It’s still a frequent misconception in many businesses that, when all of their employees have enough health & safety instruction, they have all the knowledge needed to prevent an incident. The truth is that, regardless your industry, a basic education in safety regulations and risk asessment simply is not adequate. Equipping your employees, hiring good supervision and supporting regular safety drills are all important factors. Every team must have an efficient supervisor to watch employee performance, but this person also needs to perform another purpose. Whomever you select as the supervisor needs to see the necessity of health & safety training and be able to share their enthusiasm.

On top of enforcing all of the rules and regulations, the function of a supervisor also usually includes supervising staff efficiency. This is a hard role. The supervisor is required to have an extensive knowledge of the business and production in addition to a very high standard of understanding of up-to-date legislation involving safety, risk appraisal and emergency assistance techniques.

Offering basic training in health & safety is not sufficient for your staff. They have to acquire practical experience of risk assessment and the recognition of hazards. Employees need to understand how to eliminate safety risks and also how best to act if the unexpected happens. Only when these procedures become second nature are employees properly trained. Instruction is in fact useless without safety gear. Without the right apparatus or alternatively if workers find that supplies are damaged in an emergency situation, then all the education your employees have already completed is basically useless.

It’s a good idea to check regularly to ascertain if you possess all the necessary equipment and to check it is working properly as well. If you have a problem with your supplies, have it mended or serviced as a matter of urgency.

Your employees must get good health and safety instruction, but in addition they need good quality apparatus, the opportunity to practise, and a supervisor who can motivate your staff. Only then will observing health & safety legislation will be established in the culture of your business instead of something challenging for everyone to remember constantly.