Effective Health and Safety Training

Objectives of Training

Health and safety training is intended to reduce occupational ill health and accidents.

Of course, there are other aims, which may be considered secondary but are nonetheless substantial, such as:

Avoid the stress everyone experiences when accidents happen.
Improve employee efficiency
Safeguard the welfare of competent, experienced staff
Avoid the financial costs from loss of production, compensation claims, lost contracts and possibly even criminal prosecutions.

There is also a clear legal duty to "provide whatever information, instruction and training is needed to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of employees".

Training can help improve safety by:

Educating workers to the hazards and risks they may face in the workplace, along with the arrangements for mitigating them.
Explaining how accidents can happen and how to reduce them
Explaining types of injuries and ill health, along with their causes and how to prevent them.
Training how to use specific work equipment and personal protective equipment.

Training Courses are Not Enough

There is, however, a fundamental problem. We cannot assume that having attended a training course, people are "competent" to carry out their duties safely. We may be complying with the letter of the law but still not reduce the incidence of occupational ill health and accidents.

This is why EDP Consultants prefer to think in terms of worker "competence" rather than worker "training".

For example, we prefer to speak of a "Competency Needs Analysis" rather than a "Training Needs Analysis".

A competent person is one who has thoroughly understood and knows how to apply what they have learned to their own circumstances. Training that does not positively impact a person’s behaviour, has failed to achieve its primary objective.

To be truly effective, training cannot be considered in isolation from other health and safety responsibilities, such as mentoring, supervision and monitoring.

HSE's Five Step Approach

The HSE addresses this point in their approach to training. In summary, they recommend:

Step 1 – Assess the needs
Step 2 – Prioritise
Step 3 – Choose methods and resources
Step 4 – Deliver the training
Step 5 – Check that it has worked

The last step is key in that it checks if the training has resulted in Competency and yet it is the step that is easiest to forget about.

A fuller explanation of the HSE approach to training is available from their website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg345.pdf

Training in Context

For this reason, EDP prefers to deliver training within the context of a comprehensive Safety Management System (SMS). Such a system, properly implemented, helps to highlight what competencies are needed for safe working and who needs them.

Most importantly, it incorporates the checks that ensure training results in genuine improvements in competency rather than merely "ticking the boxes".

Many organisations already have SMS systems in place and can benefit from Training Programmes such as provided by EDP, including Scheduled Public Courses.

Where a Safety Management System is not in place, it is wise to give more attention to the Training Needs Analysis stage (Competency Needs Analysis), to be sure time, effort and money is being invested for maximum benefit.

Contact EDP HS&E Consultants for all your health, safety and environment needs. We can check your current arrangements and advise you about any changes or improvements you need to make.

To discuss your requirements, without any obligation on your part, please gives us a call on 01744 766000 or complete the Enquiry Form on our website.

In addition to our regular newsletters, you can also keep up with the latest information from EDP by visiting our blog at http://edp-uk.blogspot.com/