Health & Safety

Code of Practice - Training and Information for Staff

Introduction

The training of staff, including any part-time, temporary or agency staff, in health and safety matters is essential in ensuring that staff are aware of the risks to health and safety generated by their work and in enabling them to take appropriate action.

This code of practice sets out the legal framework covering the provision of health and safety training and explains the arrangements which managers are required to put in place to ensure that appropriate training is delivered.

Legal Requirement to Train

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a duty upon employers to provide such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to protect the health and safety at work of employees.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations state:

Every employer shall ensure that his employees are provided with adequate health and safety training:-

  1. on their being recruited into the employer's undertaking; and
  2. on their being exposed to new or increased risks because of:-
    • their being transferred or given a change of responsibilities within the employers undertaking;
    • the introduction of new work equipment or change in work equipment already in use within the employer's undertaking;
    • the introduction of new technology into the employer's undertaking, or
    • the introduction of a new system of work into or a change respecting  system of work already in use within the employer's undertaking.

Health and safety training shall:-

  1. be repeated periodically where appropriate;
  2. be adapted to take account of any new or changed risks to the health and safety of the employees concerned; and
  3. take place during working hours.

University Policy

University Policy requires that managers and staff are equipped with the knowledge, competence, confidence and capacity to deal effectively with health and safety issues, through the provision of appropriate resources, supervision, information, instruction and training.  The Policy requires progressive improvement in health and safety management.  Therefore training and re-training requirements should be carried out through the assessment of training needs using job descriptions, personnel specifications and staff development review, rather than as the result of an accident.

A central matrix of health and safety training has been agreed by the University Health and Safety Committee. Faculties/Directorates/Units should adopt and develop the matrix to include specific health and safety duties.

Responsibility for Training

The University Health & Safety Policy places a duty on Heads of Departments or Services to ensure that all persons reporting to them have received the necessary information, instruction and training to carry out their duties competently. This should start with health and safety induction. Training and information needs of existing employees are identified during staff appraisals.

Where training has been identified as necessary to minimise risks through a risk assessment process (e.g. manual handling) then the manager must ensure that the training is provided and that staff attend the training and have understood its content.

The Health & Safety Unit provides a central programme of standard health and safety courses.

Faculties/Directorates/Units are required to keep a local record of all health and safety training including induction. Any health and safety training centrally organised by the Health and Safety Unit will be recorded on the HR Oracle Learning Management System.

Refresher training will be required at intervals dependant on the training topic.

Induction

Managers should work through the HR induction checklist which provides a guide to the information and activities that need to be covered within the first six weeks of employment. With regards to health and safety line managers are required to use this checklist to explain local arrangements, such as location of first aiders, fire escape routes, accident reporting procedures and other health and safety information relevant to the employee's job. All relevant issues must be completed and initialled by the line manager within three months of the employee's appointment.

The following resources are available to support the induction process;

In addition, line managers are asked to identify any outstanding training needs of the new employee and ensure that these needs are addressed. Health and safety information is included in NEWI induction sessions for new employees. These are arranged by Human Resources and are not an alternative to initial induction. The Health & Safety Unit also advises on safety information included in student handbooks.

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