Is Induction Training Required in Health and Safety Policy?

induction training

Are you a business owner or an employer and wondering if induction training is needed in health and safety policy? Maybe you are well aware of the importance of workplace safety but not sure if you need to include induction training in your policy.

What is Induction Training?

Induction training is a key process in the management of any workplace risks and the control of hazards. There is evidence to suggest that people are most at risk when entering a new work environment.

Therefore, providing this type of training is not an optional activity for employers. It is a legal requirement. Failure to do so can land you in serious trouble, as well as put your staff in danger.

In this article, we will take a look at everything you need to know about induction training, including the legal duties behind it and what it should cover.

Health and Safety Training

Our Health and Safety Training Courses provide trainees with vital information to conduct their work healthily and safely. This course helps explore legal duties, hazards and risk control that warehouse employees must be aware of.

Why Is Induction Training Important?

Incorporating safety into the induction of new hires not only helps them understand how to do work safely but also ensures they take safety seriously. Moreover, failure to do so can land you in serious trouble.

A distribution company, H&M Distribution Limited, was fined after inadequate health and safety training led to a worker being seriously injured on the first day of his work. The worker was seriously injured, when several kegs of beer fell onto him. He was trying to move them with a pallet truck.

An investigation conducted by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the worker had no experience in using this equipment. And he had not been made aware of safe practices while operating it, and wasn’t given proper training on its use.

It was investigated that the company had failed in its responsibility to ensure workers’ competence and prior experience. It was also found guilty of breaking the Health and Safety at Work Act, etc. 1974 (HSWA) and fined £60,000 and ordered to pay £7,200 by the court.

Many accidents happen in the first week of an operative starting with the business and undertaking the activities they are not capable to perform.

Having a process in place for determining skill matrices for job roles and matching those against the skills of individuals will help managers develop a plan to improve the competence of their workforces. Incidents like the one at H&M highlight the importance of induction for health and safety.

Therefore, providing induction training to employees will help set safety standards in the workplace, raise awareness of hazards, and help staff manages those risks.

Legal Requirements

Health and Safety Policy

The law requires that every company or organisation must have a procedure for managing health and safety. Regulation 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 requires employers to make a statement showing the procedure on safety and ensures that all staff members are mindful of it and any revisions made to it.

This health and safety policy sets an approach for safety and describes how you as an employer will manage it in your business.

Information, Instruction, and Training

The Health and Safety at Work Act necessitates you as an employer to provide information, training, and direction to ensure the safety at work of your employees.

It is explained by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which identifies circumstances where health and safety training is important. For example, when individuals start work on exposure to new or increased hazards, or where existing skills may require updating.

The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977, and the Health and Safety Regulations 1996 require you to look up your personnel on health and safety matters, and this includes matters like health and safety training.

The Advantages of Induction Training

A key advantage, is that induction can be prepared beforehand in online training sessions, and delivered remotely. It allows organisations to prepare their employees as much as possible for following safety procedures, allows them to brush up on training at any time, and create a digital footprint for always-available proof that the induction was taken.

What Should Health and Safety Induction Cover?

The primary purpose of induction training is to set safety standards and to raise awareness about the risks. It also explains how you can manage safety in your workplace and what part employees play in this regard.

The content of your induction training depends on the nature of your business and the risks it poses; however, common elements are:

Policy and Procedures

Your health and safety policy is the keystone of effective health and safety management, so staff members must be aware of its content. It must highlight the method to keep the staff and general public safe, as well as vital arrangements, to ensure risk is minimised at work.

Employee Responsibilities

Your health and safety handbook should clearly explain what is expected of employees to ensure a safe working environment. Explain your staff duties under the law to corporate with the management regarding health and safety matters, as well as to promote welfare at work.

Specific Risks to Employees

One of the best ways to raise awareness among your staff is by conducting a general risk assessment and drawing their attention towards hazardous situations revealed and what steps can help to reduce them.

Job-Specific Training

If there are specific risks involved in your employee’s job role, such as working at heights, working in confined spaces or, working with equipment, you need to ensure they are well aware of these risks. Providing job-specific training will ensure that your employees follow a safe system of work whilst performing a particular task.

Do You Need to Have Health and Safety Training in Your Policy?

Yes, including health and safety training in your policy offers several benefits. Firstly, it is a legal obligation, and you need to take whatever steps possible to guarantee the safety of your staff members.

Besides legalities, health and safety training is good for a business to build its strong reputation. It validates to your staff that they are valued and cared for.

Everyone wants to be secure at work, and the ones who feel unsafe and scared, are apt to leave. It increases the staff turnover rate, and of course, along with injuries at work comes legal proceedings, which can ruin businesses.

Health & Safety Induction Courses Offered by Human Focus

Health and safety induction is the key process in the management of workplace risks and to control these hazards. Human Focus offers several online health and safety training courses to raise safety awareness among new hires and their employees.

DSE Training

There are many DSE courses offered by Human Focus, but this laptop safety e-learning course provides a better understanding to individuals and organisations about the hazards of working on laptops in different environments. It raises awareness on health and safety whilst working with a laptop, how to maintain its security, and respond effectively in case of attack.

GDPR Course

The GDPR course covers the roles and responsibilities of staff within GDPR. It demonstrates what data breaches are, why they happen, and why data protection within an organisation or workplace is vital.

Coronavirus Infection Control

This Coronavirus infection control training course has been tailored to help employees know the infection control procedures to protect themselves and their colleagues from this novel disease.

Business Risk Management

The business risk management training courses by Human Focus provide individuals an opportunity to excel in the workplace by implementing effective risk management approaches at work to keep the hazards at it minimum.

Confined Space Training

Confined space training courses provide awareness level knowledge to those working in confined spaces and how to manage any risk they are exposed to. It also gives information on how to risk assess the confined space activities your employees are doing to ensure workplace safety.

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