Lesson 1 When to be alarmed
- Ensure the health and safety of all workers under their direct supervision.
- Know the requirements that apply to the work under their supervision and make sure those requirements are met.
- Ensure workers under their supervision are aware of all known hazards.
- Ensure workers under their supervision have the appropriatepersonal protective equipment, which is being used properly, regularly inspected, and maintained.
- Establish a valid occupational health and safety program.
- Train your employees to do their work safely and provide proper supervision.
- Provide supervisors with the necessary support and training to carry out health and safety responsibilities.
- Ensure adequate first aid equipment, supplies, and trained attendants are on site to handle injuries.
- Regularly inspect your workplace to make sure everything is working properly.
- Fix problems reported by workers.
- Transport injured workers to the nearest location for medical treatment.
- Report all injuries that required medical attention.
- Investigate incidents where workers are injured or equipment is damaged.
- Establish the role of a supervisor
- Identify and control hazards in the workplace.
- Help prevent injuries and disease.
- Limit an organization’s financial losses resulting from injuries and disease.
- Promote a positive health and safety culture.
- Outline the importance of, and provide guidance on, health and safety processes such as workplace inspections, investigations, safe work procedures, management meetings for health and safety, joint health and safety committee requirements, and the tracking and trending of OHS records and statistics.
- Include sub-programs focused on health and safety issues pertinent to your site. For example, your site may have a specific lockout program, a fall protection program, or a confined space entry program.
(a) avoiding risks;
(b) evaluating the risks which cannot be avoided;
(c) combating the risks at source;
(d) adapting the work to the individual, especially as regards the design of work places, the choice of work equipment and the choice of working and production methods, with a view, in particular, to alleviating monotonous work and work at a predetermined work rate and to reducing their effect on health;
(e) adapting to technical progress;
(f) replacing the dangerous by the non-dangerous or the less dangerous;
(g) developing a coherent overall prevention policy which covers technology, organization of work, working conditions, social relationships and the influence of factors related to the working environment;
(h) giving collective protective measures priority over individual protective measures;
(i) giving appropriate instructions to the workers.
- Focusing on accident prevention only instead of ill-health prevention in general
- Not including external service providers (e.g. maintenance workers or cleaners)
- Not including workplaces of temporary workers
- Not meeting “formalities” (e.g. documentation of risk assessments)
- Not involving workers or their representatives.
- Not managing the psychosocial risks of the workplace
- Carry out safety and health risk assessments and provide documentation of the results. This includes the obligations of implementing preventive measures based on the results of the risk assessment;
- Inform the workers about safety and health risks as well as about adequate measures of protection and prevention;
- Provide appropriate safety and health training measures and ensure that each worker can participate. There is obligaton of training on: recruitment, during transfer or a change of job, in the introduction of new work equipment or a change in equipment, in introduction of any new technology. Repeat whenever necessary;
- Take care of measures of emergency response (incl. evacuation procedures, fire fighting and medical services);
- Consult workers and their representatives and allow them to participate in the decision making process concerning safety and health at work;
- Ensure the health surveillance of the workers in accordance with the country’s laws.
- changes in technologies, industries or risks;
- evidence of accidents and ill health, plus public concern;
- European Directives introduced.
- Appoint a competent person – Choose who will help you manage health and safety in your business
- Prepare a health and safety policy – What a policy is and how it helps you manage health and safety
- Risk assessment – How to identify hazards and assess risks at work
- Consult your workers – Involve your workers and inform them about health and safety
- Provide information and training – Tell your workers what their health and safety duties are
- Have the right workplace facilities – Have toilets, washbasins and other welfare facilities workers need
- First aid in work – Advice on your first aid kit, training workers and appointing first aiders
- Display the law poster – You must display the poster or give workers the equivalent leaflet
- Get insurance for your business – Find out why you may need employers’ liability insurance
- The law – The Health and Safety at Work Act, criminal and civil law
- Report accidents and illness – You must report certain injuries, near-misses and work-related illnesses to HSE
- The following guidelines seem to be accepted by EU countries, although not exhaustive
- All EU Countries applied measures because of the pandemic
- Although not universal, there seems to be a common agreement on limiting the number of employees, having hand sanitizer available, use of masks indoors and more frequent cleanings.
- Install a sufficient number of disinfection stations with running water and soap or with disinfectant liquid in prominent places around the workplace.
- Display posters/guidelines promoting handwashing and personal hygiene rules in prominent places around the workplace.
- Apply sanitary measures in toilets (always flush the toilet with the toilet lid down and maintain the lid down when the toilet is not in use).
- Supply your employees with masks and gloves for single use, surface cleaning products and antiseptics.
- Provide the appropriate instructions and train your employees on how to use protective equipment, especially those belonging to vulnerable groups of the population.
- Place closed bins at the entrance and exit points and in prominent locations around the workplace.
- Make sure that each employee has, as far as possible, individual tools and working equipment. Wherever possible, tools should be regularly cleaned before being handed over to another person.