Health and Safety Made Simple based on INDG 449 produced by the Health and safety executive UK and additional information provided by Clive Burgess 'clive Live' October 2011 This slide show should be usede with PBOG the sociology of organisational life... for more information email clive154@live.co.uk... thank you

1. Health & Safety Made Simple
...the basics for your business
by Clive Burgess
INDG 449 – Simple Guidelines
October 2011
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

2. Health & Safety Made Simple
What we will cover and what the micro-site contains
A need for a Competent person
Health and Safety policies for businesses
Arrangements for first aid, accidents and ill health
Manage the risks in business and risk assessing
Consultation with employees
Provide training and information for employees
Provide the right workplace facilities
Display the health and safety law poster
Get insurance for the business
Keep up to date... get a business plan and produce a
fire risk assessment
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

3. Health & Safety Made Simple
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new
micro-site for employers, Health and Safety Made Simple.
The INDG 449
The basics for your business, has been designed to make it
easier for employers to comply with the law and manage
health and safety at work.
The micro-site gives employers and sole traders basic
information on what they must do to ensure their business
complies with health and safety law.
These slides give a brief insight into what is required
under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

4. Health & Safety Made Simple
The site contains sections to help business
owners:
●Decide who will help with their duties
●Write a health and safety policy for their business
●Manage the risks in their business
●Consult their employees
●Provide training and information
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

5. Health & Safety Made Simple
●Provide the right workplace facilities
●Deal with first aid, accidents and ill health
●Display the health and safety law poster
●Get insurance for their business
●Keep up to date
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011
A feature of the site is ‘Stop check!’ boxes,
which tell visitors when you may need to take
extra steps, and provide signposts to more
detailed guidance and industry-specific advice

6. Health & Safety Made Simple
The INDG 449 booklet or PDF offers basic information to help you
comply with the law...
Stop check!
The guide includes ‘Stop check!’ boxes – they tell you when
you may need to take extra steps and provide signposts to
more detailed guidance and industry-specific advice.
HSE website
Stop Check!
Sign Posts Comply
Guidelines Plan
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

7. Health & Safety Made Simple
An employer, must appoint someone competent to help them
meet their health and safety duties. A competent person is
someone with the necessary skills, knowledge and
experience to manage health and safety.
They could appoint (one or a combination of):
The employer themselves... one or more of their workers...
someone from outside their business...
Follow the links below for further information...
Get competent advice
(www.hse.gov.uk/business/competent-advice.htm
HSE leaflet: Getting specialist help with health and safety
(www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg420.pdf)
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

8. Health & Safety Made Simple
Health and Safety Policy:
If a business has five or more employees, they must have a
written policy.
The policy does not need to be complicated or time-consuming.
To help the HSE have created a template that can be download
and complete.
(www.hse.gov.uk/risk/risk-assessment-and- policy-template.doc)
They also provide an example health and safety policy to give an
idea of what to include when writing one...
(www.hse.gov.uk/risk/health-and-safety-policy-example.doc)
A policy will only be effective if the employer, the management
and their staff follow it and review it regularly.
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

9. Health & Safety Made Simple
A policy is a written statement, usually comprises three
elements:
“a statement section (often a single page) detailing how
safety will be managed and that demonstrates the
organisation's commitment to health and safety
an organisation section that details where
responsibilities are allocated and how employees fit into
the overall safety management system
an arrangements section that contains details of how
specific activities and functions are managed.”
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

10. Health & Safety Made Simple
This arrangements section could include such
matters as risk assessments, fire safety, first aid,
accident reporting, electrical safety, work
equipment, hazardous substances, manual
handling and other workplace issues.
In larger organisations the arrangements section
may refer to other documents, such as safety
manuals or safe systems of work.
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

11. Health & Safety Made Simple
Manage the risks in your business
Think about what, in the business, might cause harm to people
and decide whether enough is being done to prevent that harm.
This is known as a risk assessment.
A risk assessment is not about creating huge amounts of
paperwork, red tape or bureaucracy but rather about identifying
sensible measures to control the risks in your workplace.
The booklet (PDF) states that 'the law does not expect you to
remove all risks, but to protect people by putting in place
measures to control those risks'.
The employer is probably already taking steps to protect their
employees, but a risk assessment will indicate whether the
organisation should be doing more or not.
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

12. Health & Safety Made Simple
Assessing risks in the workplace
There are no hard and fast rules as to how Risk Assessments
should be carried out, as every organisation is different and may
require a slightly different approach. It’s important that Risk
Assessments are carried out systematically and all of the
foreseeable risks considered.
In order to assess risks it is important to be aware of the
distinction between hazard and risk.
The following definitions are usually applied to these terms:
Hazard: Anything with the potential to cause harm. Typical
examples are electricity, hazardous substances and noise.
Risk: The likelihood that damage, loss or injury will be caused by
a hazard and how severe the outcome may be.
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

13. Health & Safety Made Simple
The Health and Safety Executive recommend an
approach where you carry out the process in five
steps:
1 - identify the hazards associated with work activities
2 - identify who could be harmed by those hazards
3 - identify how you manage the risks at present and what
further steps might be required to reduce the risks further.
These are the control measures.
4 - record the findings of your assessment and inform
those at risk of the controls
5 - review the Risk Assessment on a regular basis, e.g. if
the staff, the activity, or the equipment used change.
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011
.

14. Health & Safety Made Simple
It is a good idea to review your Assessments at least
annually.
Look at each activity as critically as possible, observing how
it is carried out, and checking existing guidelines and
information.
Check accident reports and inspection and maintenance
records to see if anything can be learned from existing
records
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

15. Health & Safety Made Simple
Controlling risks
When deciding on control measures the following principles
should be applied:
...can the risk be avoided or eliminated?
...can the risks be contained at source?
...can the work be adapted to suit the individual? e.g. layout
of workplace, choice of equipment and methods of working
...can engineering or technical controls be used?
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

16. Health & Safety Made Simple
Information, instruction and training, and providing
personal protective equipment should always be considered
as a last resort after the above controls have been
considered.
Employers should, wherever possible, give priority to those
controls that best protect everyone exposed to the risk.
Remember that additional controls may be required to
protect vulnerable groups, such as young people or
pregnant workers.
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

17. Health & Safetytheir Employees
Employers should consult
Made Simple
Employers have to consult all their employees on health
and safety matters. This does not need to be
complicated. They can do this by listening and talking to
them about:
...health and safety and the work they do;
...how risks are controlled;
...the best ways of providing information and training.
Consultation is a two-way process, allowing staff to
raise concerns an
d influence decisions on the management of health and
safety is good practice. Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

18. Health & Safety Made Simple
Employers must protect the safety and health of everyone in their
workplace, including people with disabilities, and provide welfare
facilities for their employees.
Basic things employers need to consider are outlined below.
Welfare facilities
For employees’ well-being employers need to provide:
...toilets and hand basins, with soap and towels or a hand-dryer;
drinking water;
...a place to store clothing (and somewhere to change if special
clothing is worn or work);
...somewhere to rest and eat meals.
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

19. Health & Safety Made Simple
Health issues Clive Burgess copyright October 2011
To have a healthy working environment, employers must make
sure there is:
...good ventilation – a supply of fresh, clean air drawn from
outside or a ventilation system;
,,,a reasonable working temperature (usually at least 16°C, or
13°C for strenuous work, unless other laws require lower
temperatures);
...lighting suitable for the work being carried out;
...enough room space and suitable workstations and seating;
...a clean workplace with appropriate waste containers.

20. Health & Safety Made Simple
Safety issues Clive Burgess copyright October 2011
To keep the workplace safe employers must:
...properly maintain their premises and work equipment;
...keep floors and traffic routes free from obstruction;
...have windows that can be opened and also cleaned
safely;
...make sure that any transparent (eg glass) doors or walls
are protected or made of safety material.
For more detailed information in Workplace health, safety
and welfare: A short guide for managers
(www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg244.pdf).

21. Health & Safety Made Simple
Important – Personal Note
...Display a Health and Safety Poster
...Get insurance for your business
...Keep your business up-to-date and your staff informed
...Develop a business plan
...And produce a fire risk assessment for your premises
Useful web Business Link... HSE... Direct Gov
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

22. Health & Safety Made Simple
What we have covered and what the micro-site contains
A need for a Competent person
Health and Safety policies for businesses
Arrangements for first aid, accidents and ill health
Manage the risks in business and risk assessing
Consultation with employees
Provide training and information for employees
Provide the right workplace facilities
Display the health and safety law poster
Get insurance for the business
Keep up to date... get a business plan and produce a
fire risk assessment
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011

23. Health & Safety Made Simple
...the basics for your business
by Clive Burgess
INDG 449 – Simple Guidelines
October 2011
Clive Burgess copyright October 2011