17 February 2011

Do you train your workforce in the equipment you provide?

The UK law requires the employer to ensure that he or she trains its employees in the safe use, cleaning and maintenance of machines and equipment and instruct them of their responsibilities.
The key legislation for health and safety training, regarding equipment and tasks within the workplace are:
1.    Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 – s2, to provide sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary, to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of his employees.
2.    Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – which identifies situations where health and safety training is particularly important and required, for example, when starting work for the employer, on exposure to new or increased risks or when existing skills require refresher training.
3.    Provision and Use of Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 – which stipulates the provision of information, instruction and training of persons who use, and those who supervise or manage the use of equipment.

This article is a brief introduction on why an employer should ensure that its staff are suitably trained in the tasks they undertake and the equipment they operate.

In the UK more than 200 people at killed at work every year and over one million people injured. With regards to ill health, it is estimated that over two million people suffer illness, caused or made worse by their work.

What should the training cover?
Under the PUWER regulations it states that ‘Every employer shall ensure that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for the purposes of health and safety’. All individuals who work for their employer need to know how to work safely and without risks to health. So the employer is required to train them to be sure they know:
•    what hazards and risks they may face during the operation of the equipment or tasks they undertake on behalf of the organisation
•    any safety devices provided and their correct use
•    any Safe Systems of Work (SSW)
•    about any equipment provided as part of the risk reduction plan: and
•    any emergency procedures identified.

When should the training take place?
The employee’s health and safety training should be delivered during working hours and must not be paid for by employees. Some employees may have particular training needs and certain time frames, for example:
•    on recruitment;
•    people changing jobs or taking on extra responsibilities;
•    introduction of new equipment;
•    young employees who are particularly vulnerable to accidents;
•    employees who have been appointed as health and safety representatives.

Do I record the training?
The answer is ‘yes’; all training (whether it is induction to the safe use of the equipment, or how to carry out guard and safety system checks) provided to the relevant employees should be recorded to demonstrate that you have discharged your duty. This also helps you to monitor timescales so that you can identify when certain training may need to be repeated. It is also recommended that you consult with those employees, their safety representatives and line managers, to make sure that the training has been effective and is relevant.

When do I repeat the training?
Keeping staff up to date with their health and safety training makes them much more aware of workplace and machinery hazards and controls to mitigate the residual risk, resulting in a safer employee. However, training should be repeated more frequently for some staff, especially when the work it relates to is only done occasionally by a particular employee nominated to provide support cover, for example, if that nominated employee assists in the operation of a particular machine when the main user of this equipment is on annual or sick leave. Then frequent refresher training should be provided. This also extends to the organisation’s emergency procedures.

Do line managers/supervisors require a level of training?
Yes they do!  As defined within the PUWER regulations, those employees who supervise or manage the use of the work equipment are also required to have received an adequate level of health and safety training on the equipment/machine purchased, as they will be required to ensure that the operatives follow the training provided by the installation team or manufacturer's representative. This extends to any recommendations to SSW and relevant control measures that may be defined within the manufacturer's operation manual. But remember, where new, inexperienced or young employees are employed, you will need to make sure that they are adequately supervised and that there is a comprehensive training programme in place, to ensure that competence levels are developed before permitting them to use machinery unsupervised or that they are permitted to undertake certain workplace tasks.

If you require any further advice on the law covering training in relation to the use of equipment, please contact your local BPIF Health, Safety and Environmental Adviser.