Highfield Level 3 Award in Health and Safety in the Workplace (RQF)

• The main legal framework and laws relating to health and safety at work

· Common and civil law

· Criminal law

· Acts of Parliament

· Regulations

· European law

· The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

· The term ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’

· Enforcement, notices and penalties

• The welfare provisions that should be made by the employer

· Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992

· Duties of employees and employers

§ Provide a healthy and safe place to work

§ Ventilation

§ Temperature

§ Lighting

§ Noise

§ Room space

· Provide safe plant and equipment

· Safe systems of work

· Safe handling, storage and transport of articles and substances

· Information, instruction, training and supervision

· Safe access and egress and traffic routes

· Adequate welfare facilities, such as number of toilets and providing drinking water

· First aid

• The sources and nature of information

· HSE website o HSE Approved codes of practice (ACOPs)

· HSE statistics

· Internal documentation including Accident/Incident records

• Ways that health and safety information can be communicated

· Safety signs – types, shapes and colours

· Toolbox talks

· Team meetings or briefings

· Representatives of employee safety

· Safety representatives/committees

· Trade unions

· Company newsletters

· Emails

· Posters and notices

· Verbal communication

· Safe systems of work

· Risk assessments

· Safety tours

· Induction

· Training

• Define the terms

· Incident and near miss

· accident

· occupational ill health

• The main causes of injuries and ill health at work (availability of HSE statistics)

· Slips, trips and falls

· Manual handling

· Falls from height

· Workplace vehicles

· Stress

• The costs associated with accidents and ill health

· Costs of poor health and safety standards

· Moral, financial and legal aspects

• The typical elements of a safety management system

· The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

· HSG65: Plan, Do, Check, Act

· Health and safety policies

· Emergency arrangements

· Training and competence in the workplace

· Competent persons

· Proactive/reactive measuring and monitoring

• The benefits of using a safety management system

· Benefits of good health and safety standards

· Legal compliance

· Reducing risks and controlling hazards

· Promoting a positive health and safety culture

• The benefits of assessing and controlling risks at work

· Identifies hazards and creates awareness

· Puts in place control measures to protect employees

· Prioritises highest risks for action first

· Provides information, instruction and training for employees

· Proactive and reactive strategies

• Health and safety inspections Health and safety audits

• Health surveillance

• Reviewing accident/incident records

• The different types of risk assessment that can be used

· Qualitative risk assessment

· Quantitative risk assessment

· Dynamic

• Where specific risk assessments may be required

· Young persons

· Lone workers

· New of expectant workers

· General risk assessment

· Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

· Manual handling

· Fire

· Display Screen Equipment (DSE)

• The steps to be taken to complete a simple risk assessment

· The 5-step process for risk assessment

· Employee consultation

· Risk evaluation methods

• How the risks from different hazards may be affected by occupational, environmental, human and organisational factors

· Examples of hazards for:

§ Human factors

§ Environmental factors

§ Occupational factors

§ Organisational factors

· Control measures for each factor

• How injuries, ill health and other damage may result following exposure to common workplace hazards

· How the hazards can realise their potential in the workplace

· Identifying what harm can occur from workplace hazards:

§ Manual handling

§ Slips, trips and falls

§ Working at height

§ Noise

§ Machinery

§ Vehicles

§ Fire

§ Electricity

§ Hazardous substances (including Asbestos)

§ Stress

§ Workplace violence

§ The workplace (temperature, design, housekeeping, lighting, ventilation, doors and windows)

§ Workstation and task design

§ Suitable risk control measures using the principles of the hierarchy of control

• The process of determining suitable risk control measures:

• eliminate the task if practicable

• substituting harmful substances

• engineering controls

• administration controls:

- safe systems of work

- safety signs

- Isolation

- reduce time exposure

- supervision

- training

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Examples of risk controls for common workplace hazards:

- Design and layout

- Good housekeeping

- Machine guards

- Barriers and enclosures

- Fire prevention, detection and extinguishing

- Electrical safety devices

- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Maintenance of workplace and equipment

- PUWER

- LOLER

• Provide safe plant and equipment

• Safe systems of work

• Safe handling, storage and transport of articles and substances

• Information, instruction, training and supervision

• Safe access and egress and traffic routes

• The actions that need to be taken following an accident or incident in the workplace

· Reporting of accidents/incidents, including near misses

· Recording in the accident book/log

· Legal requirement to investigate an accident

· RIDDOR requirements

· Information required to conduct accident investigation

§ Type

§ Severity

§ Frequency

§ Details of who and what involved

· Take remedial action

• How simple accident investigation techniques can reveal immediate and root causes

· Accident triangle

· Sequence of events/conditions

· Establish what happened and why

· Team approach or conducted by impartial/unbiased personnel