What is a Competent Person in Health and Safety?

When talking about health and safety in the workplace, appointing a ‘competent person’ to help the organisation comply with health and safety law is something you often hear about – but what is a ‘competent person’?

Put simply, a competent person is someone who has extensive experience of the workplace, who understands the health and safety hazards within it, who has knowledge of health and safety law and who knows what needs to be done to keep people safe from harm.

The Management of Health at Safety at Work Regulations 1999 state that business owners must select ‘one or more competent persons’ to assist with health and safety compliance, but the level of competence required and the number of competent persons needed depends on your specific workplace and work activities: the higher the risk, the higher the level of competence.

A few examples of a competent person include:

• An expert in fire safety measures who ensures compliance with fire safety regulations.
• Someone with in-depth knowledge of a particular work activity.
• A supervisor on a construction site who’s worked in the role for 10+ years.
• An employee with extensive experience of operating specific machinery.
• A manager with considerable knowledge of health and safety legislation.
• A health and safety inspector who regularly identifies hazards as part of their role.
• A kitchen manager who regularly trains staff members in safety measures.
• A site manager with extensive knowledge of the workplace and its layout.
• A qualified first-aider who can easily recognise and manage health risks.

Competent Person Responsibilities

The business owner always has overall responsibility for health and safety in the workplace and a competent person cannot take on this duty. However, a competent person has a wide range of responsibilities in order to assist the business owner in meeting their legal obligations.

A competent person, because of their knowledge and experience of the workplace, is well-placed to provide business owners with advice on health and safety. Whilst their duties will be specific to their particular workplace,  responsibilities of a competent person usually include:

• Identifying hazards in the workplace.
• Inspecting the premises, work equipment and work practices at regular intervals to identify any new hazards.
• Assessing the level of risk presented by each hazard through a risk assessment and reviewing and updating this at regular intervals.
• Offering ideas of practical control measures that will reduce the likelihood of harm.
• Keeping up-to-date with health and safety regulations and ensuring the workplace continues to comply with the law as regulations change or are updated.
• Communicating health and safety policies and procedures to other staff members and providing relevant health and safety training where required.

Want to Learn More?

Are you a competent person for your workplace? Then our range of online Health and Safety Courses – including Risk Assessment Training and Health and Safety Training For Employees – will help you to perform your role effectively and ensure your workplace complies with health and safety law.

How to Become a Competent Person

All types of organisations must comply with health and safety legislation and so must have a competent person – or persons – to help ensure these legal requirements are met.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that a competent person is ‘someone who has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities that allow them to assist you properly. The level of competence required will depend on the complexity of the situation and the particular help you need.’

Ideally, the competent person should always be someone within the organisation, as these people have unparalleled knowledge of the workplace, the work tasks and the hazards they present. If there is no-one suitable to be a competent person in-house, then you can outsource the role to an external professional, but this should be reserved for high-risk workplaces where specialist advice is more likely to be required.

To become a competent person for your organisation, there are three key traits you must possess:

1. Experience

A competent person needs to have experience of the industry, the workplace and the work activities. Ideally, they’ll have worked for the organisation for some time and may have worked in different roles there, gaining experience of identifying, assessing and resolving risks. The competent person also needs to have in-depth knowledge and practical experience of the specific industry and its related hazards.

2. Ability

A competent person must have the technical ability and competence to perform the role. This means they need to possess the skills to identify hazards and suggest practical solutions to control them. Competent persons don’t need to have a formal qualification but they must be trained well enough so they can perform the role effectively. The competent person also needs to be able to understand health and safety law and how this applies to the workplace, plus keep track of any changes to regulations.

3. Attitude

A competent person must have a positive attitude towards health and safety compliance and actively promote a positive health and safety culture within the organisation. They need to be proactive about identifying and resolving hazards, confident to communicate policies and procedures to other members of staff and willing to put health and safety at the forefront of all work activities.

Appointing a competent person is an essential part of health and safety compliance and something that all business owners and employers should consider. A competent person is able to help the organisation meet its legal requirements, keep workers safe from harm and ensure hazards are dealt with quickly and efficiently. By appointing a competent person with the right experience and abilities, your workplace will ensure a positive health and safety culture where employee welfare is always the first priority.

Further Resources:

• Online Health and Safety Courses
• What are Safe Systems of Work?
• Risk Assessment at Work: Free Template

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In this article, we’ll outline what a manual handling risk assessment is and why it’s important, what the steps of a manual handling risk assessment are and provide you with a free risk assessment template to use in your workplace.

What is a Manual Handling Risk Assessment?

A manual handling risk assessment is a step-by-step process that enables employers to control the health and safety risks caused by manual handling activities in the workplace.

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, all employers must manage health and safety risks. This means identifying what might cause injury in the workplace, how likely it is someone may be harmed and what can be done to control the risks. Carrying out a risk assessment is the essential first step in this process.

A manual handling risk assessment can be carried out by employers or any competent person nominated by the employer. What’s important is that this person understands the workplace, work activities and manual handling activities carried out there, whether that’s lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving objects, people or animals.

When carrying out a manual handling risk assessment, the competent person should also keep the TILE acronym in mind: Task, Individual, Load and Environment. When each of these four categories is considered, it will help to more easily identify the manual handling risks that need controlling. You can find out more on TILE  in our article: What Does TILE Stand For?

If it’s identified that a risk assessment isn’t enough to control the hazards, either because they cannot be removed or the risk of harm is too great, then a Safe System of Work may need to be considered instead.

What are the Risks of Manual Handling?

The main risks of manual handling are musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). These are injuries or conditions caused or made worse by poor manual handling practices and can affect the back, neck, shoulders, forearms, wrists, hands, hips, legs, knees, ankles and feet. The HSE estimates that MSDs made up a third of all workplace ill-health conditions.

Manual handling makes the risk of developing an MSD more likely if any of the following activities are performed incorrectly or unsafely:

• Bending, crouching or stooping.
• Lifting heavy or bulky loads.
• Pushing, pulling or dragging loads.
• Stretching, twisting and reaching.
• Carrying out repetitive actions.
• Using sustained or excessive force.
• Carrying out a task for a long time
• Working with display screen equipment (DSE).
• Working with hand-held power tools for a long time.
• Driving heavy vehicles, long-distance driving or driving over rough ground.

Want to Learn More?

If you have members of staff that carry out manual handling tasks in the course of their work, then training in how to work safely is essential. Our online Manual Handling Course will ensure that your employees are sufficiently trained in the principles and practices of safe manual handling.

5 Steps of a Manual Handling Risk Assessment

There are five steps of a manual handling risk assessment that the competent person needs to follow to ensure their risk assessment is sufficient and effective.

The 5 steps of a manual handling risk assessment are:

Step 1 – Identify the Hazards

This means looking around the workplace, speaking to employees and considering all work activities that involve manual handling and which may cause harm. Take a look at existing ill-health records and accident books to identify any previous issues that have caused harm, too. Then, make a list of each individual hazard you’ve identified.

Step 2 – Who Might be Harmed and How

For each of the identified manual handling hazards, consider who is likely to be harmed by them. It could be workers, visitors, contractors, suppliers or members of the public. Bear in mind that some people have more specific needs because of a disability or their age, for example, so may be at more risk of injury from manual handling than others.

Step 4 – Implement Control Measures

This step means looking at each manual handling hazard and determining what needs to be done to reduce the risk of harm. First of all, the hazard should be removed completely – is there an alternative way the task could be done so manual handling is avoided? If removing the hazard isn’t possible, then how can you control the level of risk? For example, changing the process, introducing machinery, reorganising the workplace or training staff members.

Step 4 – Record Your Findings

For organisations with more than five employees, keeping a record of your risk assessment is a legal requirement. For smaller businesses, it’s not the law but is still recommended. Recording your findings means making a written note of all the identified manual handling hazards, who might be harmed by them and what you are doing to control the risks of harm.

Step 5 – Review and Update

Once your manual handling risk assessment is completed, it’s important that it’s regularly reviewed to ensure the control measures remain effective. There are many reasons why you might need to make changes to the risk assessment, whether it’s because of new staff members, new processes, changes to equipment or something else. The risk assessment should also be reviewed and updated if there have been any related accidents or near misses.

Manual Handling Risk Assessment Template

Below is a free manual handling risk assessment template for you to download and use in your own workplace. Note that all risk assessment templates require personalisation for your own specific workplace and work activities, so you’ll need to check which sections are relevant, add your own and ensure the content is tailored to your own needs.

If manual handling is part of your workplace’s operations, then it’s important to carry out a manual handling risk assessment before allowing employees to begin tasks. The harm caused by incorrect manual handling can be long-term and debilitating for workers, so it’s important that the hazards are identified and control measures put in place to reduce the risk of harm.

Further Resources:

• Manual Handling Online Course
• What are Safe Systems of Work?
• Manual Handling Weight Limits: What are the Safe Lifting Guidelines and Techniques?
• Consequences of Poor Manual Handling

The post Manual Handling Risk Assessment: Free Template appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

What is the Building Safety Act?

The Building Safety Act 2022, which came into force in October 2023, is a new regulation that aims to put the safety of building occupants at the forefront of the building process. All aspects of the building process are covered by the Act, from building design to construction and management, to ensure residents and homeowners are safer, have more rights and live in higher-quality homes. It also holds those responsible for safety defects to account.

The introduction of the Building Safety Act (BSA) is a direct result of the catastrophic Grenfell Tower fire that occurred in London in June 2017. Following the incident, an inquiry into the construction industry was conducted and it was determined that more safety procedures were desperately needed. The recommendations from the Grenfell inquiry led to the formation of the Building Safety Act.

The BSA has also created three new bodies to oversee the new regulations:

• The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is responsible for overseeing the safety and performance of all buildings, with a focus on high-rise buildings like that of Grenfell.
• The National Construction Products Regulator (NRCP) is responsible for leading surveillance and enforcement across the UK’s construction products market.
• The New Homes Ombudsman Scheme is a more efficient way for owners of new-build homes to escalate their complaints to building developers.

What Buildings Does the Building Safety Act Apply To?

The Building Safety Act applies across the whole construction process and so affects everyone in this industry, from architects and developers to engineers, tradespeople, facilities managers and housing management companies.

Currently, the Building Safety Act applies to residential Higher-Risk Buildings but is likely to be expanded in the future to include all buildings. Higher-risk buildings are those with at least two residential dwellings and/or over 18 metres or seven storeys high. It also includes buildings like hospitals and care homes where people reside.

The BSA gives extra rights and protection for residents of high-rise buildings – like Grenfell Tower – as these are one of the most high-risk types of dwellings. High-rise residents are now able to have more say on how their building is kept safe and can raise safety concerns directly to the person in charge of the building, who must listen to them by law.

The person or people in charge of building safety, whether that’s the building owner, a management company or a freeholder, is known under the BSA as the Accountable Person. If there’s more than one person responsible, then there must be a nominated Principal Accountable Person.

By law, the Accountable Person has a duty to:

• Continually assess building safety risks.
• Demonstrate how they are actively ensuring resident safety.
• Listen to residents’ safety concerns.
• Create a Building Safety Case Report that outlines how safety risks are being identified, mitigated and managed.
• Digitally record all decisions, updates and actions taken in relation to the building’s safety via a Golden Thread of Information.

Are you the Accountable Person for a residential building?

Whether you’re a building owner, facilities manager, landlord or developer, our range of Online Health and Safety Courses contains essential information on the health and safety legislation you need to know in order to keep residents safe from harm.

Building Safety Act 2022 Summary of Key Facts

Below is a summary of the key information contained within the Building Safety Act to help you understand more about your rights and responsibilities:

• During construction, building owners and dutyholders must manage the building’s safety risks and ensure clear lines of responsibility at all stages, from design to construction and completion.
• Those who are designing and constructing higher-risk buildings now have a legal responsibility for complying with building regulations and reducing safety risks.
• Organisations that own and manage high-rise residential buildings must identify risks, put measures in place to keep residents safe and keep evidence of their actions.
• The new ‘gateway’ system means that building work cannot begin until the Building Safety Regulator has approved the application.
• Upon completion, new buildings will be assessed for compliance with the law by the BSR and issued a Building Assessment Certificate that permits the building to be occupied.
• Building owners/managers are required to keep up-to-date safety information about their buildings, including information about how it was designed and built and how it’s being managed to keep people safe, both now and in the future. This requirement for an auditable trail of accountability is known as the Golden Thread of Information and it is stored digitally for the entire life of the building.
• Building owners and landlords must contribute to the costs of fixing their own buildings. They cannot charge leaseholders for any costs related to historical safety defects, like cladding removal.
• A new building safety charge for leaseholders ensures residents know exactly what they are being charged for. The cost of these charges is limited by law.
• All homeowners now have 15 years in which to claim compensation for any substandard construction work on their home.
• The BSA also introduced amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The changes include more cooperation between responsible persons, better recording of fire safety information and clearer enforcement of the law for instances of non-compliance.

Building Safety Act Timeline of Development

The Building Safety Act timeline began in 2017 and ends with the present day. A few key dates are as follows:

• June 2017 – the Grenfell Tower fire led to 72 deaths and was claimed to be the UK’s worst residential building fire since World War 2.
• September 2017 – the first stage of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry revealed that the cladding on the building’s exterior did not comply with safety regulations and was the main reason why the fire spread so quickly.
• May 2018 – the final report of Dame Judith Hackitts’ independent review into building regulations and fire safety was published, outlining a number of key failings and recommendations.
• July 2021 – the Building Safety Bill, which set out a clear pathway for how residential buildings should be constructed and maintained, was introduced to Parliament.
• April 2022 – the Building Safety Act received Royal Assent and became an Act of Parliament.
• October 2023 – the main requirements of the Building Safety Act came into force and all building owners were required to register with the Building Safety Regulator. 
• December 2023 – the BSR released an enforcement policy statement, outlining their enforcement methods for breaches of the law.
• January 2024 – the UK Government released information on the mandatory process for notifying the BSR of any safety occurrences within residential buildings.
• April 2024 – the BSR’s new building safety regime began and Building Assessment Certificates started to be issued to new constructions.

The Building Safety Act 2022 is an important new piece of health and safety legislation that everyone involved in the design, construction and management of residential buildings must comply with. The safety of residents – particularly in higher-risk buildings – should be the number one priority for all new-builds and dutyholders must take steps, keep accurate records and actively maintain their buildings to ensure residents are kept safe at all times.

Further Resources:

• Online Health and Safety Courses
• What are Safe Systems of Work?
• ISO 31000 – Risk Management
• Facilities Management Online Training

The post What is the Building Safety Act (BSA)? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

What is ISO 45001?

ISO 45001 is an internationally-recognised standard that helps businesses to develop and maintain an effective occupational health and safety (OHS) management system. It gives organisations a clear framework to follow with the overall aim of improving the health and safety of the workplace, for both employees and visitors.

Workplaces of all types must adhere to health and safety legislation – notably the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 – and ensure all workplace hazards are identified, controlled and managed. This includes any risk that might affect a person’s health, whether physical or mental, or their safety whilst at work.

ISO 45001 covers various key areas of an OHS management system, including hazard identification and risk assessment, legal compliance, health and safety policies, setting objectives, emergency planning, incident investigation, implementation of procedures, auditing and continual improvement.

It should be noted that ISO 45001 is now the expected standard for organisations, instead of the existing OHSAS 18001 British standard that applied previously. If your company has OHSAS 18001 certification, then it’ll need to re-address its OHS management system and make changes to ensure it complies with the latest practices contained in ISO 45001.

The main differences between ISO 45001 and OHSAS 18001 are that ISO 45001 has more emphasis on leadership engagement, risk-based thinking and continual improvement of OHS performance. 

Benefits of ISO 45001

Being ISO 45001 certified shows to clients, contractors, suppliers, stakeholders and investors that your organisation takes health and safety seriously, has a robust OHS management system in place and is compliant with the requirements of the ISO standard.

Other benefits of ISO 45001 certification include:

• Fewer workplace injuries, accidents and near misses – having a robust ISO 45001 OHS management system in place means all hazards have been identified as far as possible, effective control measures have been implemented and the risks are continually being monitored. This reduces the likelihood of accidents and injuries occurring, reduces their severity and reduces the chances of near miss incidents.
• A clear framework to systematically manage risks – ISO 45001 gives you an internationally-recognised framework to follow to ensure occupational health and safety risks are well managed in your businesses. This framework enables you to strategically carry out a risk assessment, implement control measures and improve health and safety.
• Compliance with health and safety legislation – ISO 45001 certification ensures that your company complies with all relevant health and safety regulations, whatever the industry you work in and no matter the level of risk involved.
• Better commitment to health and safety – achieving and maintaining ISO 45001 certification requires you to look at your OHS management system in great detail and ensure all leaders are on-board with the control measures and continual auditing of the system. In turn, this improves your company’s commitment to health and safety and will boost your reputation as a caring employer.
• Continual improvement of health and safety management – the ISO 45001 framework is based on ‘plan, do, check, act’, meaning that you’re required to continually audit, review and improve your OHS system. This ensures your system continues to work, evolve and enhance health and safety.

ISO 45001 Requirements

ISO 45001 applies to all organisations in all industries, no matter the level of risk or the number of health and safety regulations you need to comply with, and can be integrated into your existing health and safety management system.

ISO 45001 certification is particularly valuable for higher-risk industries, such as manufacturing, construction or explosive atmospheres. For lower-risk industries, a complex OHS management system might not be as useful, and a more simple risk assessment may be all that’s required to effectively manage hazards and their effects.

The ISO 45001 requirements cover areas such as:

• How well your organisation and staff understand the health and safety issues specific to the business and industry, and how your organisation responds to those issues, taking into account everyone who might be affected.
• How the leadership team demonstrates their commitment to health and safety by enforcing procedures, identifying and reporting new hazards, understanding safety regulations and providing clear guidance to workers.
• How the leadership and management team communicate health and safety expectations to workers to ensure they stay informed and up-to-date on risks and their controls, whether that’s through toolbox talks, regular staff training or team updates.
• How the organisation identifies, evaluates and resolves risks and how effective an organisation’s risk assessments are. Workplaces must consult with their workers to ensure all hazards are identified and that control measures will work in practice.
• How the organisation routinely audits, updates and improves its health and safety management system, which methods it uses and who has responsibility for doing so. The company must have a system in place for identifying areas for improvement and then implementing changes.

Looking to Learn More?

In order for your occupational health and safety management system to be effective, it’s vital that all members of staff are up-to-date with their health and safety knowledge. Our full range of online Health and Safety Courses covers all industries and all topics, ensuring everyone at every level can receive the essential training required by law.

How to Get ISO 45001 Certification

To get ISO 45001 certification for your organisation’s OHS management system, you’ll need to follow a series of steps:

Step 1: Understand the ISO 45001 requirements

Firstly, it’s essential that you familiarise yourself with the requirements and expectations of the ISO 45001 standard. To create an ISO 45001-compliant OHS management system, you’ll need to understand the context of your organisation and how the standard applies to your industry. You can purchase a copy of the standard here.

Step 2: Undergo a stage 1 assessment

A stage 1 assessment is done to check whether your occupational health and safety management system meets the requirements of ISO 45001 or whether improvements or changes are needed. After the assessment, you’ll receive an audit report that highlights the actions needed in order to achieve certification. Changes might include altering the management structure, better compliance with regulations, improving hazard identification or making practices safer.

Step 3: Undergo a stage 2 assessment

A stage 2 assessment is a more in-depth review of your OHS management system by an auditor. The auditor will look at all your operations, procedures and processes to check whether they meet the ISO 45001 requirements or if more is needed. If there are any areas of non-compliance with the ISO 45001 standard, then these will be communicated to you so improvements can be made before a certificate will be issued. Too many instances of non-compliance could result in your application being rejected.

Step 4: Receive and maintain your ISO 45001 certificate

If your organisation’s OHS management system passes the stage 2 assessment, and no further actions are required and all areas of non-compliance have been addressed, then you’ll be awarded the ISO 45001 certification. The ISO 45001 certification is valid for 3 years – the same as all ISO certifications – and requires regular audits in order to be maintained.

An ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management system is an internationally-recognised framework for effectively identifying and managing safety hazards within your organisation. When the steps of the ISO 45001 framework are followed and ISO 45001 certification is obtained, your organisation will be able to prove that it takes the health and safety of workers seriously and can ensure the procedures it has in place remain effective.

Further Resources:

• Online Health and Safety Courses
• What are Safe Systems of Work?
• Toolbox Talks in Construction: Guidance on Meeting Topics and Resources

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What is a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan?

A personal emergency evacuation plan – known as a PEEP – is an escape plan written for a specific individual who may need additional support to evacuate a building during an emergency, such as a fire.

Under UK fire safety legislation, all owners and managers of buildings and workplaces have a legal responsibility to ensure all occupants can escape safely and quickly in the event of a fire.

For some people, evacuating a building quickly or understanding fire evacuation procedures can be difficult due to a physical or mental impairment, so they require extra assistance from others. These people require a bespoke PEEP written just for them, whether permanent or temporary.

A permanent PEEP is created for someone with a lifelong disability or impairment, such as difficulties with sight, hearing, mobility or dexterity, a mental health condition or a neurodiverse condition that makes awareness of risk or interpretation of instructions difficult.

A temporary PEEP is created for someone with a short-term disability or impairment, such as a broken leg, someone recovering from surgery or a person in the later stages of pregnancy. Temporary PEEPS should be reviewed and updated whenever the person’s condition changes.

Why Might a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan Be Needed?

If a person cannot evacuate a building unaided during a fire emergency, then they require a PEEP. This usually refers to people who have:

• A sight impairment, so perhaps cannot read emergency signage and information, are unable to identify exit routes or struggle to see fire safety hazards.
• A hearing impairment, so may struggle to hear fire and smoke alarms or be unable to clearly hear evacuation instructions from the fire warden.
• A mobility impairment, so are unable to use stairs, may not be able to move very quickly, are unable to walk unaided or need specialist equipment to be moved.
• A dexterity impairment, which affects strength or coordination, so may have difficulty opening fire doors, operating fire alarms or opening windows.
• A neurodiverse condition, such as autism, which can mean a lack of awareness of what alarms mean, inability to follow escape instructions, difficulty interpreting what’s happening or affect ability to recognise hazards.
• A mental health condition, certain conditions may cause difficulty in recognising or interpreting evacuation instructions.
• An injury or medical condition, such as a broken leg or the later stages of pregnancy, may make it difficult to move quickly or use stairs.

In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires employers to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for any members of staff who may have difficulty escaping during a fire or other emergency. This includes creating a tailored PEEP for those who require one and which addresses each particular person’s individual needs.

Furthermore, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires employers to carry out a fire risk assessment to identify and manage fire hazards in the workplace and, as part of this, they must ensure all employees can evacuate safely in case of fire. The fire risk assessment must take into account people who need extra help to evacuate and, once identified, PEEPs must be created for these people.

Want to Learn More?

For owners, employers and managers of buildings and workplaces, a knowledge of fire hazards and fire safety procedures is essential, not only for legal compliance but also for the welfare of the people you are responsible for. Our range of online Fire Safety Courses, including Fire Warden, Fire Risk Assessment and Fire Safety For Care Homes will give you the knowledge you need to keep people safe.

How to Create a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan

The person in charge of the premises, whether an owner or employer, has overall responsibility for ensuring personal emergency evacuation plans are created but they can also give the responsibility to a nominated person. This could be a manager, supervisor or facilities officer, for example, who is identified as the responsible person for creating and reviewing PEEPs.

To create a personal emergency evacuation plan, the responsible person needs to fill out a form containing a range of standard questions about the person’s health condition and/or disability, any concerns the person has about evacuating and the support the person will need in the event of a fire. You can download a free PEEP template below.

The exact information recorded in the PEEP will depend on the person it’s being created for, the risks present and the building/s involved. It’s important that all PEEPs are created with the individual in mind and the information on it is tailored to them; never use a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

The main contents of a PEEP include:

• Details of the person’s health condition, impairment and/or disability.
• Whether it’s a permanent or temporary PEEP.
• How the person will reach a place of safety in an emergency.
• Whether the person understands the evacuation instructions.
• Any special equipment or procedures the person needs to help them escape.
• Whether the person is able to evacuate unaided or if they need assistance.
• Who the PEEP will be shared with.
• A signature from the person stating they agree to the contents of the PEEP.

Once a PEEP has been created, the safety arrangements within it must be physically checked to ensure they work as expected. Carry out a rehearsal of the evacuation, with the person the PEEP has been created for, to ensure that everything goes smoothly and there aren’t any unforeseen risks or problems. Once checked, the PEEP can then be marked as finalised.

The contents of the PEEP should also be reviewed regularly – at least annually and whenever the person’s condition changes, whether it gets better or worse. If changes to the PEEP are needed as a result of the review, then a new rehearsal of the plan should be done to ensure the changes are adequate and safe.

Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) Template

You can download a free personal emergency evacuation plan template at the link below – use this blank PEEP form as the basis for creating a bespoke PEEP, ensuring you fill out each section with information relevant and specific to the person it’s for.

A personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP) is an essential legal requirement for employers and building owners, as everyone within the premises, no matter their health, impairment or disability, must be able to evacuate quickly and safely in the event of fire. Use our free downloadable PEEP template to help you get started.

Further Resources:

• Online Fire Safety Training
• Fire Safety Quiz
• What is the Equality Act 2010 and Why is it Important?

The post Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan: Free Template appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In this article, we will explain what a risk assessment is and why it is so important. We will also provide a step-by-step guide on how to conduct a risk assessment, as well as a downloadable template you can use when carrying out the risk assessment process.

What is a Risk Assessment at Work?

A risk assessment at work is a process for identifying, assessing and controlling health and safety risks caused by hazards within the workplace.

Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that a risk assessment is undertaken and enforced, either by themselves or another competent person, for all work activities where the risk is more than negligible.

A hazard is something that has the potential to cause harm to an individual, whether an injury or ill health, such as hazardous or dangerous substances, a slippery floor, exposed electrical wiring or working at height, whereas a risk is the likelihood of harm occurring combined with the potential severity of the harm caused by the hazards. If you would like more information, we have an article on the differences between hazards and risks.

Risk assessments must include the presence of hazards and the risks they pose. Once these are identified, appropriate control measures will then be determined. These controls must be adhered to throughout any work covered by the risk assessment to maintain safety standards.

Why Are Risk Assessments Important?

Conducting a risk assessment is crucial to ensuring the continued and ongoing safety of employees and others who may be affected by your work activities. Completing risk assessments helps to:

• Recognise any hazards and risks within the workplace.
• Proactively put measures in place to address any hazards or risks.
• Prevent and minimise the likelihood of accidents.
• Reduce the consequences of accidents if they do occur.
• Promote a positive safety culture within the workplace.
• Demonstrate the employer’s commitment to prioritising safety.
• Protect the employees and the organisation from harm and financial loss.

Overall, risk assessments generate greater awareness of risks and injuries among employees, which, in turn, leads to fewer injuries and accidents occurring. Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that the employees carrying out the work activity are made aware of the results of the risk assessment, and are appropriately trained and provided with the necessary information to carry out their duties safely and in line with the risk assessment. This allows employees to proactively protect themselves and their colleagues from harm.

Need a Course?

We have a catalogue of Health and Safety courses for both large and small businesses that can help you stay safe in your workplace. Such as our Asbestos Awareness course, our Manual Handling course or our Health and Safety Training for Managers course.

How to Do a Risk Assessment

As previously mentioned, the risk assessment must be carried out by a competent person or a team of competent people. A competent person is someone with the required skills, knowledge, experience and training to effectively assess the risks of the work activity and enforce suitable controls to manage them. This will likely be a manager or supervisor, with support from external specialists where necessary.

As someone carrying out the risk assessment process, you must know when to carry one out and the steps involved in conducting one effectively. A risk assessment should be completed before any work involving potential hazards is started or when there are significant changes to the work. The five steps of the risk assessment process are outlined below:

1. Identify the hazards arising from the work being undertaken.
   This involves examining the work activity and environment and what hazards these may pose, including considerations such as the location and environment of these tasks and the equipment or materials that will be used. As part of this step, it’s important to involve the employees carrying out the work activities, as they can provide key insights on the hazards associated with their role.
2. Decide who might be harmed by the identified hazards and how.
   Once the hazards have been identified, the next step is to consider who may be at risk of being harmed by them. Most often, this will be employees, but it may also include members of the public, contractors and any other people visiting the workplace. 
3. Evaluate the risks arising from the hazards and decide on the control measures needed.
   This step involves considering and assessing the likelihood and severity of harm resulting from the hazards found and what control measures are required to eliminate or reduce the risks to as low as is reasonably practicable. As part of step three, you should consider what control measures are already in place and what else can be done to eliminate or control the risks. Control measures should be considered in line with the hierarchy of control, which is a system used to support assessing and prioritising control measures. For more information on using the hierarchy of control, you should consider taking our Risk Assessment Course.
4. Record the significant findings and implement changes.
   Legally, employers must record any findings from a risk assessment when they have five or more employees working for them. However, it is good practice to record any findings, even if there are less than five employees. The risk assessment must show that a proper check was made for all potential hazards, including considerations of anyone who may be affected and that the precautions implemented are reasonable.
5. Regularly review your assessment and update it if necessary.
   The final step in a risk assessment is to ensure it is regularly reviewed and updated  The risk assessment must be reviewed anytime there are significant changes, such as a change of location, a change of equipment, new staff members or there is any other reason to suspect that the risk assessment may no longer be valid. Where there are no changes, it is recommended that the risk assessment be reviewed at least once a year. However, depending on your work activities, this may need to be more frequent. 

Risk Assessment Template

The following risk assessment template can be downloaded for you to use within your workplace. It’s important to note that for this to be as effective as possible in meeting your legal obligations, you will need to tailor this to the specific hazards and controls in your workplace and work activities.

We also have some other articles tailored to more specific roles, all including a free risk assessment template, such as our Bricklaying Risk Assessment, Workplace Pregnancy Risk Assessment, Beauty Salon Risk Assessment, Plumbing Risk Assessment and Cleaning Risk Assessment.

Understanding what a risk assessment at work is and why they are important, along with having an awareness of how to do a risk assessment and the steps involved in creating one, is a fundamental part of maintaining workplace safety. This knowledge, along with the risk assessment template provided, will help you to manage the hazards and risks associated with your work activities to create a safer workplace environment.

Further Resources:

• Health and Safety Courses
• What Should Be In A First Aid Kit?
• What are Safe Systems of Work?
• Office Health and Safety Quiz
• What is ISO 31000 – Risk Management?

The post Risk Assessment at Work: Free Template appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

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: 

• Hot work.
• Cold work. 
• Chemical work. 
• Working at height.
• Working in confined spaces. 

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:

• How to Conduct a First Aid Needs Assessment: Free Template
• Working in Confined Spaces Hazards and Control Measures 
• Electrical Safety Training
• What is ISO 31000 – Risk Management?

The post What are Safe Systems of Work? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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. 
5. 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. 
6. 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. 
7. 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: 

• Workplace First Aid Quiz
• Guidance for First Aid Kits in the Workplace 
• Workplace Health and Safety Quiz 
• First Aid Qualifications: The Difference Between FAW and EFAW
• How to Support Individuals After Giving First Aid Assistance
• How to Carry Out the Primary Survey Using the DRABC Steps
• Online First Aid Courses

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

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: 

1. Suitable for its intended purpose.
2. Safe for use. 
3. Properly maintained and regularly inspected by a competent and trained individual. 
4. Operated, supervised and managed by competent and trained individuals, only. 
5. 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: 

1. 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

2. 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. 

3. 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. 

4. 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. 

5. 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. 

Further Reading

• Ten Common Construction Site Hazards 
• RIDDOR: How to Report an Incident or Accident at Work
• 15 Workshop Hazards and How to Avoid Them
• What are the Consequences of Poor Health and Safety Procedures? 
• Health and Safety Training for Employees Course 

The post Grinding Safety Precautions and Control Measures appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.

In this article we’ll outline what gypsum is and the important role it plays in the construction industry. We’ll also explain the risks associated with gypsum powder and the relationship between gypsum and asbestos in construction.

What is Gypsum?

Gypsum is a soft sulphate mineral with a white or grey colour, known scientifically as calcium sulphate dihydrate. It has the chemical formula CaSO4 2H2O, meaning it’s made up of calcium, sulphur, oxygen and water.

It is a naturally occurring mineral found in sedimentary rock layers and forms when water evaporates in mineral-rich marine soil environments. As time passes, more water evaporates, more minerals are brought to the surface and a solid deposit forms – this is gypsum. 

Gypsum deposits are found and mined worldwide, from the US and Brazil to Russia and Thailand. It is most commonly extracted using surface mining, then crushed using industrial machines and screened to sort it into different-sized pieces with different commercial uses. 

The mineral has been used in society for thousands of years. For example, alabaster – a solid form of gypsum – was used by ancient civilizations to create sculptures, while gypsum powder was used as a building material for the Egyptian pyramids. 

Today, gypsum can be found in the walls, floors and ceilings of many buildings, in fertilisers, as a food additive, in toothpaste, in medicine for creating casts and in many other places. Gypsum is hugely beneficial in our modern society, but it has its most significant uses in construction, where its properties, such as sound insulation and fire resistance, have improved the safety and efficiency of construction projects. 

Types of Gypsum in Construction

If you haven’t heard of gypsum before, you may be surprised at the number of building materials made from, or containing, gypsum. When added to building materials, gypsum improves that material’s functional and structural properties, meaning gypsum-based materials are used widely and frequently in construction. 

When used in building materials for construction, some of the properties gypsum transfers to that material include:

• Heat resistance. 
• Moisture resistance.
• Sound absorbency.
• Fire resistance.
• Strength and durability – including crack resistance. 
• Fast setting and hardening. 

What is Gypsum Powder?

In construction, gypsum is most often used in powder form. When solid, natural gypsum is heated up, it loses some or all of its water molecules, turning it into a powder. In the construction industry, this is known as plaster. Depending on how much heat is applied to the gypsum, you can create different types of gypsum plaster with varying construction uses. 

When water is added to the plaster, it sets and becomes solid gypsum again. This allows the gypsum to be moulded into almost any shape or smoothed flat for surfaces, providing many uses for construction. 

How is Gypsum Used in Construction?

Some of the main uses of gypsum in construction today include, but are not limited to: 

• Plasterboard: Also known as drywall or gypsum board, plasterboard is made from a gypsum core, which sometimes contains additives to improve its structural qualities. The core is sandwiched between thick paper called a backer and facer. Plasterboard has fire resistant and sound proofing properties, is light, quick to install and cheap. This makes it a popular choice of material for building interior walls, including partition walls and ceilings, meaning most modern residential, industrial and commercial buildings will contain gypsum. 
• Decorative plaster: When gypsum is heated to make plaster, this is known as plaster of Paris. Plaster of Paris is useful for creating moulds, models and casts in construction and decorating. It is also quick drying and usually shrink and crack resistant once dry. 
• Concrete: Gypsum is added to cement to increase the time taken for the cement to dry and harden, this improves the stability of the resulting concrete. 
• Gypsum fibreboard: Similar to plasterboard, gypsum fibreboard is used to line walls, ceilings, roofs and floors. It has soundproofing qualities as well as being shock and humidity resistant. 
• Building plaster: Gypsum plaster is used in walls and ceilings. It is easy to apply and sets quickly making it a popular choice of building material. 
• Plaster block: This comes in the form of gypsum tiles which are used in ceilings and gypsum blocks which are used for partitions in buildings. Their fire resistance makes them useful for projects like public buildings or buildings with a high fire risk. 
• Gypsum-based self-levelling screed: Used for ground levelling in buildings, this is a self-levelling mortar that can also be used as a base for ground decorative materials. It is stronger, more thermally stable and less prone to cracks than cement mortar. 

It’s clear that building materials containing gypsum are used at some point during the construction of most buildings, showing just how useful and effective it is for the industry. However, because gypsum has been used in construction for so long, there’s a risk that some of these gypsum-based materials could also be contaminated with asbestos. 

Does Gypsum Contain Asbestos?

The simple answer to this question is no, in its natural form gypsum does not contain asbestos. However, according to the Health and Safety Executive, there is a risk to health when working with gypsum-based plasterboard, if gypsum dust becomes airborne, as the dust may contain asbestos fibres. With this warning in mind, it’s unsurprising that people may believe gypsum contains asbestos. 

Although this is not the case, there is a link between gypsum and asbestos in the construction industry which means that asbestos control measures must be taken in some scenarios when working with gypsum-based building materials.

Does Plasterboard Contain Asbestos?

In the 1930s, gypsum plasterboard became a popular building material in the construction industry. At the same time, another mineral was becoming a popular addition to construction building materials – asbestos. Construction workers, and the wider population were unaware of the serious health risks we know about today, that come from inhaling and ingesting asbestos fibres. 

Asbestos was viewed in the same light as gypsum – as a useful substance which could improve the properties of building materials and the efficiency of construction projects. Like gypsum, asbestos was an effective insulator and strengthener, had fire resistant and sound proofing properties and could protect against corrosion. For these reasons, asbestos was used as an additive in various building materials – including in plasterboard. This means that in buildings constructed between the 1930s, when using plasterboard became popular, and the 1990s, when the use of asbestos was prohibited, there’s a chance that the plasterboard in the walls and ceiling will contain asbestos. 

When plasterboard is painted, the asbestos becomes sealed inside and the risk of harm is greatly reduced as asbestos fibres need to be airborne to reach the lungs. However, if that plasterboard were to be disturbed or damaged, then the asbestos fibres could be released and become dangerous. This means that if you are looking to do construction on a building which was built during this time period, it’s extremely important that the area is tested for asbestos and a risk assessment is carried out first. If you’d like more information on how to carry out an asbestos risk assessment, check out our article, here.

It has become common environmental practice in the construction industry to recycle old gypsum plasterboard into new plasterboard. To do this, the boards are broken down to a powder, at which point the powder is tested for asbestos. As it has been illegal since 1999 to use asbestos, if the tests identify asbestos in plaster then it cannot be reused. 

It isn’t just plasterboard produced during this time that poses an asbestos risk – in fact, one of the most common materials asbestos was used in during this time was joint compound which supports plasterboard. Joint compound is made primarily from gypsum powder but when using asbestos was still legal, asbestos was often also included in the mix. Again, in its solid form it isn’t necessarily dangerous to you, but as soon as dust or powder is produced, allowing asbestos fibres into the air, there becomes a serious risk of long-term harm. 

As well as the risk of gypsum-based building materials containing asbestos as an additive, asbestos-free building materials can also become contaminated if installed in a building with materials containing asbestos. So, even if a gypsum-based material didn’t contain asbestos when it was made, it can still become contaminated after being installed. 

Want to Learn More?

Our Asbestos Awareness course teaches you about what asbestos is and where you might encounter it, as well as the dangers of working with asbestos and what to do if you discover it, helping you to keep yourself and others safe from harm.

Can Gypsum Cause Harm?

Although natural gypsum doesn’t contain asbestos, there is a risk that gypsum-based building materials will be contaminated with asbestos if made before asbestos was banned in 1999. However, it is the asbestos fibres and not the gypsum itself that poses the most severe risk to your health.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, asbestos is the biggest occupational disease risk to construction workers. 

Despite gypsum being nontoxic, if ingested or inhaled regularly, any construction dust can cause serious harm to health, including gypsum dust. There should be control measures in place to protect workers in the construction industry from construction dust and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations sets strict legal limits on the amount of construction dust someone can be exposed to. 

In this article, you’ve learnt what gypsum is and how important it is for the construction industry, as well as the risks associated with gypsum powder and its relationship to asbestos. We hope you’ve found this article helpful and informative, whether you work in the construction industry or just want to learn more about a substance around us. 

Further Resources: 

• What is Asbestos Awareness Training & Who Needs it?
• What is Asbestos?
• How to Conduct an Asbestos Risk Assessment
• Asbestos Quiz
• Can You Remove Asbestos Yourself?
• What are the Differences between Friable and Non-Friable Asbestos?

The post What is Gypsum in Construction? appeared first on The Hub | High Speed Training.