchen’. You can also learn more about how to achieve a nutritionally balanced diet in our article, here.

Some people may be reluctant to adopt a vegan diet as they worry that it’s too restrictive and that they will no longer be able to eat their favourite foods or meals. However, there are now vegan alternatives to most animal-derived foods, with this number increasing as more people switch to a vegan diet and the demand for vegan products increases.

Some examples of vegan alternatives to animal-derived foods include:

Milk: there are a variety of vegan milks to choose from made from different plant-based ingredients, such as oats, soya or almonds. They will taste slightly different depending on what they are made from but most can be used in the same way that dairy milk is. These milks do not contain lactose which can be beneficial for people suffering from lactose intolerance.
Cheese: vegan cheese is usually made from nuts like cashews and vegetable oil, with flavourings added to make it ‘cheesy’. There are vegan alternatives to many non-vegan cheeses, including cheddar, mozzarella, blue cheeses and more.
Meat: you can now find plant-based versions of most meats. Just a few examples include bacon made from pea protein, jackfruit pulled pork and chicken nuggets made using soya. You can also get vegan fish alternatives, such as salmon made from wheat protein and vegan sushi.
Mayonnaise: vegan mayonnaise is usually made from vegan milk such as soy milk, rather than eggs, mixed with vegetable oil.
Eggs: vegan egg alternatives can be made from different ingredients, depending on the kind of eggs you want. You can buy vegan ‘scrambled eggs’ made from aquafaba (chickpea water) or use flavoured tofu as a scrambled egg substitute. In baking, eggs can be substituted for cornstarch and water or mashed banana. Thanks to much experimenting in the kitchen, there are now even vegan recipes for making fried and boiled eggs.
Honey: there are lots of plant-based alternatives to honey, including syrups made from fruits like dates or plants like agave. Maple syrup is also naturally vegan.

This is just a small selection of the vegan alternatives to non-vegan foods on offer today and the selection continues to grow as more people buy vegan products. At the same time, the number and variety of vegan offerings in restaurants and fast food chains is also increasing, with most fast food restaurants beginning to offer vegan versions of their bestsellers.

While the range of vegan alternatives is exciting and may encourage you to switch up your diet, it’s important to make sure that if you do adopt a vegan diet, you do not rely too heavily on ‘vegan junk foods’. These are highly processed foods that contain a lot of salt, sugar and fat and can include some of the foods mentioned above, such as the meat substitutes.

You should try to focus on cooking your own meals with natural ingredients, rather than reaching for processed ready meals or too many meat substitutes. Below, we have provided some suggestions for simple vegan recipes that you can try incorporating into your weekly meal plan.

Vegan chilli. There are lots of vegan alternatives to mince meat that you could use in a vegan chilli or bolognese, including crumbled tofu, lentils or one of the many vegan mince substitutes on offer in supermarkets today. You can add lots of vegetables to a chilli to bulk it out and make it as nutritious as possible and even add vegan cheese, nutritional yeast and vegan sour cream on top for added flavour.
Butternut squash risotto. Risotto is an excellent versatile vegan meal as it provides energy and you can essentially add whatever you like to it. Nutritional yeast can be used to thicken up the risotto and make it more saucy and you can use vegan milk and butter in place of dairy products. If you make a butternut risotto, you can roast the butternut seeds to use as a crunchy, protein packed topping.
Creamy mushroom pasta. Seeing a vegan recipe described as ‘creamy’ may be surprising, but you can make a fairly simple creamy vegan sauce using raw cashews, nutritional yeast and plant-based milk. You can then add whatever vegan seasonings you like to the sauce, including vegan parmesan, as well as vegetables or proteins like tofu. In this case, we suggest adding mushrooms for a source of vitamin D.
Aubergine and udon stir fry. Stir fry is one of the quickest and easiest meals to create and uses basic ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen and can be packed full of whatever vegetables you have lying around. You can also add extra protein by adding marinated tofu to the mix. Why not try out our recipe for aubergine and udon stir fry, here.
Vegan brownies. While milk chocolate and white chocolate aren’t vegan, as they contain dairy milk, dark chocolate usually is, so you can use it to make vegan brownies. However, be sure to check the label just in case it includes any non-vegan ingredients. You can replace the eggs in brownies with flax seeds and water and use vegan butter and cocoa powder, which is vegan.

You can find more vegan recipe inspiration on the BBC Good Food Website, here.

Looking to Learn More?

Our Nutrition and Healthy Eating course teaches you about the importance of a healthy and nutritious diet for your overall wellbeing. It gives you the knowledge you need to establish and maintain a nutritious diet, whether you’re vegan, vegetarian or a meat eater.

Tips For Vegans

Switching to a vegan diet, particularly if you are going from eating meat and animal products, can be daunting. However, there are some simple tips to make the transition easier and to ensure that you maintain a healthy and nutritious vegan diet.

Fill your plate with natural ingredients.

As mentioned previously, while it may feel easier to opt for the vegan alternative to your favourite snack, these processed treats can have a negative impact on your health.

Make sure to eat these foods in moderation and focus on including whole, unprocessed plant-based foods in your diet as these are the most nutrient dense and will make you feel the best long term. Whole plant-based foods are often much cheaper than processed vegan alternatives, too, meaning you’ll save money by eating this way.

Plan before you shop.

If you’re new to a vegan diet and aren’t familiar with many vegan recipes yet, deciding what to buy at the supermarket can be overwhelming. If you take time to research and plan the meals that you’re going to eat for the week and make a shopping list of the ingredients you’ll need, it’ll make it much easier to do the weekly shop. It will also help to ensure you don’t buy any non-vegan ingredients by accident or buy ingredients that you don’t end up using.

Check the labels.

This will help to ensure that the plant-based foods you eat contain the nutrients your body needs. Switching to a vegan diet after eating animal products can mean that you lose out on some of the vital nutrients that animal products are rich in.

However, you can still get these nutrients in a vegan diet, you may just need to think a little more carefully about what you eat. The easiest way to know if a food product is vegan is to look for a ‘Suitable for Vegans’ label, however, looking at the listed allergens can also help.

Keep an eye out for the following ingredients, as these mean that the product is not vegan:

Casein.
Lactose.
Whey.
Collagen.
Keratin.
Aspic.

Some additives are also derived from animals, including E120, a red food colouring produced by crushing beetles.

Take your time.

The most important tip for anyone looking to transition to a vegan diet is not to rush into things. Completely changing your diet overnight can be a real struggle and this could lead you to think you aren’t cut out for it.

If this is the case, why not try making gradual changes to your current diet. For example, introduce vegan alternatives to some of the vegan foods you already eat. You could switch out your dairy milk for a vegan alternative. There are lots of different plant-based milks on offer with different flavour profiles, so finding one that you like could take time.

You could also try switching out one of your daily or weekly meals for a vegan recipe, gradually increasing this number over time as you find more recipes that you like. Remember, every substitute you make will have a positive impact.

You could also try a challenge like Veganuary to help you decide if the vegan lifestyle is for you. This is a challenge that requires you to eat a vegan diet for the whole of January and is a good way to introduce yourself to the diet. You could even use social media to join dedicated pages where people share their vegan experiences, tips and recipes.

If you are someone who currently eats meat and sees veganism as a huge change, you could always start by trying out a vegetarian diet, meaning you keep eating animal-derived products but give up meat. This can then ease you more gently into the vegan lifestyle. You can find out more about a vegetarian diet in our article ‘A Vegetarian Diet: What Can I Eat & What are the Benefits?’

Whether you decide to make the switch all at once, or introduce gradual substitutions to the animal-derived foods you normally eat, a vegan diet has undeniable benefits for animal welfare, the environment and your health. If you do decide to make the switch, it’s important that you keep your diet varied and nutritious so your body can function properly and keep you strong and healthy.

What Should Be In A First Aid Kit?

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 10:20:00 +0000

You never know when someone could become unwell or injured in your workplace. Unfortunately, it’s something that can happen in any environment and at any time, and has the potential to be life-threatening. It’s therefore essential that the necessary first aid equipment is on hand so that first aid can be administered quickly and correctly.

It’s vital that every type of workplace has at least one suitably stocked first aid kit on site. This will ensure that if one of your employees falls ill or becomes injured at work, they can receive the appropriate first aid, using the correct equipment, as soon as possible – giving them the best chance of recovery.

In this article, we will outline what should be included in every basic workplace first aid kit and consider additional contents that may be required for workplaces with higher-level hazards. We have also provided a free, editable workplace first aid kit checklist that you can use to ensure that your first aid kit is always suitably stocked.

What Should Be In a First Aid Kit at Work?

First aid arrangements are a legal requirement for all businesses, and this includes having adequate first aid equipment available at all times.

As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring that your employees can receive immediate first aid treatment, should they become ill or injured at work. Under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, you must ensure that your workplace first aid provisions are adequate and appropriate for your particular workplace, based on its circumstances.

Your legal responsibility only extends to providing adequate and appropriate first aid provisions for your employees. However, the HSE strongly recommends that you also extend a duty of care to anyone else who enters your premises, including members of the public. This means that you should also take them into consideration when performing your needs assessment and deciding the first aid provisions required for your workplace.

At a minimum for all workplaces, you have a duty to provide your workplace with:

A sufficiently-stocked basic first aid kit in your workplace, as well as any additional contents needed, specific to your workplace. You must also provide adequate first aid facilities and trained staff, where a need for this is identified.
An appointed person whose responsibility it is to ensure that the workplace first aid kit(s) is always suitably stocked and to call the emergency services when necessary.
Information on the details of your workplace first aid arrangements for all employees.

First Aid Needs Assessment

To determine whether your workplace needs additional first aid kit contents, along with first aid facilities and trained staff required, you must perform a first aid needs assessment of your workplace.

A first aid needs assessment is an assessment performed by an appropriately trained and competent person, ideally the employer. During a needs assessment, you will consider the circumstances of your workplace, your workforce and any risks and hazards present. From your findings, you can then identify the first aid provisions required in your workplace.

Looking to Learn More?

If you’d like to learn more about first aid needs assessments, including how to complete one for your workplace, you can read our article: How to Complete a First Aid Needs Assessment, which contains a free template.

When deciding your first aid needs, including your first aid kit contents, you need to consider the nature of work being carried out in your workplace, and the associated risk. Performing a risk assessment will help to identify potential hazards and the level of risk associated with them. Every business should carry out a regular risk assessment.

Your risk assessment will help you to identify the hazards and level of risk in your workplace, based on the number of hazards. In a low-risk workplace (such as an office or shop), there are only a small number of hazards present that could cause illness or injury.

For this reason, a basic first aid kit is sometimes found to be a suitable provision for low-level hazard workplaces, along with an appointed person and first-aid information provided to employees.

Higher-level hazard workplaces (such as factories or construction sites) will generally require a greater level of first aid provisions than low-level hazard workplaces, such as specialised first aid equipment, as there are more hazards and risks that could lead to injury or illness.

It’s important to keep in mind that just because your workplace may be considered to have low-level hazards, incidents leading to injury or illness can still occur there, so performing a first aid needs assessment is vital. To learn more about the incidents that can occur in low-level hazard workplaces, check out our article on common office injuries, here.

How Many First Aid Kits Do I Need?

The number of employees in your workplace must also be taken into consideration when deciding necessary first aid provisions. Generally speaking, larger workforces will require more first aid kits and equipment.

The British Standard BS 8599 provides guidance on the recommended size and number of workplace first aid kits you should have, as well as their contents, based on the nature of work being carried out and size of the workforce.

For low-level hazard workplaces:

If there are less than 25 employees: provide one small kit.
If there are 25 – 100 employees: provide one medium-sized kit.
If there are more than 100 employees: provide one large kit per every 100 employees.

For higher-level hazard workplaces:

If there are less than 5 employees: provide one small kit.
If there are 5-25 employees: provide one medium-sized kit.
If there are more than 25 employees: provide one large kit per every 25 employees.

The number of first aid kits you have in your workplace should also depend on the size of your workplace, even if you only have a small number of employees. If your workplace is very large – for example consisting of several floors or sites – it’s best practice to provide a first aid kit for each of these areas. These kits should be easy to identify and access so that first aiders don’t need to waste precious time searching for them.

If you’d like more specific guidance on the size and number of first aid kits you need in your workplace, take a look at our article, here.

Note that you can buy pre-packed first aid kits that conform to the British Standard (BS) 8599. However, your kit doesn’t need to meet this standard by law.

Additionally, if you have employees who work remotely or frequently travel for work, you must also ensure you meet their first aid needs requirements. This could mean providing them with a travel first aid kit or ensuring that they make or buy their own. Schools are required to have travel first aid kits for any excursions from the main site.

Every workplace is different and will have different needs. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your first aid kit contains what you’ve identified in your first aid needs assessment.

Basic First Aid Kit Items

While all workplaces are required to have a suitably stocked first aid kit, there is no mandatory list of items that must be included in one. Fortunately, your first aid needs assessment will help you to identify the specific needs of your workplace.

To help you put together your workplace first aid kit, we will go through a list of items that should be included in a basic first aid kit. This should only be used as a basis for your workplace first aid kit, with extra provisions being added based on the findings of your first aid needs assessment.

First Aid Guidance Leaflet

In a higher-level hazard workplace, the person providing first aid in your workplace is most likely to be a trained first aider, meaning they have the skills and knowledge required to administer aid for a range of different injuries and illnesses.

Including a leaflet on general first aid in your workplace first aid kit provides essential guidance and acts as a useful reminder for what each piece of equipment or materials can and should be used for when treating an ill or injured person.

Looking for a Course?

Providing employees with theoretical first aid training, at a minimum, will help to ensure that they always know how to use the basic first aid equipment included in a first aid kit. Our Workplace First Aid course gives you the confidence to recognise and respond to a variety of illnesses and injuries, including emergency situations, quickly and correctly.

Additionally, if someone is providing first aid in an emergency situation and they aren’t sure what to do next, they should always consult the emergency services on 999 or 112. For non-emergencies, NHS 111 can be called for professional guidance.

Sterile Dressings

There are various types of wound dressing, appropriate for treating a range of injuries, from bleeding wounds to fractures. You should have a variety of wound dressings in your first aid kit, including, at a minimum:

20 individually wrapped, sterile plasters of assorted sizes, including hypoallergenic options: these are useful for small wounds such as abrasions or shallow cuts.
Individually wrapped, sterile, unmedicated wound dressings, 6 medium sized and 2 large sized: dressing pads attached to a roller bandage are best as these are easy to apply, making them effective for use in time-dependent, emergency situations.
2 sterile eye pads: these should be used to protect eye injuries from infection.

If you work with food, you should include blue plasters in your first aid kit, as these can be seen easily if they fall into the food.

Bandages

Bandages can be used to secure wound dressings, keep pressure on wounds, manage swelling and support joint injuries.

At a minimum, your workplace first aid kit should contain two individually wrapped triangular bandages. These can be used to make slings for injured limbs and, if sterile, as dressings for wounds and burns.

Depending on your workplace circumstances, your kit may also need to include:

Roller bandages: these come in four types; conforming, open-weave, support and self-adhesive.
Tubular bandages: small versions of these can be used to secure dressings for injuries to fingers and toes, while larger, elasticated versions are used to support injured joints, for example the knees or elbows.

You should also include at least 6 safety pins in your first aid kit, for securing the ends of bandages.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

All first aid kits should contain at least three pairs of disposable gloves, preferably latex-free. Where possible, these should be worn when providing any form of first aid, but particularly when dressing wounds or handling bodily fluids or other waste materials.

In higher-risk workplaces, your needs assessment may identify the need for additional first aid PPE, for example, pocket masks or plastic face shields for performing CPR with rescue breaths. As only trained first aiders should perform CPR with rescue breaths, in workplaces that do not require a trained first aider, this provision may not be deemed necessary.

Disposable aprons are another form of PPE that can be included in a first aid kit to prevent the spread of infection through bodily fluid or other waste.

It’s important to note that, when deciding whether to put on PPE before administering first aid, the severity of the casualty’s illness or injury must be taken into account, along with the availability of PPE. In a time-dependent, emergency situation, such as a case of severe bleeding or cardiac arrest, you do not have time to go looking for PPE if it isn’t close to hand and administering first aid at once must take priority.

Remember, this is only a suggested list of first aid kit content and the contents of your particular workplace first aid kit should be determined by the findings of your first aid needs assessment.

Additional First Aid Kit Contents

As previously discussed, the findings of your first aid needs assessment may reveal the need for additional first aid kit contents, depending on the nature of work, the workplace and workforce. If you have a higher-level hazard workplace, for example one where heavy machinery or chemicals are used, you will require additional contents to ensure your employees can be treated for a range of illnesses or injuries, if needed.

Below, we have suggested some additional contents that may be beneficial in your workplace first aid kit. However, it’s important to remember that every workplace is different and so are the hazards within them. As an employer you are best informed to know what first aid kit provisions your workplace would benefit from.

Depending on the circumstances of your workplace, your first aid kit may also need to include:

Scissors to cut bandages or dressings to size, to cut adhesive tape, or to cut through clothing to reach a wound.
Cleansing wipes to clean around a wound.
Gauze pads to pad a wound.
Adhesive tape to stick dressings to skin or stick down the ends of bandages.
An aluminium blanket to keep a casualty warm if necessary, for example if the casualty has gone into shock.
Hand sanitisers and/or wipes to reduce the risk of spreading infection during and after administering first aid.
Ice packs and heating pads to treat soft tissue injuries, such as sports injuries.
Burn gels and dressings are particularly important in workplaces with a high risk of burns, such as the hospitality industry.
Eye wash is required if a hazardous substance enters the eye, such as a chemical. If your workplace doesn’t have mains tap water, your kit should include at least one litre of sterile water or sterile normal saline (0.9%) in sealed, disposable containers. In some high-level hazard workplaces, where there is a substantial risk of this, such as in a laboratory, may have eye bath stations.
Tweezers can be used to remove splinters, tics, etc.

Workplace First Aid Kit Checklist

We have provided you with a free, downloadable and editable workplace first aid kit contents checklist that can be used in your workplace by your appointed person. They can use the first aid kit checklist to ensure that your workplace first aid kit is always suitably stocked in case an employee, or anyone else in that environment, becomes unwell or injured at work.

We have included the basic first aid kit contents covered in this module in the checklist – however, it is editable so that you can add any additional equipment required for your particular workplace, as identified by your first aid needs assessment.

If the nature of your workplace circumstances changes, you should perform a new needs assessment and, if it identifies any new first aid equipment needed in your workplace, you should add this to the checklist and your first aid kit.

You can download the checklist using the button below:

Knowing how to perform first aid, through theoretical and practical training, can mean the difference between life or death for someone suffering a medical emergency. However, without the proper first aid equipment available close to hand, first aiders will struggle to administer this aid, and the casualty could deteriorate. It is therefore essential that you have a suitably stocked first aid kit in your workplace to keep your employees as safe as possible.

What to Read Next:

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The Most Common Office Injuries and How To Prevent Them

Tue, 17 Oct 2023 08:30:00 +0000

Work-related injuries can have a major impact on your overall business, as well as the personal impact on those harmed. According to the HSE’s annual Labour Force Survey, around 560,000 workers sustain a non-fatal injury at work each year, with more than 120,000 requiring more than seven days off work to recover. In total, around 3.7 million working days are lost yearly due to work-related injury or illness.

As an employer you are legally responsible for creating a healthy and safe workplace by identifying potential dangers and preventing them from causing harm. In this article, we will outline the most common office injuries and how you can go about preventing them, in order to keep everyone in your workplace safe and well.

What are the Most Common Office Injuries?

Each workplace comes with its own set of dangers that could cause its employees, or anyone else who enters the premises, harm. While the possible causes of injury in an office may not be as obvious as in some other workplaces – such as on a construction site or in a kitchen – serious injuries can and do occur.

Because the dangers in an office environment aren’t always obvious, employees and employers alike may not be on the lookout for them or fail to recognise them, which is how injuries occur. As an employer, then, while it is your responsibility to identify and prevent causes of injuries, you should also ensure your employees are able to do the same, in order to keep them as safe as possible.

You can test your ability to identify office-based hazards using our Office Health and Safety Quiz, here.

The following list outlines the most common causes of office injuries and ways to prevent them from happening. You should look for these hazards in your own workplace so you can take steps to prevent them from causing injuries to anyone in your office.

Slips, Trips and Falls

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), slips, trips and falls are the most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces. They can also lead to more serious incidents occurring, such as a fall from height.

When considering hazards in your workplace that could lead to slips, trips and falls, think about:

Slippery surfaces: is there anything that builds up outside your office building that could lead someone to slip, such as water when it rains, piles of leaves, mud or ice? Does mopping the inside of the office take place when staff members are still walking around?
Uneven surfaces: are there any changes in surfaces that may be hard to spot, such as small slopes or steps in entryways? Are there any potholes or uneven paving outside that someone could trip on?
Trip hazards: does your office space often become cluttered? Are there trailing cables, rubbish or anything else on the floor that someone could trip on? Do office deliveries get left in the doorway? Are the carpets and mats secure or are the edges curling and is there any loose or cracked tiling, particularly in bathrooms or kitchens where they could easily also become wet?
Handrails: a suitable handrail is essential for all stairways as it can prevent someone from tripping on the stairs and, on landings, they can also prevent a fall from height. Are your office’s handrails easy for all employees to reach and use?

Preventing Slip, Trip and Fall Injuries

To reduce the likelihood of someone being injured by a slip, trip or fall in your office, you should:

Keep the office clear of clutter: encourage staff to keep wires organised and under their desk and if deliveries are usually left in your entryway, designate a specific area for them that is out of the way of foot-traffic. Make sure to provide enough rubbish bins to avoid litter on floors.
Clean entryways regularly: remove any water or debris that could cause slips on a daily basis. Consider implementing a specific winter cleaning procedure, including regular gritting if your entryways are prone to ice. Place floor mats at the entrances to the office to stop water, mud or other slippery substances from entering.
Highlight subtle changes in floor levels: you could use lighting or contrasting paint to highlight any slopes or steps that are difficult to see.
Fix floor damage as soon as possible: this includes damage inside the premises, such as to tiles, carpets and mats and any potholes or broken surfaces outside. Cordon these areas off until they can be fixed.
Where possible, use slip-resistant materials for your office floors: this is particularly important on stairs and fire escapes.
Ensure cleaning schedules are aligned with staff safety: make sure floors are not mopped until all staff have left the office and that equipment and processes are effective. Using the wrong tools or techniques to clean can lead to slippery floors.
Implement a ‘see it, sort it’ policy among staff for spillages and trip hazards: you need to make sure you provide them with the necessary equipment to do this, such as mop buckets, cleaning cloths, etc.

Looking to Learn More?

Our Office Health and Safety course teaches you how to identify health and safety risks in an office environment and what employees can do to prevent their work and behaviour from causing them, or others, harm.

Improper Use of Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

DSE refers to electronics including computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. By law, employers must protect their employees from health risks created by working with DSE if those workers use DSE for more than one hour a day. In an office setting, this is likely to be the case for most employees.

DSE related injuries are mainly caused by having an unsuitable desk layout, an uncomfortable chair or needing to bend and reach your body into uncomfortable positions.

Having an incorrect DSE setup or using the setup incorrectly can lead to health problems, some of which you may not notice right away, including:

Pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, back, hands and wrists. This pain can develop into more serious long-term conditions, like carpal tunnel syndrome.
Musculoskeletal disorders affecting the bones, joints and/or muscles.
Eye strain, potentially leading to tired eyes, headaches and even temporary vision problems.
Stress and/or fatigue, which could increase the risk of employees having incidents that cause further injury.

If you’d like to learn how to perform a thorough DSE risk assessment, check out our article which provides you with a free DSE risk assessment template, here.

Preventing DSE Injuries

As an employer of DSE users, you are required to fulfil certain duties to keep your employees safe from harm while using DSE. These duties include:

Performing an assessment of employees’ DSE setup (including for remote workers). Check out our article on how to perform a workspace assessment, here.
Providing eye tests for workers who want one.
Providing training and information on the proper setup and use of DSE for employees.
Scheduling annual refresher training and/or assessments to ensure employees are maintaining safe practices.

You must also implement proportionate control measures to reduce the risks workers face to their health when using DSE. These may include:

Allowing employees to take regular breaks from using DSE.
Accommodating for any special requirements a staff member may require, such as foot or wrist rests or a laptop stand.
Providing ergonomic desk furniture and anti-glare monitor screens.
Providing adequate central lighting and task lighting at each workstation.

Even if you provide your employees with all of the correct DSE equipment, if they don’t use it correctly, or don’t know how to, their health can still be harmed. This is why training staff on the risks of DSE and proper use of equipment is vital.

DSE training should provide guidance on correct posture, how to adjust equipment and furniture, correct desk setup, breaks and suitable lighting.

DSE Course

Our Display Screen Equipment (DSE) course teaches you about the health risks associated with DSE and how to set up your workspace to reduce the risk of harm, as well as how to follow safe practices when working with DSE.

Manual Handling

Manual handling is the transporting or supporting of a load by hand or using bodily force, including by lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, putting down and moving the load.

While you may not think that any manual handling you do in an office would be enough to cause injury, just carrying a single cardboard box of papers incorrectly can be enough to do harm.

Improper manual handling can lead to sprains and strains and injuries to most parts of the body, but particularly to the back, neck and hands. Over time, these can develop into more serious, long-term conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or repetitive strain injuries (RSIs).

Preventing Manual Handling Injuries

Manual handling should only be performed when no other option is available. Where it is necessary, there are some control measures that can be put in place to reduce the risk of injury to employees. When manual handling, employees should:

Only carry what they can lift comfortably, breaking things down into smaller loads where possible.
Carry heavier loads with another person.
Clear a path for themselves before carrying a load.
Use manual handling aids such as trolleys to perform the task.

You should provide manual handling training for anyone who needs to perform it as part of their job role to teach them the correct handling techniques to avoid injury.

Manual Handling Course

Our Manual Handling course teaches you the risks involved in manual handling and how to put control measures in place to prevent harm. It also provides practical guidance on how to safely carry out manual handling tasks which is beneficial for any employee who may need to perform manual handling at work.

Falls From Height

Falls from height can lead to serious injuries, including broken bones, fractures and head injuries, even in an office environment. In fact, a fall from as little as two metres can cause serious, even fatal injuries to the person involved.

In an office, employees may be inclined to stand on a chair or desk to reach something high up instead of using proper equipment – particularly if they don’t know where to find that equipment. Unfortunately, these are often unstable and offer nothing to hold on to for support which can easily cause someone to lose their balance, resulting in a potentially serious injury.

Falls from stairs are another common cause of injuries in offices and these can result from an initial slip or trip.

Preventing Fall From Height Injuries

To prevent falls from height, make sure that equipment for working from height, namely a proper ladder or stepladder, is available to employees and that they know where to find it, along with how to use it. You may need to provide employee training to achieve this.

While you can provide your employees with the correct tools for working safely at height, you cannot guarantee they will use them correctly. Providing training in working at height will make them aware of the risks and how to manage them, for example by teaching them best practice for using equipment.

Some safety tips when using ladders include maintaining three points of contact with it at all times (i.e. two feet and one hand) and never over-reaching on a ladder, as this can cause it to tip. You can use our free ladder inspection checklist to help you and your team stay safe whenever a ladder is needed.

To prevent falls on stairs, handrails are essential, as well as ensuring that each step is easy to see and the steps are well maintained and surfaced with slip-resistant material. We outline more control measures you can implement to prevent injuries to employees working at height in our article, here.

Electrical Accidents

Most office spaces are full of electrical equipment and it only takes a voltage as low as 50 volts to produce an electric shock. An electric shock can send a person into cardiac arrest, ultimately resulting in death unless that person receives CPR immediately.

Even if an electric shock is not fatal, it can cause serious injuries, including:

Electrical burns. These are deep burns that can be permanently disabling. While burns are more common at higher voltages, they can still be caused by domestic electricity supplies when the current flows for more than a few fractions of a second.
Thermal burns. Thermal burns are caused by hot surfaces, such as those created by overloaded, faulty, poorly maintained or shorted electrical equipment. If electrics are allowed to get too hot, they can even explode or set on fire.
Muscle spasms. Electric shocks can produce strong muscle spasms that can be enough to break bones and cause dislocations.

Electric shocks can also lead to further injury as they often cause the casualty to fall over which could cause a head injury or damage to other body parts on impact with the ground.

Preventing Electrical Accident Injuries

You can prevent injuries caused by electrical equipment in your office by keeping equipment well maintained, including performing regular checks of equipment for any faults, such as exposed wires.

You should also dispose of and replace any faulty equipment as soon as you discover it and ensure that all equipment has a PAT sticker to verify that it has been rested for electrical safety.

Ensure that employees perform their own regular checks of equipment, particularly if they work from home and to flag any issues immediately – for example, if they think any of their equipment is overheating. You should also make sure that they are not overloading plug sockets as this can cause equipment to short, creating a risk of electric shock.

Workplace First Aid Course

While many office injuries are preventable, unfortunately some will inevitably occur. Our Workplace First Aid course teaches you how to recognise various injuries and illnesses and provide the most appropriate first aid response for each, including in life-threatening situations such as cardiac arrest.

As an employer, your responsibility is to protect those in your workplace from harm in any way you can. Being aware of the most common causes of injury in an office will allow you to implement control measures to prevent them from happening to your employees or anyone else who visits your place of work.

Further Resources:

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How to Start an Event Management Company: Business Plan Template

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 08:30:00 +0000

Every new business start-up needs a business plan. Without one, it’s easy to lose focus and you may find it difficult to attract investors, so it’s important to sit down to write one. The good news is that writing a business plan doesn’t have to be a difficult task. Chances are you’ve already got most of the information you need, and all that’s left to do is put pen to paper.

In this article, we will explain what a business plan is and why you need one if you’re looking to start an event management company. We will also cover what you should include in a business plan for events management and provide you with a free, downloadable template that you can adapt and use for starting your business.

What is a Business Plan?

When first looking into how to start an event management company, it’s very likely that you were advised to write a business plan.

A business plan is simply a short document that sets out your event management company’s objectives. It helps you and your potential investors to clearly see what the business’ aims are (both financial and non-financial) and details how you’re going to ensure you achieve these goals.

What is Event Management?

Event management involves planning and organising a wide range of events, from a brand’s new product launch, to a client’s birthday party. Rather than planning an event themselves, an individual, corporation, organisation or brand will hire an event management business to take on this responsibility for them. That business will then manage every aspect of the event, from planning to execution and evaluation.

Some of the key responsibilities involved in managing an event are:

Learning about the client and what they want from their event.
Identifying the target audience.
Coming up with an event concept or theme.
Organising guest lists, menus, seating and transport.
Organising a venue based on the client’s needs.
Hiring staff, including hospitality and entertainment.
Arranging guests, such as guest speakers.
Creating event schedules.

Event managers must be excellent communicators, with lots of creativity, as well as having organisation and problem solving skills to ensure events run smoothly and exceed the client’s expectations.

Looking to Learn More?

Our Starting a Business course explains how to successfully start your own business. It teaches you how to write a professional business plan and familiarises you with the legalities and regulations associated with starting a business. text.

Why Do You Need a Business Plan?

Any new business needs funding, staff and publicity to get off the ground and stand out from the competition. Writing up a business plan is a fundamental step toward achieving this.

A business plan will clearly set out to potential investors why your business is going to be successful and, ultimately, why they should invest in you. The more they invest, the more staff you can hire to help build your business.

Additionally, event management companies need lots of resources to make events run smoothly, such as technology and transport, and these should all be factored into the business plan.

You may also decide at this point to specify what kind of events you want your business to plan, the types of client you will be working with and exactly what services your business will offer. By being specific, you are communicating to investors that you have a clear view of what you think your business will achieve. This can also help you determine branding and marketing strategies to appeal to your target market.

It’s important to outline your marketing strategy in your business plan. Event management is a highly competitive industry, meaning you need to optimise marketing and publicity as quickly as possible in order to create publicity and distinguish yourself from your competitors.

Most importantly, having a business plan will keep you on track. When you’re starting out with a new business, it can be easy to become overwhelmed with all the possible directions you could take your business in. Your business plan will help focus your direction and ensure that you stay on track with your business goals, helping you avoid wasting valuable time and money.

What to Include in a Business Plan for Event Management

A business plan doesn’t need to be a long or complicated document. For a small event planning company, a side or two of A4 paper will suffice. Your aim is simply to write down all the key information about your business in a clear, logical order.

The topics to include in your event management company business plan are:

The name, address and contact details for your business.
Information on the management of the business.
Your company’s Mission Statement: a sentence summarising the overall aim of your company.
Your start-up costs: do you need to buy any equipment or hire transport? Do you need to pay anyone a wage? Have you got insurance?
Your business objectives: what will you sell and who is your target customer?
The everyday costs of the business: how much will you spend on a weekly or monthly basis? Include all overheads and outgoing costs, such as wages and petrol.
Funding and financial projections: where do you plan to get the money from to start the business? What are your projected profits/losses for the next month, year, two years, etc.? How will you maintain the cash flow?
Where you will operate from: include where you will be based, plus information on any overhead costs associated with the business premises.
What will be the business’ operating hours? Will you work on the business full-time? What will your working hours be?
Does your business have any local competition? What is your unique selling point (USP) that makes you stand out from the crowd?
Your pricing strategy: what are you going to charge for your service? Will you charge per event or per head?
How will you be paid for your service? Do you plan to issue invoices, ask for a deposit or ask people to pay in full upfront?

Download an Event Management Business Plan PDF Template

To get started, simply download our free, one page business plan template using the button below. This template is just a guide, so feel free to add your own headings on a second page to ensure that all information relevant to your business is recorded in one place.

Starting up any new business will come with challenges but by having a clear and concise business plan in place from the start, you are putting yourself in the best position to achieve future success for your events management business.

Further Resources:

The post How to Start an Event Management Company: Business Plan Template appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

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What are the Responsibilities of a First Aider?

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 08:30:00 +0000

First Aid is the immediate help that an injured or ill person receives until professional medical help is available, should they need it. Being able to perform first aid is a relatively simple skill that can have an incredibly positive impact – from providing a casualty with much-needed reassurance to saving their life. It encompasses a wide range of help, too, from simply applying a plaster to a cut to performing life-saving CPR.

All companies and places of work must have a qualified first aider, although the number of first aiders required will depend on the number of employees. If you are considering training to become a first aider, this article will offer some information about the role, highlight some of the responsibilities of a first aider and explain the desirable qualities of a good first aider.

Responsibilities of a First Aider

The role of a first aider is to provide initial medical assistance to someone who is sick or injured. Depending on the circumstances, they may be able to provide sufficient care to the casualty themselves, otherwise they would continue to provide aid until the casualty is well enough to seek further treatment themselves or until the emergency services arrive. They also ensure that they and anyone else involved in the situation is kept safe.

A first aider is someone who has received practical training in first aid so that they become qualified to provide emergency first aid to someone who has become injured or ill at work.

Employers will determine how many first aiders their workplace needs by doing a first aid needs assessment. If a low-hazard workplace has fewer than 25 employees, the HSE recommends that having one first aider may be enough, or that you may not need one at all. However, it is good practice to have at least one trained first-aider in any workplace as you never know when a life-threatening injury or illness could occur or what could cause it.

If you’d like to learn more about first aid needs assessments, check out our article, How to Conduct a First Aid Needs Assessment.

Being a first aider, therefore, carries a range of different and incredibly important responsibilities. If you are a trained first aider and you think someone needs your help, you have a number of responsibilities to adhere to.

The main responsibilities of a first aider include being able to:

Assess a situation quickly and calmly to get an understanding of what happened. This involves determining whether anyone is in danger, the cause of the situation, and how many people are affected.
Protect yourself and others from any danger. You should look for any danger in the casualty’s environment and always protect yourself first, only moving the casualty if leaving them would cause more harm. If you are unable to remove a danger yourself, call 999 for emergency help before approaching the casualty.
Reassure the casualty and keep them informed. If the casualty is responsive, you should introduce yourself to them, explain what’s happening and why, and explain what you’re going to do before you do it.
Prevent infection. You should try to wash your hands or use hand sanitiser or disposable gloves before administering first aid. The personal protective equipment (PPE) you use will depend on the nature of the incident and what is available in your workplace’s first aid kit. Check out our article on what should be included in a first aid kit, here. However, if a casualty has a life-threatening condition and you do not have protective equipment to hand, administering first aid should take priority over looking for it.
Assess the casualty. You should perform the primary and secondary survey to determine what may be wrong with the casualty and the most appropriate first aid response, including identifying any life-threatening conditions that must be treated first.
Administer first aid treatment, such as CPR or applying pressure to bleeding wounds. If a casualty has a life-threatening injury or condition, this should be priorities before treating less serious ailments.
Arrange further assistance, if necessary. Call 999 for an ambulance if it’s serious, or take/send them to a hospital if it’s serious but unlikely to get any worse. For less serious conditions, suggest calling 111 for further advice or that they see a doctor if they are concerned or if the condition worsens. You should always stay with them until they have received the necessary care or medical professionals take over.

Looking to Learn More?

Our Workplace First Aid course will teach you how to identify different illnesses and injuries using the primary and secondary survey and provide the appropriate first aid response, including life-saving care, giving you the confidence to act quickly in emergency situations.

Qualities of a Good First Aider

There are a whole range of skills that are beneficial for a first aider to have that will allow them to deal with medical situations quickly and in the best way possible.

Some qualities that make a good first aider include:

Communication skills: you must be able to communicate effectively with the injured person so they feel they can trust you and are reassured. By calming their panic you will make the situation a lot easier for you both. You also need to be able to communicate relevant information about the casualty to the emergency services to make their job as easy as possible.
The ability to work under pressure: the demands placed on a first aider can range anywhere from something small, like a nosebleed, to something a lot more serious, like a cardiac arrest. As a first aider you need to be prepared for any possibility and have the confidence to react quickly to the situation, while remaining calm – panicking will only make a situation worse.

Initiative and leadership: in an emergency situation, particularly a medical emergency, time can play a crucial role in the outcome. Being able to act quickly, take the lead, use your initiative and trust your judgement are all vital skills for providing effective first aid.

The ability to work in a team: as well as being able to lead, you must be able to work effectively as part of a team. You may need to work alongside the emergency services to ensure the casualty gets the correct care so being able to cooperate with them is vital.
Positivity: someone who always sees the glass as half-full, rather than half-empty is a prime candidate for a first aider. Positivity will help you to reassure the injured or unwell person and prevent you from becoming mentally drained by the job.

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it is essential to consider your personal qualities alongside any technical abilities when considering whether or not to become a first aider.

Illnesses or injuries can happen at any time, often without warning, which is why trained first aiders are an asset to every workplace. However, first aiders hold a great deal of responsibility and if you are thinking of becoming one, it is vital that you are committed to the role, the responsibilities you will need to undertake and the qualities you may need to develop.

Further Resources:

The post What are the Responsibilities of a First Aider? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

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Grinding Safety Precautions and Control Measures

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 14:37:30 +0000

There are many hazards involved in working with abrasive wheels for grinding. These range from immediate physical hazards, such as abrasions from wheel contact or dangerous projectiles from wheel breakage, to life-threatening health hazards, including hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) from vibrations and pulmonary diseases from grinding dust.

With so many potential risks to workers, it is essential that you put safety precautions in place to eliminate or manage them to reduce the risk of grinding related incidents and accidents. In fact, as an employer, you have a legal duty to identify and apply appropriate control measures in your workplace to reduce the risks to health and safety created by grinding.

In this article, we will explain what grinding safety precautions are and how they can be identified and implemented using a grinding risk assessment and provide you with grinding safety tips to keep your workers safe and healthy. This article also includes a free, downloadable risk assessment template that you can use to identify grinding hazards and control measures in your specific workplace.

What are Grinding Safety Precautions?

Working with any kind of moving machinery is hazardous and can cause damage to property, injuries, illness and even death when operated incorrectly or without appropriate safety precautions in place.

Safety precautions, also known as control measures,can be implemented to reduce the risk posed by a certain hazard, mainly by reducing human exposure to that hazard.

The aim of a control measure is to eliminate a hazard completely but this isn’t always possible. For example, an abrasive wheel can break despite numerous safety precautions being taken. However, implementing these measures will greatly reduce the likelihood of a wheel breaking, and therefore, the risk for those involved.

When implementing control measures to minimise workers’ exposure to grinding hazards, there is a priority order in which you need to apply these controls. This is called the hierarchy of control and the order is based on which control will most effectively prevent workers from being exposed to a hazard, thereby keeping them as safe as possible.

You should aim to achieve the highest level of control on the hierarchy of control but if you cannot achieve this, then you should aim for the next level of control until you can implement one suitable. While the first two steps on the hierarchy aim to eliminate a hazard altogether, the final three are about reducing the risk a hazard poses.

The hierarchy of control is:

Elimination – removing the hazard altogether.
Substitution – substituting the hazard for something else – for example, using a less dangerous machine instead of a grinding machine. This can be difficult if you are performing a specialised task that only one type of machine can perform.
Engineering controls – this may involve isolating, enclosing or guarding the hazard to keep workers safe.
Administrative controls – this involves changing the way people work to restrict their access to a hazard or how they interact with it and should involve employee training.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) – this is when workers are provided with specific equipment to protect them against hazards and is the least effective control method for preventing harm.

The use of abrasive wheels is regulated by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations act 1998 (PUWER) which legislates how machinery should be handled and operated to keep workers as healthy and safe as possible.

As an employer, you are legally required to conform with these regulations if abrasive wheels are used in your workplace.

Under PUWER, you must ensure that all machinery used in your workplace, including grinding machinery, is:

Suitable for its intended purpose.
Safe for use.
Properly maintained and regularly inspected by a competent and trained individual.
Operated, supervised and managed by competent and trained individuals, only.
Accompanied by suitable health and safety measures and controls.

We will go into more detail about some of the health and safety measures you can put in place to control grinding hazards in your workplace later in this article. However, you first need to identify the specific hazards relevant to your workplace that need to be controlled.This can be achieved through carrying out a risk assessment.

Looking to Learn More?

If your job role involves grinding and the use of abrasive wheels, our Abrasive Wheels Training course teaches you about the risks of using abrasive wheels and how to work safely with them, according to legal requirements, by putting the appropriate control measures in place.

Grinding Risk Assessment

PUWER requires employers whose employees use grinding machinery to carry out a risk assessment of the machinery and processes involved.

An abrasive wheel risk assessment should identify any potential and existing hazards associated with grinding in your workplace and the control measures that should be put in place to eliminate or reduce the risk they pose to workers.

There are five key steps to performing a grinding risk assessment, including:

Identifying hazards

Make a list of any hazards that could arise from grinding in your workplace. You can take a look at our article on the hazards of grinding for a list of common workplace grinding hazards, here. Just remember that this list is not exhaustive, your workplace may have different hazards that also need to be controlled and the risk assessment should be tailored to your specific needs

Determine who may be harmed by each hazard

You next need to decide who is most likely to be harmed by each of the identified hazards and how this could happen. For grinding, this is most likely to be the person operating the machine, but other workers in that environment could also be harmed – for example, by dust in the air, sparks or projectiles.

Evaluate the level of risk and decide control measures

You then need to determine the level of risk – low, medium or high – that each hazard poses. Use this ranking to decide which control measures are appropriate to eliminate or reduce exposure to that hazard.

Record findings and implement control measures

If your workplace employs five or more people, then legally you must record the findings of your risk assessment. It is also essential that you implement the control measures you have identified in your workplace as soon as possible, including training staff on these changes.

Regularly review your risk assessment

Your risk assessment should be reviewed regularly to identify any new grinding hazards or hazards that are not being effectively managed by the existing control measures. If these are identified, the risk assessment must be updated and new controls decided. This is necessary, for example, if new grinding machinery or processes are introduced or you have new staff.

Below we have provided a free risk assessment template that you can download and adapt for use in your workplace to help you identify and control the hazards of grinding.

Grinding Safety Tips

Control measures must be put in place to manage the risks posed by grinding to the health and safety of workers. The following list outlines some health and safety control measures that can be put in place in your workplace to reduce workers’ exposure to grinding hazards and keep them safe at work.

Employee Training

Under PUWER, employers must ensure that anyone they employ to use, repair, modify or perform maintenance or servicing on abrasive wheels is sufficiently trained to do so. This will ensure that workers understand the risks involved in using abrasive wheels and can implement the appropriate health and safety precautions at all times.

As an employer, you are responsible for ensuring your workers have this level of training, which should cover, at a minimum:

Any hazards and risks that can arise from using abrasive wheels and the precautions that can be taken to control these.
The marking system for abrasive wheels. If you’d like to learn what the markings on abrasive wheels mean, consider reading our article, here.
How to transport and store abrasive wheels.
How to inspect and test abrasive wheels for damage.
The functions of each component used with abrasive wheels, such as flanges or blotters.
How to assemble an abrasive wheel correctly to ensure they are balanced correctly
How to dress an abrasive wheel.
How to correctly adjust the work rest on a grinding machine.
Use of appropriate grinding safety PPE.

Appropriate Equipment

Using inappropriate equipment for grinding is a hazard. Machine operators must ensure that the abrasive wheel they use is fit for purpose, meaning it is compatible with both the grinding machine being used and the task being performed. Different wheels perform different functions depending on their properties, and using the wrong wheel can lead to fractures and breakage.

If you want to know more about the different classifications of grinding wheels, take a look at our article, here.

You should also make sure that any grinding machinery in your workplace has the following safety features:

Suitable operating controls that are easy to see and use and which don’t allow the machine from being switched on by mistake.
An emergency stop function that is easy to locate and use.
A failsafe function for if the machine malfunctions.

Storing, Handling and Installation

The way your abrasive wheels are stored, handled and installed prior to use in grinding machines can make them more or less hazardous when operated.

Some measures for reducing this risk include:

Ensuring anyone who installs grinding machinery in your workplace is qualified to do so, meaning they can recognise signs of damage to the wheel and know when a wheel is unfit for purpose.
Storing grinding tools as close to the grinding location as possible, in a dry location protected from excessive vibrations. This reduces the risk of damage and eventual breakage.
Handling wheels carefully to avoid dropping or bumping them and avoiding rolling wheels wherever possible.
Transporting wheels using conveyors with adequate support, particularly for large wheels.

Safe Systems of Work

One of the main causes of harm while grinding is improper operation of machinery. This is why employee training is so important.

To reduce the risk to health and safety when operating grinding machines, operators should:

Check the wheel is balanced before applying the workpiece. An out of balance wheel will emit strong vibrations, increasing the risk of HAVS and the wheel breaking. Redressing a wheel can improve its balance in most cases and wheels should be lightly dressed on a regular basis.
Never apply excessive force to the wheel with the workpiece. This could cause the operator to slip and make contact with the wheel or cause the wheel to develop stresses and flat spots, making it vulnerable to breakage.
Apply gradual, even pressure to the wheel with the workpiece, rather than hitting it with force.
Only grind on the outer surface of the wheel. Never grind on the side of the wheel unless advised to do so by the manufacturer. This can lead to wheels bursting or workpieces becoming stuck between the wheel and work rest.
Ensure the work rest is always adjusted as close as practicable to the wheel and kept secure.
Make sure that the speed of the wheel does not exceed what is marked on the wheel by the manufacturer. Overspeeding causes wheel breakage.
Never use a grinding machine, or any moving machinery, under the influence of illegal drugs, alcohol or some prescription drugs.
Take regular breaks from grinding and exercise their hands during breaks to reduce the risk of HAVS.

The Working Environment

There are some changes that can be made to the environment where grinding work is being carried out to reduce exposure to hazards for the operator and other workers.

These include:

Ensuring the environment is spacious enough that the machine operator is not at risk of being bumped while working, particularly if they work with portable grinders.
Making sure the environment is well ventilated so that grinding dust is removed from the air, protecting workers from health issues.
Making sure the space where grinding is taking place is uncluttered, particularly from anything flammable as abrasive wheels produce sparks that could easily cause a fire or explosion.
Using a machine guard to reduce the risk posed by offsets from grinding, such as sparks, abrasive particles and projectiles and reduce the risk of the operator making contact with the machine. Make sure the material used for the guard is strong enough to withstand the potential forces on it.

Where practicable, grinding machines should be restricted to the person using them to reduce unnecessary risk to other workers. This is the best way to protect them from health hazards like noise and dust.

Inspection, Testing and Maintenance

Often, a visual inspection of an abrasive wheel before use can help to identify hazards. To manage these hazards, you should:

Visually inspect the wheel before every use to make sure it has not become damaged through handling, storage or use. Damaged wheels are more fragile and prone to breaking.
Ensure wheels are inspected and tested regularly by a trained person to identify any maintenance or cleaning needs.
Label wheels with the date you received them, making sure to use older wheels before newer ones.
Ensure new or refitted wheels are tested by the operator for one minute before being used. This gets the wheel up to speed and allows the operator to sense if anything is not quite right before using it.

Remember, cracks in abrasive wheels aren’t always visible to the eye. One way to test for cracks is the ring test. This is where you suspend a wheel from a bore and tap it with a light, non-metallic tool. If a wheel is solid it will emit a clear, metallic ringing.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

As we have already established, PPE should be used as a last resort, after all other control measures have been implemented to manage risks. Employees should be provided with appropriate PPE to protect them against any unavoidable hazards of grinding.

Depending on the type of work and machinery and as determined by your risk assessment, this may include:

Protective footwear to protect against anything, including the workpiece, being dropped from the machine onto their feet.
Respiratory protective equipment (RPE) including a face mask to prevent any dust that cannot be removed through ventilation from being inhaled by the operator or those in the vicinity.
Eye protection to protect against any projectiles, abrasive particles and dust that cannot be prevented using a machine guard, for example when using a portable grinding machine.
Hearing protection to protect against noise.
Gloves to improve blood circulation and reduce the risk of HAVs.
Tight fitting overalls with cuffed sleeves.

As well as using PPE, there are some things that workers should avoid wearing while grinding, as a safety precaution against being drawn into the grinding machine. These include:

Long hair untied.
Long sleeves or loose clothing.
Things worn around the neck, such as necklaces, ties or scarves.

With the number of potential hazards posed to workers using grinding machinery and abrasive wheels in the workplace, it is essential that you can identify these hazards in your workplace and put the appropriate controls in place to reduce risk. Performing a risk assessment is the best way to certify and maintain the health and safety of workers.

What is an Individual Healthcare Plan?

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 08:30:00 +0000

It can be distressing for parents and guardians of children with ongoing medical conditions to send them off to school, particularly if they require regular medication or are at high risk of suffering a medical emergency. They must feel able to trust the staff, and the school’s systems and processes to keep their child safe.

Under the Children and Families Act 2014, schools have a responsibility to support pupils with medical conditions when they’re at school. Having an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP) in place for these children means schools know exactly how to support their medical, educational, social and emotional needs, allowing them to participate as fully as possible in school, whilst remaining safe.

In this article, we will explain what IHPs are and how they can be used to support children with medical conditions in schools, who would benefit from an IHP and what information they should include. We will also provide you with a free, downloadable Individual Healthcare Plan template that can be adapted for use.

What is an Individual Healthcare Plan?

An Individual Healthcare Plan, also known as an IHP or IHCP, is a plan drawn up for children with ongoing medical conditions that details the support they may need in school, in order for their condition to be managed correctly and safely.

IHPs help to make sure that children are both safe and included in school by giving staff detailed information and guidance on how to provide support for their needs – primarily medical needs relating to their condition – but equally any educational, social or emotional needs that might stem from it.

An IHP sets out exactly what support is needed, how it should be given, when and by whom. This means that everyone knows their responsibilities for keeping the child as safe as possible in school, including, most importantly, in the event of a medical emergency.

An Individual Healthcare Plan is not the same as an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, which sets out the support required by children with special educational needs. However, some children will have both an IHP and an EHC plan. Unlike an EHC plan, an IHP does not rely on a formal statutory process, meaning an IHP can be drawn up as soon as it’s identified that a child has an appropriate medical need and can be reviewed at any time.

It’s essential that anyone with permission to access a child’s IHP is able to find, understand and use it quickly and efficiently. Anyone who may need to become involved in an emergency situation involving the child should have permission to access their IHP.

This may include:

Teachers.
Headteacher.
School nurses.
Lunchtime staff, including monitors.
Safeguarding officers.
Pastoral Staff.
Teaching assistants.
Extra curricular staff.

Only those with permission should be able to access an IHP, otherwise it must be kept confidential. Any decision to share an IHP must be made in collaboration between the school’s headteacher and the child’s parent or guardian, as well as the child themselves where appropriate.

Who Should be Involved in Writing an IHP?

An Individual Healthcare Plan must be a collaborative effort, with different voices representing the child and providing insight into how their condition can affect various aspects of their life.

It should be written in collaboration between:

The child’s school – a representative from the child’s school could be anyone who is involved in providing support for them at school. This may be a teacher, general teaching assistant, 1:1 teaching assistant, SEN assistant and/or pastoral care staff. These individuals can provide insight into how the child’s condition impacts their education.
The child’s parents or carers – of those involved in developing the IHP, parents/carers will often have the greatest understanding and experience of the child’s condition, outside of the child themselves, including how it affects them in everyday life. They will have experience of providing daily care and managing the child’s condition at home, making them best placed to know what kind of similar support the child will need in school. Take a look at our article on effective communication with parents in education, here.
The child – this is appropriate if the child fully understands what is being discussed. If a child is over 14, it is generally advised that they are involved in the drawing up of their own IHP as they are nearing adulthood, when they will become responsible for their own welfare. The child should be as involved as possible in discussions relating to the support they need, sharing their views and what matters most to them.
Healthcare professional/s – this is someone who provides medical care and support for the child and may include their GP, hospital consultants, physical therapists, etc. They can provide guidance on the specific medical support a child will require, including treatments and/or medications. They can also advise on any training staff members will need to provide this support safely, including in the event of an emergency.

This is not an exhaustive list of the individuals that can be involved in drawing up or reviewing an IHP. Other representatives may be part of the process depending on the child, their condition and their needs.

The collaborative nature of writing and reviewing an IHP has additional safeguarding benefits, as it allows different agencies to come together and get a full insight into that child’s day-to-day life. This means that any concerns about the child should be identified and reported quickly. You can read our article on creating a safeguarding culture in schools, here.

Who Needs an IHP?

Any child with an ongoing medical condition that affects their health and wellbeing and may require medication or treatment at school should be considered for an Individual Healthcare Plan. If their condition is severe and/or they have complex medical needs, it’s strongly advised that they have one drawn up, particularly if they are at high risk of a medical emergency.

However, there are no specific guidelines for what kind of health condition a child must have for them to need an IHP and, while a parent or guardian can request that their child has one drawn up, it is ultimately up to the child’s school to decide whether or not they receive one.

Some of the most common conditions that would necessitate a child to have an IHP include, but are not limited to:

Diabetes.
Epilepsy.
Asthma.
Allergies.
Continence issues.

Every child will cope differently with their condition, requiring varying levels of care and support. Some ongoing medical conditions will pose less risk to a child than others and may not require complex care. Some children may be willing and able to administer their own medication or treatment for their condition.

In these cases, an IHP may not be necessary for that child, however, other children with the same condition may still need one. Different children will cope differently with the same condition, requiring different levels of care and support. For this reason, schools must consider each individual case carefully when deciding whether or not to draw up an IHP.

Ideally, the decision whether an IHP is necessary for a child should be a collaborative one between their school, their parent/guardian and their healthcare representative. However, if all parties cannot agree, the decision should rest with the headteacher.

How Can an IHP Support a Child With Allergies?

20% of serious allergic reactions to food involving children happen when they are at school. Having a serious food allergy puts children at risk of anaphylaxis, an emergency situation that requires a specific medical response – injection with an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI).

If a child has a serious food allergy, they may benefit from having an IHP in place, as school staff need to know exactly how to respond, without delay, if an allergic reaction occurs. If staff don’t know how to provide the correct support for a child during an allergic reaction, the outcome can be fatal.

If a child suffers from an allergic reaction at school and, for any reason, their own AAI can’t be used on them without delay, staff are not permitted to use another child’s AAI on them. To combat this problem, under changes to the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017, schools can now buy back-up AAIs without a prescription.

Back-up AAIs may be used on children experiencing anaphylaxis. However, schools need to have written permission from the child’s parents and their medical care provider before they can use a spare AAI in an emergency. This permission can be written into that child’s IHP, so that if an emergency situation arises, it can be dealt with immediately. This exemplifies just one way an IHP can protect a child with allergies in school.

An IHP should also outline the training school staff need to be able to spot the signs of and manage allergic reactions effectively, as well as any triggers for that particular child and ways to reduce the risk of allergic reactions happening at all, also known as allergen avoidance.

The Benedict Blythe Foundation works to safeguard children with allergies in schools and support them to achieve their learning potential. They launched a campaign called Protect Pupils With Allergies that seeks to turn some of the current recommendations around keeping children with allergies safe in schools into legislation, meaning schools must implement them.

One of these recommendations is for every child with an allergy to have an IHP and anaphylaxis action plan completed and regularly updated, in collaboration between the child, their parent/guardian and the school. An anaphylaxis action plan functions as an emergency care plan for a child with allergies.

Other recommendations include having an allergy policy in place, having spare, in-date AAIs and implementing staff training on allergies and anaphylaxis in a whole school allergy awareness approach. You can learn more about the campaign and offer support, here.

Looking to Learn More?

Our Food Allergen Awareness Training Course teaches food handlers, including school caterers, about food hypersensitivities – including allergens, how to be compliant with the UK’s allergen laws and how to label and communicate allergen information properly in order to keep people with allergies safe.

What Information Should an IHP Include?

An IHP should be a clear, unambiguous description of a child’s health condition/s, how it affects them and the support they will need at school to help them overcome any barriers that would prevent them from having the same opportunities and experiences as other children, as far as possible.

There are no set guidelines for what an IHP must include and it’s ultimately up to the school how they decide to set one out and what to include in it, depending on each individual child and their requirements.

How detailed an IHP is will depend on the complexity and severity of their condition and support required. However, an effective IHP should include at least the sections listed below.

Personal Details

This includes the child’s:

Name.
Date of birth.
Year and class group details.
Photograph, if possible, so staff can recognise them.
Medical condition/s and triggers/symptoms that can affect them.
A clear outline of what to do in an emergency.

There also needs to be contact details for the child’s parent/guardian, their GP and any other relevant healthcare providers – such as a clinician or consultant – or essential contacts.

Medical Support Requirements

This section should include any daily medication and/or treatment requirements that must be administered at school, including:

The name of the medication.
Dose and frequency of administration
Storage requirements
Clear guidance on how to administer medication.
The expiry date.
How often medication or equipment should be checked and by whom – this is to make sure medication is still in date and not close to running out.
Side effects to the medications, along with any other medications or treatments the child has outside of school and their possible side effects.
Any self-administered medications or treatments, with the name of the person responsible for supervising self-administration and how they are expected to supervise.

Staff Responsibilities

This section should include a list of who has responsibility for providing support for the child at school. Everyone listed here should have access to and have read the IHP and be aware of their exact responsibilities concerning the child’s care.

It must also list the training that each staff member requires to fulfil their responsibilities, as well as any training they already have, when it was completed and when this training is valid until. A named individual, documented within the plan, should be responsible for ensuring staff receive their necessary training and keep a record of this information.

Need a Course?

Take a look at our range of CPD certified Teaching and Education Courses, including Epilepsy Awareness Training, Anaphylaxis Awareness Training and Paediatric First Aid Training.

The Child’s Views

Children should be encouraged to be as involved in developing their IHP as possible, where appropriate. They should be allowed to offer insight into how their condition affects them at school; physically, socially and emotionally and will be able to provide insight into areas they feel they need support in and others they perhaps don’t. It is also helpful to consider whether or not the child feels comfortable sharing their condition with their classmates, or whether they would prefer for this to be as confidential as possible.

These views should be considered while writing the rest of the plan. You can find guidance on encouraging children to express their feelings and emotions in our article, here.

Emergency Response

This is a vital section of the IHP as it outlines exactly what staff must do in the event of a medical emergency. This should address:

What constitutes an emergency situation?
What are the signs and symptoms of an emergency?
What can trigger an emergency?
Who is responsible in an emergency?
What action/s should be taken by responsible staff members if an emergency occurs?
Should any follow up actions be taken after an emergency situation to support the child? You can learn about how to support individuals who have received first aid assistance in our article, here.
When should an ambulance be called?

By answering these questions, responsible staff know exactly how to respond if an emergency arises and can act without delay, reducing the risk to the child.

In this section, it is important to have appropriate and significant information to hand if an ambulance is required. This way, an effective medical response can be obtained quickly as possible, without having to search for essential information. An example of this is included in the Individual Healthcare Plan template at the end of this article.

Daily Support Requirements

Here you should detail any regular support the child may need at school to ensure their condition doesn’t prevent them having the same opportunities as others and to keep them safe. This is where input from the different parties involved in a child’s care is particularly important.

You should include:

Dietary support – is there anything the child may need to eat and drink as part of the treatment of their condition, as well as any food or drinks they should not consume? You may indicate here if the child needs to eat at a certain time of day or needs assistance eating or drinking.
Educational support – consider how the child’s condition affects their ability to learn in school and outside of it. For example, does it impact their behaviour and/or concentration and could any adjustments be made to support their learning experiences in light of this? For example, they might require extra lessons or additional breaks.
Attendance support – having an ongoing medical condition can affect a child’s attendance and in turn their ability to fully engage in school. What can be done to support the child if their attendance is affected, what might they need while they’re away to make sure they keep up, or upon returning to be able to catch up?
Activities support – outline any additional support the child may need to take part in certain activities at school, particularly physical activity. For example, if they need more time to get between lessons, need extra toilet breaks or would benefit from using the disabled toilets. Think about if any other factors might affect how well they can engage in activities, such as weather or location.

SEN support – detail here any SEN support the child may need in addition to their medical support. Think about whether their SEN may affect or be affected by their condition.
Social support – think about how the child’s condition could affect their ability to engage socially in school, particularly if they need to take a lot of time off school. Remember that adult involvement in social situations changes the nature of socialising between children and young adults, so they need opportunities to socialise with other children without an adult present.
Emotional support – consider what kind of emotional challenges might be expected for the child because of their condition and any strategies they have in place, or that could be implemented, to help them deal with this. This might include counselling.
Any other support requirements – outline any support you feel would help the child to be fully involved in school that hasn’t already been mentioned.

You can learn more about supporting social, emotional and mental health in pupils in our article, here.

Extra Curricular Arrangements

You must detail any additional support required for school activities that take place outside of the school or outside of regular timetabling. For example, school trips – particularly overnight trips – sports clubs or matches and after-school clubs.

The IHP should state who is primarily responsible for providing medical care in these situations, should the child need it, including in the case of an emergency. Again, these people must have read and understood the IHP and their responsibilities and have sufficient training to provide care.

The plan should conclude with details of the annual review date, including any known reasons why the plan may need to be updated sooner than this.

However, it’s important to remember that when a child has an ongoing medical condition, their needs can change at any time, without warning, so a plan can be reviewed at any time before the annual date.

Anyone permitted to make changes to the IHP, as well as the sections they are allowed to change, should be listed here, too.

Finally, the plan must be signed by:

The child or young person.
Their parents/guardians.
The school representative.
The healthcare representative.

This is to verify that they have consented to the plan and the programme of support laid out in it.

Individual Healthcare Plan Template

The following template includes all of the essential sections we have just discussed. However, every child and their situation is unique so, should you decide that a particular child would benefit from additional support that isn’t outlined in this template, you should include this in your plan.

You can download our free individual healthcare plan template, here:

Children should be able to take part in school life without worrying about their medical condition. They, and their parents or guardians, must be assured that they are in an environment where they’ll always receive any support they need, quickly and correctly. Having an IHP is vital for achieving this and is something you should consider implementing for any child in your school with an ongoing medical condition.

Further Resources:

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Mia Simpson, Author at The Hub | High Speed Training

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