Tag: risk assessment

5 Things Every Workplace Risk Assessment Should Include

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

Risk assessments play a vital role in keeping your workplace safe and are an essential pillar of an effective health and safety strategy, whichever industry you are in. Identifying and managing your workplace risks regularly enables you to protect your employees by mitigating the hazards and supplying the necessary training, whilst also ensuring you remain compliant. However, many risk assessments fall short due to missing or skimming past some of the most crucial elements.

So, to help you strengthen your processes, here are five essential components every workplace risk assessment should include.

1. Clear Identification of Hazards

The first step of any risk assessment is to thoroughly identify all the potential hazards across the workplace. This includes all physical, ergonomic, or long-term hazards, many which may not be immediately obvious. This creates a clear outlay of the risks, so that you can work towards a plan to mitigate them effectively.

During your assessments, you should also consider the impact of any changes occurring throughout your workday, including any lighting, weather, personnel or processes that may differ. Reviewing your incident reports regularly can also help reveal common health and safety risks and failings.

2. Who is at risk?

When working towards achieving safer workplace practices, understanding who might be affected by each hazard is crucial in order to pinpoint how to best protect the individuals. This includes not only employees but also contractors, visitors, and even members of the public – depending on your workplace layout and operations.

This allows you to adjust the processes according to their level of experience and knowledge via a range of techniques, whether that be improving your staff training, moving staff around, or even changing the processes entirely. This also opens up the opportunity to spot developing patterns, thereby potentially preventing any individuals from being overexposed to hazards.

3. Implementing Control Measures

With the vulnerabilities now identified, you must evaluate the level of risk each hazard presents and identify all existing control measures. Commonly this can be done through a rating system such as a risk matrix/register, to easily prioritise the most dangerous areas. Determine if the control measures are adequate or if further action is required to bolster your health and safety practices to reduce the risks.

In this step, it is also crucial to consider how hazards may overlap and interact with each other, as often long-term risks and fatigue can increase the chances of a health and safety failing.

When implementing mitigation techniques, it is important to remember the hierarchy of controls, providing a guide to the most effective strategies:

  • Elimination – Removing the hazard completely
  • Substitution – Replacing the process or hazard with a safer alternative
  • Engineering Controls – Changing the systems to minimise risk exposure
  • Administrative Controls – Changing practices to reduce the potential risk
  • PPE – Directly protecting the individual from the risk

4. Employee Involvement and Consultation

No one knows your workplace quite like your staff, as interacting with different parts of their working environment day in day out gives them a unique perspective and understanding of potential health and safety issues and concerns. Co-operating with your employees during a risk assessment is crucial to revealing the overall picture, helping you be aware of hazards that may have otherwise gone unnoticed whilst also enhancing your health and safety culture – making staff feel heard and valued.

During this step, it is also vital that you ensure all staff are up to date with the latest emergency plans and processes to verify their safety and others in the event of an emergency.

5. Introducing a Review Schedule and Documenting

Finally, workplace risk assessments are not one-off exercises. They should be living documents, updated and reviewed whenever there are changes in procedures, equipment or personnel, with significant changes demanding a full re-assessment. With this in mind, scheduled review intervals are essential to upkeep a safe workplace. Depending on your working environment and the risks involved these timescales can fluctuate, being unique to your organisation, generally sitting between every quarter to biannual reviews

On top of a regular review cycle, make sure you are thoroughly documenting your finding. This is not only good practice, but it’s a legal requirement across the UK. A clear and structured record shows that the risk assessment was completed properly and outlines who is responsible for actions and their deadlines.

Documenting and scheduling reviews is often made easier through the use of standardised templates, helping your reviews to meet the same criteria. This can be further aided by risk assessment software to maintain consistency and keep within deadlines.

Conclusion

Workplace risk assessments are a fundamental part of your health and safety management, but their requirements can be blurry, so completing them correctly is vital to ensure the safety of your work premises. By ensuring your assessment includes these five key elements, you will create a strong foundation for a safer and more compliant workplace. Whilst the inclusion of staff into your practices will improve your workplace’s safety culture, ultimately creating a much safer working environment for everyone.

Who is Responsible for Fire Safety Awareness in the Workplace?

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

Among all health and safety responsibilities in the workplace, fire safety is perhaps the most important – and certainly the most prominent. With more than 13,000 fires attended by Fire and Rescue Services last year in workplaces and other non-residential buildings, accidental and deliberate fires remain a huge concern.

Most people think that the responsibilities for fire safety rest solely on the employer, but fire safety in the workplace is a shared effort among employers, employees, fire wardens/marshals, and even governmental organisations.

Here’s a brief look into who plays key roles in ensuring fire safety awareness in the workplace:

Employers

The employer, also most likely the ‘responsible person’, bears the primary responsibility for fire safety in the workplace. As the overall decision-maker and provider of business resources, they are pivotal in fire safety awareness.

According to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, employers must:

  • Conduct a comprehensive fire risk assessment to identify potential hazards
  • Implement fire prevention measures and emergency procedures
  • Provide fire safety training to employees
  • Ensure fire extinguishers, alarms, and exits are maintained and accessible

Employees

While employers create the framework, employees are ultimately responsible for adhering to fire safety rules and procedures. Their roles include:

  • Staying informed about fire safety training and procedures
  • Reporting potential fire hazards or faulty equipment
  • Acting responsibly during emergencies and evacuation drills

When employees actively participate, this builds and strengthens the overall fire safety culture of the workplace.

Fire Wardens

In Article 18 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, employers are required to appoint one or more trained people to help in carrying out preventive and protective fire safety measures. In many organisations, the duties of fire wardens/marshals involve:

  • Assisting the employer with routine fire risk assessments
  • Spotting, fixing, and/or reporting any fire hazards
  • Regularly checking fire alarms, extinguishers, and emergency exits
  • During an emergency, acting quickly to ensure everyone is alerted to a fire
  • Acting as points of contact during emergencies

Appointing and fully training fire wardens ensures that fire safety standards are consistently upheld.

Government Authorities

Local fire authorities and government bodies provide the regulatory framework for workplace fire safety. They enforce laws, offer guidance, and conduct inspections to ensure organisations meet their obligations.

The main pieces of fire safety legislation are:

  • Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004
  • Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

Additional fire safety guidance is also crucial and can sometimes differ depending on industry, because some workplaces are more prone to fire accidents or arson than others.

To enforce the law, fire safety inspectors have the power to enter premises to carry out an inspection to ensure that a business is not breaking any laws.

Altogether, these authorities form the backbone of fire safety policies that employers and employees must follow.

To conclude, fire safety awareness in the workplace cannot be the responsibility of a single entity. It requires the collective effort of employers, employees, fire wardens, and governmental authorities to create a safe and compliant environment.

By understanding and embracing their roles, everyone in the workplace contributes to minimising the risk of fires and ensuring swift action in the event of one, whilst also protecting lives and property.

How to Create a Positive Health & Safety Culture

Posted on by Melusi Chirikure

Health and safety management extends much further than just being a box-ticking exercise. How you treat your health and safety can have vast implications on your workplace culture, whether you intend it to or not. Taking the time to foster a positive safety culture has the potential to bring a host of benefits to your business such as reducing injuries and costs, whilst creating a positive environment at work; which will boost your organisation’s productivity, morale and reputation.

However, altering your business’s safety culture takes time and can be challenging, requiring strong teamwork to instill your new behaviours, attitudes and values across your team. So, in order to help, we have picked out the 4 key areas that typically impact your workplace culture and how you can influence a positive change.

Policies

Starting with your health and safety policies, these play a vital role in the upkeep of your health and safety, ensuring that everyone knows and follows the set rules and guidance. But when was the last time you reviewed your policies and procedures?

Your policies should already be reviewed regularly, but this is especially important when trying to build a positive safety culture. Updating your policies not only shows your team that health and safety remains a top priority, but you should also ensure that your updated policies are centered around the best practices possible, placing safety above everything.

Management

How you manage your business and staff members has a drastic impact on your safety culture, with your words and actions weighing in heavily on your staff’s behaviours and attitudes towards safety. With this in mind, you should reinforce the idea that “safety comes first” – encouraging staff not to skip or brush over any checks or processes, even if they are in a rush.

You should also be mindful of how you communicate this, promoting this culture change through your actions as you lead by example. This means regularly assessing your workplace hazards and addressing risks proactively, whilst also encouraging employees to contribute to safer workplace practices.

Training

Training is arguably the biggest factor in your health and safety, because without the correct knowledge and training, even the best policies will fall short. This highlights the importance of a well-structured training plan, required to keep your staff well-equipped with the knowledge and understanding to be able to complete their day-to-day tasks safely. 

Your training plan should:

  • Follow a schedule – with frequent training to keep your employees’ knowledge and skills up to date.
  • Be role-specific – consider each employee’s role and ensure that they receive the relevant training required to complete their job safely, accounting for any PPE, machines, or unique risks they may face.
  • Be delivered to a high-quality – engaging high-quality courses are critical for your staff, ensuring that they retain the necessary information and lessons throughout their training.

Communication

The final pillar in improving your organisation’s safety culture is communication. You must be open to your staff and encourage them to step forward with any health and safety concerns which they may have. This is vital to create a strong level of trust and confidence throughout your team, enabling you to act quickly upon their concerns and cement your attitude towards health and safety within your team.

You should regularly provide your staff opportunities to communicate, whether that is through meetings or proactively asking them. This will be a welcoming addition to improving your organisation’s communication. Alongside this, including your team in health and safety decisions will further make them feel valued and open to communicate more.

Over time, implementing all of these steps combine to build a strong positive health and safety culture where it is understood and shared by your staff that safety comes first. This will influence your team’s attitude and behaviours towards health and safety to ultimately build a safer workplace, also boosting your team’s morale and reducing injuries & costs, whilst building a strong health and safety reputation as a bonus.

Health and Safety Considerations for Lone Working

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

Lone working is when employees work in isolation without direct supervision, and is increasingly common in various industries. But, whilst it offers more flexibility and autonomy for workers, it also presents a unique set of health and safety challenges.

Here is a comprehensive guide to understanding and addressing these considerations:

Workman Climbing a ladder whilst working alone outside.

Risk Assessment

Conducting a thorough risk assessment is a crucial first step in ensuring the safety of lone workers. Identifying all potential hazards such as equipment malfunction, health emergencies, or even the risk of violence. Doing so, Enables you to assess the severity of these risks and prioritise them to develop strategies to effectively eliminate them, creating a safer work environment.

Training and Awareness

To prepare individuals for lone working, you must first ensure that they have thorough training on the correct safety procedures, emergency responses, and the proper use of any equipment they will be using to properly carry out their job.

After following a comprehensive training plan, lone workers should be able to recognise potential hazards and know how to respond effectively. Afterwards, regular refresher training can help to keep their safety knowledge up-to-date, reminding them of the potential risks they may face.

Smartlog Laptop on the desk

Access to Communication

When someone is working on their own, communication is extremely important. It is crucial to establish robust communication systems, including regular check-ins by phone (or other instant communication devices), GPS tracking, or even emergency alert systems. Ensuring that lone workers can quickly and easily call for help in the event of an emergency is crucial to mitigating the risks.

Emergency Procedures

In more detail, you should clearly define emergency procedures which are tailored to lone working scenarios. This includes knowing who to contact, how to access emergency services, and the location of first aid kits. Having a clearly established and well-practiced emergency plan can make all the difference in a critical situation.

A pile of evacuation plans and fire alarms.

A Safe Working Environment

Ensure the working environment is safe and secure for lone workers. This includes keeping the workplace brightly lit, maintaining secure access points, and confirming all vehicles and work equipment are in good working condition. Regular inspections and maintenance can prevent breakdowns or accidents, and create a safer workplace.

Health and Psychological Support

You should keep on top of the health and well-being of lone workers, especially those in physically or mentally demanding roles. Often, lone working can lead to feelings of isolation or stress, and providing access to psychological support, such as counselling services or peer support groups, can help address and prevent these issues.

Encouraging regular social interaction, even if virtual, can also reduce feelings of isolation. For physical wellbeing, regular health check-ups can identify potential issues before they develop into anything more serious.

Different health metric symbols, signifying the importance of lone working support.

You should always ensure that you are fully compliant with health and safety regulations. This includes understanding your legal obligations as an employer, keeping up with all changes in legislation, and ensuring that all safety measures meet or exceed regulatory standards.

Remember, non-compliance can both jeopardise worker safety and lead to serious legal repercussions.

Encouraging Feedback

You should encourage regular feedback from lone workers to identify any areas of concern. Not only will this help them feel valued, but it will allow you to implement any improvements based on their experiences, helping to create a safer work environment. Also, remember to regularly review and update safety protocols to ensure that they remain effective.

By addressing all these health and safety considerations, you can ultimately create a safer and more supportive environment for lone workers in your organisation. Prioritising their wellbeing not only enhances productivity, but also demonstrates a clear commitment to their overall safety and security.

The Importance of PPE in Your Workplace

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

PPE plays a vital role in keeping people safe at work by protecting the individual from risks that can’t be eliminated through standard risk mitigation. However, this makes it crucial to understand when and where it is needed to ensure your organisation’s health and safety practices are up to standard. So, let’s dive into it.

A safety helmet demonstrating an example of PPE.

What is PPE?

First, let’s cover the basics: Personal Protective Equipment –  often referred to as PPE, is all equipment intended to be used by a person at work to protect them from the risks present in their working environment.

This includes everything protecting you from hazards, such as high-vis clothing for conditions with poor visibility, to harnesses protecting you when working at height; no matter the severity of the risks it’s protecting you from.

When must PPE be used?

PPE must be used to ensure that any remaining risks/hazards, identified in your risk assessments, are adequately controlled, and should only be used when the risks cannot be eliminated by other means. This is due to the other means of risk mitigation being safer and more effective.

If you can avoid or eliminate the risks directly, this creates a much safer environment than applying protective measures; making PPE most suitable as a ‘last resort’ option. This is also reinforced by the HSE placing it last in its hierarchy of controls:

“Elimination – physically remove the hazard

Substitution – replace the hazard

Engineering controls – isolate people from the hazard

Administrative controls – change the way people work

PPE – protect the worker with personal protective equipment”

This makes the use of PPE necessary in high-risk environments such as construction sites, where for example, falling objects and moving machinery can’t be eliminated as a risk, making a hard hat, high-vis clothing and steel-capped shoes the minimum requirement.

A variety of PPE displayed out on a table, showing protective boots, gloves, ear protection, safety glasses, a hard hat and a high-vis jacket.

What does the legislation say?

The use of PPE is covered in many different laws and regulations, however the main two safety acts are the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA), and the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (PPER).

The HSWA prioritises creating a safe environment for your staff with risk mitigation and training, highlighting your duty to provide the necessary equipment and the training/knowledge to achieve this. Whilst the PPER goes into more detail with the requirements:

“Every employer shall ensure that suitable personal protective equipment is provided to his employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work except where and to the extent that such risk has been adequately controlled by other means which are equally or more effective.” – PPER 4.1

This regulation specifies the employers’ duty to provide suitable PPE to protect the employees when any risks are unavoidable and pose a present health and safety hazard.

However, it is crucial for the equipment to be in good working condition, and critical that the staff is trained to safely assess and use the provided equipment. This is because misuse of PPE results in thousands of injuries across the UK every year.

Workers having a safety debrief, covering the importance of PPE usage.

The Importance of PPE

PPE is the crucial last step in your organisation’s health and safety, protecting from the remaining hazards in your workplace to ensure that your staff remain safe. With the right training and maintenance, PPE provides effective protection to help prevent incidents and encourage a safer working environment.

7 Tips to work safely with height

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

Working at height can be extremely dangerous when not safely monitored and according to the HSE there are over 40,000 injuries in the UK every year. So today we will cover 7 crucial tips to ensure you follow safe practices when working at height, covering everything from equipment to common mistakes.

1. Assess the risks

When working at height it is crucial to assess the task(s) at hand and ensure that it is safe to proceed before putting yourself at any risk. This may not have to be a formal assessment if your workplace has a valid assessment in place. The key things to check in your assessment are:

– The height of the task – how much risk does that place on the job?

– The duration and frequency of the job – if it is a long task consider breaking it up into manageable chunks. And if it is a frequent job consider a more thorough assessment.

– The condition of the equipment and surfaces – ensure you have the necessary equipment in good condition and the surfaces you will be working on are safe and dry to avoid slips.

Man moving a ladder, and inspecting if it is safe to use.

2. Is it the appropriate time?

To reduce the risk of working with height consider if there is a better time to complete the tasks and if possible, can the job be avoided with a workaround from the ground? If the task is necessary, then take into account the factors that increase the risk.

This could be the training of the person carrying out the job, is there someone more experienced? Or the weather conditions and time of day, is there a quieter time of day or lower-risk conditions to work in?

3. Have you got the correct training?

Training and knowledge are crucial elements in keeping safe when working at height, so ensure that you have the appropriate training before putting yourself at risk. Training can be given in many forms, from direct 1 on 1 training to online training, depending on your needs.

Make sure you are trained well and have covered the relevant topics for the tasks you may encounter, some key topics include:

– The use of ladders

– Selecting and using the correct equipment/PPE

– Using MEWP’s (Mobile Elevator Working Platforms)

– Responsibilities when working at height

– The laws and regulations

Man about to climb the ladder ensuring it is placed correctly, and safe to climb at height.

4. Using the correct equipment

Ensuring the correct preventative measures are in place is crucial to minimizing the risks. This involves ensuring the correct CPE (Collective Protective Equipment) is in place and the appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is used when necessary.

Some common examples of CPE include guard rails, scaffolding, and scissor lifts. Common examples of PPE include safety harnesses, a helmet and safety restraints.

Not only is having the correct equipment and knowing how to use it safely crucial, but it is also important that it is all in good condition. Making regular equipment checks vital to safe working procedures.

Man using PPE whilst working at height to keep safe.

5. Safety on Ladders

Ladders are often thought of as the go-to equipment when working at height due to their simple appearance. However, the risks they can carry are often underestimated, as they have been reported to be responsible for up to 40% of the injuries caused by falls from height.

So, despite their ‘simple to use’ appearance make sure you know how to use them correctly, here are some key mistakes to avoid:

– Don’t rest them on weak surfaces

– Don’t place them near anything that could push the ladder, such as windows and doors.

– Place them on flat and level ground, ensuring that the ground is dry.

– Ensure that the ladder is roughly placed at a 75-degree angle, this increases its stability.

6. Do’s and don’ts when working with height

Within any field, it is important to know the ins and outs of what you should and shouldn’t do, so here are some quickfire points to make sure you keep safe when working at height:

Do:

– Keep 3 points of contact on the ladder and don’t overreach on them.

– Ensure you aren’t at the very top, as this will make the ladder unstable.

– Check your equipment before use

Don’t:

– Overload the ladder or equipment you are using

– Overreach or lean over any railings/ladders

– Use ladders/equipment without training

Men climbing scaffolding whilst working at height.

7. Review your processes

Even if you don’t frequently work from height, a simple review of your processes can be beneficial to decrease the likelihood of injury through falls. This can be formal or on the fly, but for more frequent use it is important to review your processes regularly.

As part of your review, you need to consider if the processes you currently follow are still appropriate and compliant with the law. For example, if you have recently changed part of your environment or the factors are weather-dependent, make sure you have the correct PPE/CPE available if necessary and in good condition. Or if you don’t currently use anything more than a ladder, review if another machine may be more suitable and safer, such as a scissor lift. It’s also important to take training into account within these reviews.

References

HSE (2023) ‘Falls From Height’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/food/falls.htm (Accessed: 9/2/24)

HSE (2023) ‘Health and Safety Summary Statistics 2022/2023’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overview.htm (Accessed: 9/2/24)

What is a Workplace Inspection?

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

A Workplace Inspection is the process of acutely examining the workplace to identify hazards and ensure that all health and safety standards are met. This then allows you to ensure that your workplace is safe and compliant and allows you to mitigate/eliminate the remaining risks.

Under the Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, every employer must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of both the risks to the health and safety of their employees that they encounter while at work, and the risks to the people not under employment.

What are the different types of inspections?

Workplace inspections can be either formal or informal, with the informal inspections being quick checks. There are four types of formal inspections, and they are:

  • Safety surveys – a general inspection of high-risk areas, activities, or processes
  • Safety Tours – a general inspection of the whole workplace
  • Safety Sampling – a systematic sampling approach of the high-risk areas, activities, or processes
  • Incident/accident inspections – After an incident has occurred (near miss, injury, or fatality) a full inspection of the cause and prevention. (this may need to be reported to the relevant health and safety authority)
Workplace Safety handbook with PPE surrounding

Who should complete the workplace inspection?

A formal inspection of the workplace should be carried out by multiple people ranging from health and safety specialists/committee members to supervisors/managers. This will often require you to bring in an external health and safety expert to ensure nothing is missed.

The HSE states that for formal inspections “Union-appointed health and safety representatives can inspect the workplace. They have to give reasonable notice in writing when they intend to carry out a formal inspection of the workplace, and have not inspected it in the previous three months”.

When do you need to complete a workplace inspection?

How often a workplace inspection is required depends on many variables, from the nature/risk of your workplace to significant changes occurring. But with no set timeframe it is up to discretion, here are some things to consider when deciding on the frequency of your regular inspections.

Workplace risk – the level of risk plays a huge role in how often an inspection is required with high-risk environments, such as a construction site, requiring frequent inspections when compared to an office for example.

Significant Changes – How often your workplace changes is also important when determining how often you need to carry out inspections, as significant change will deem your old inspection outdated and will need to be reviewed as soon as possible. Significant change can be anything from a large change in staff (both numbers and experience) to a change of building layout or premises completely or even a change in equipment/machinery.

Specialists’ opinion – Formal inspections require a health and safety specialist present, so you can contact your trusted specialist to recommend your next review/inspection window.

Worker on tablet/iPad completing workplace inspection.

How to complete a workplace inspection

Completing a workplace inspection depending on the environment can contain many different steps. For simpler workspaces, the responsible person will likely be able to use a risk assessment template to complete a sufficient assessment providing they have adequate health and safety experience.

However, for higher-risk or more complex workplaces, it is advised to bring in a health and safety specialist to ensure that your workplace inspections are completed to a high standard. This can then be further improved by assessing the workplace in a group to not miss out on any risks.

References

HSE (2023) ‘Inspections of the Workplace’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/involvement/inspections.htm (Accessed: 17/01/2024)

Legislation.Gov (2014) ‘Health and Safety at Work Act 1974’. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/section/2 (Accessed: 17/01/2024)

How to stay aware of Asbestos

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

Asbestos, we have all heard of it but what actually is it?

Asbestos is a material used in older construction and when disturbed it releases tiny fibres into the air, which become extremely dangerous if inhaled. The material comes in many different forms and can be found in buildings built before the 2000s.

It was commonly used as insulation but is now a banned product in construction, with it being completely banned in 1999. Some common places it was used are:

  • Fireproof panels
  • Cement roofing materials
  • Sprayed insulating coatings on metalwork
  • Pipe insulation
Discarded asbestos material

The risks of asbestos

The main and most dangerous risk of asbestos is inhaling the fibres, this can lead to fatal lung diseases. However, this means it is only a threat when the material is disturbed, so if it is left alone, it poses little to no risk but should be respected.

Staff are particularly at risk of this as they will be the ones moving around your site and interacting with everything. This could put them in a situation where they are exposed to it directly, highlighting why it is important for staff to be aware of the risks.

The workplace as a whole is also at risk to asbestos, as if disturbed it could potentially harm anyone in the vicinity and will require that area to be shut off and assessed. Potentially harming workflow and productivity while the issue is ongoing.

How to prevent the risks

As part of “The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012” the law states that the duty-holder of non-domestic premises must ensure:

  • The type of asbestos is identified and the condition of it.
  • The risks are assessed, and control measures introduced to reduce the risk of exposure
  • They protect anyone using or working on the premises from the risks of asbestos
  • Findings are recorded in an asbestos register

Risk prevention can be simplified into a few practices, one of which is providing information. You should be transparent with your staff both teaching them about the risks and informing them on where it is located in your premises. This can be done by providing information on the risks or more simply an asbestos awareness course. Your asbestos register should also detail where it is present on your premises so you can either show them that or talk them through the relevant locations.

Laptop showing e-Learning courses

Asbestos should only be handled by licensed professionals, so make sure your staff know what to do if they find or worst case are contaminated with asbestos. This should be part of their awareness course and all staff should be aware if they are at risk.

Finally, if a staff member finds unknown asbestos they should stop immediately, warn others to keep out of that area and quickly report the finding to the manager. Where they can take the necessary steps to ensure the area is as safe as possible (this includes both a risk assessment – identifying the type and dangers and a plan to mitigate the impact).

Conclusion

Asbestos has the potential to be dangerous, however, with correct care and management, the risks it possesses can be minimised. As long as the correct measures have been taken to reduce the risks – such as a thorough risk assessment, an asbestos register and complete staff training – the risks will be minimal to both your staff and business, but it still must be treated with respect.

References

HSE (2023) ‘Introduction to Asbestos’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/intro.htm (Accessed: 27/11/2023)

How to create a Classroom Health and Safety Checklist

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

Schools can often be a chaotic environment. From moving chairs and children running around to paper planes flying past, schools are very fast-paced; and with an environment that changes as dynamically and often as this, it can be difficult to keep on top of classroom health and safety.

Therefore, building a solid foundation for classroom safety is important to minimising the present risks to counteract the ever-changing environment.

Full Classroom with everyone raising their hands

Maintaining a safe foundation in every classroom is crucial to protecting everyone present – this includes children, teachers, staff and visitors. However, building this foundation and ensuring the classroom is clear of risks can often be a daunting task, especially when you are not sure what to look for.

To help you with this, we have broken down some of the key points you should check for, based on the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Health and Safety Checklist, which provides a template to assess potential hazards in a standard classroom (not a specialist classroom such as sports facilities, DT areas or Science Labs). 

It is recommended that these checks are undertaken at the start of each term to ensure a good foundation to begin with, or when significant changes occur.

This will help you to identify any new risks before the classrooms start to fill up again. However, this checklist should not be used alone, as it should also be used in conjunction with other school-wide approaches to assessing and managing risks.

Preventing Slips and Trips

Slips and trips make up 55% of injuries in the education sector, so it is important to keep the risks to a minimum. This means preventing slips and trips in the classroom by keeping the walkways and floors clear. Some key areas to check are:

  • the condition of the flooring
  • walkways are free from obstruction (chairs tucked in, cables kept away, spills cleaned up)
  • steps and handrails are well maintained
  • floors aren’t slippery, particularly around entry points.

In regards to falls, the HSE checklist asks whether an appropriate step stool or step ladder is available if needed, and if there are opening windows high in the classroom, is an appropriate window-opener available and in use?

Suitable Furniture and Fixings

Furniture and fixtures (such as cupboards and shelves) can quickly become a hazard by either coming loose or being damaged. So it is important to check their condition and ensure they are still fit for purpose. The HSE checklist further advises checking that portable equipment such as TV sets are housed on a suitable surface, with no danger of being knocked over or slipping off. 

It is also important to check that all hot surfaces such as radiators or hot pipes are protected to avoid the risk of burns, and especially if young children are present, check for any holes or damage that small hands could reach through. If you are on an upper floor, it is also a must to check that window restrictors are still in good condition.

Electrical Equipment Checks

Electrical equipment can create a whole different kind of risk, so it is crucial to check if they are in good condition before use.

The key things to check are switches and plug sockets, as well as plugs and cables. Often damage can vary, so make sure to look carefully at each part, as what can appear as minor damage could still create significant risk. Ensure that any portable electrical equipment has been checked and, where appropriate, tested regularly to help maintain your classroom health and safety.

To keep track of damages, also make sure to report any damaged electrical equipment that has been taken out of service or replaced.

Checking Fire Safety Equipment

Close up of Fire Extinguisher

Fire hazards pose a large risk to schools, so it is critical that your response is well planned, with everyone knowing their role in the event of a fire or drill. Additionally, checking the environment is safe is also key to mitigating risk, so you should check all fire exit doors to ensure that they are unobstructed, kept unlocked and easy to open from inside.

Also, make sure to check that fire-fighting equipment is readily available and fire evacuation procedures are clearly displayed, including procedures for dealing with any vulnerable adults or children.

Follow the link for more detailed fire safety advice.

Ensuring Ventilation and Temperature

Opening a window for ventilation during a health and safety check

Ventilation and heat are commonly forgotten when assessing areas, but they are a factor that should be included. Rooms should have natural ventilation where possible, and an appropriate temperature needs to be maintained, which might normally require that blinds or similar window dressing are provided to protect from glare and heat from the sun.

Some schools still contain asbestos on-site. If this is the case, are staff aware of its location and condition? Ensure that all staff are further aware of the guidelines concerning securing anything to walls or ceilings that may contain asbestos.

Finalising your Classroom Health and Safety Checklist

Throughout this blog we have given you a basic guide taken from the HSE checklist advice; however this does not apply to every classroom or to specialised classrooms.

Therefore use a common sense approach to fill out the blanks and personalise it to your environment. This will help you build your perfect classroom health and safety checklist to help you minimise the risks present, so that as the everyday classroom chaos ensues, you all continue to feel safe.

Bibliography

HSE (2023) ‘Watch your step in education’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/education/ (Accessed: 27/09/2023)

HSE (2011) ‘Health and Safety Checklist for Classrooms’. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/classroom-checklist.pdf (Accessed: 27/09/2023)

Why Health and Safety is crucial for all businesses

Posted on by Charlie Patrick

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people get injured, develop an illness or are killed at work. Although these numbers are mostly trending downwards over time, year-by-year the lives of many people are permanently changed through often through unsafe working conditions and employer negligence.

Health and safety risks can be found in every working environment, so all business owners are required to provide a workplace that is both safe for employees and the public.

However, these risks vary in severity, therefore it is recommended that companies use Risk Assessments and also take preventative measures in order to reduce the risks identified, regardless of their severity.

Whilst some may find the overall process to be time-consuming and, in some cases unnecessary, keeping everybody safe and healthy should be a priority for any organisation – good health and safety practices can boost overall productivity along with making staff feel safe and cared for.

With this in mind, we have put together some of the ways in which good health and safety practices can help.

Preventing Accidents

In 2022, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reported that around 565,000 employees suffered an injury at work, with 150,000 of these people being absent for at least 7 days due to their injury and over 6 million working days being lost.

These statistics show the direct relationship between safety in the workplace and productivity. Every time an employee is absent, it costs the employer both money and resources, which is one of the reasons why avoiding injuries through good risk management should be a top priority for organisations.

It should be noted that not all of the accidents within these statistics will be due to poor health and safety practices, but it is likely to be a key factor.

The effects of stress

Research has found a link between stress and poor health, especially the low-level, chronic stresses often found within the workplace. As well as potentially leading to sickness and absence, due to a weakened immune system, stress can also be demotivating which can lead to employees becoming less productive.

Some of the main factors that contribute to workplace stress include:

  • feeling powerless (no control over your current situation)
  • feeling as if you are wrong for your job
  • witnessing traumatic events within the workplace
  • a poor working environment

Although health and safety practices do not cover all of these issues, any way in which you can relieve stress for your workers will not only benefit them individually, but also the business.

Creating a safe working environment

The conditions of a working environment can affect productivity in a variety of different ways. For example, employees that are often uncomfortable are not going to work to the best of their ability.

On top of that, certain conditions can even affect the health and safety of your employees and therefore lead to absence. Environmental factors which can cause this include:

  • temperature
  • humidity
  • lighting
  • air quality
  • bathroom facilities
  • the presence of dangerous particles (such as asbestos or moulds)

All of these need to be factored into a business’ health and safety practices, with measures in place to protect employees from the risks identified.

The impact on reputation

Health and safety is also a key aspect of a business’ reputation, which can either be positively or negatively affected by your health and safety standards.

Companies that have a reputation of providing a safe working environment, are more likely to be respected and therefore favoured by potential employees. The same is also true of the opposite; a business with a poor reputation for health and safety is less likely to attract workers.

With more avenues for public reviews such as social media channels, and companies such as Glassdoor providing a platform for current or former employees to provide first-hand insight into a business’ practices, the potential for reputational damage is bigger than it has ever been. Additionally, for more serious incidents, the HSE publishes a list of all convictions and notices which is publicly available to view.

Health and safety reputation is also built into the way customers perceive companies, which in turn will affect their choices concerning your products or services. This perception could stop customers from buying a business’ product, therefore creating another crucial reason to upkeep your health and safety standards.

Conclusion

Health and safety can often be complex, and therefore requires good management and commitment. Good practices will not only safeguard your employees and your customers but will also help protect your organisation from lapses in morale and productivity.

Bibliography

HSE (2022) ‘Health and safety statistics’. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/ (Accessed: 06/07/2023)

NHS Inform (2022) ‘Handling Stress’. Available at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/mind-to-mind/handling-stress (Accessed: 06/07/2023)

Glassdoor (2023) ‘About Us’. Available at: https://www.glassdoor.com/about/ (Accessed: 07/08/2023)

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