Work Health & Safety Courses

About Work Health and Safety

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 enforces occupational health and defines employer responsibilities. These include providing adequate welfare provisions for their staff, providing the proper training for their staff and maintaining a safe work environment.

This act also outlines your rights and responsibilities. Your most important rights are as follows:

• that any risk to your health and safety are controlled as much as possible
• to be provided with personal protective equipment without charge
• to have breaks during your shift
• that if you contact the HSE or your local authority, you will not be punished by your employer
• to refuse to work if you find it unsafe
• to be informed of the potential risk of injury or any other dangers in the workplace

These are your responsibilities:

• that you will also take reasonable care for your own safety, such as tying up long hair and removing hanging jewellery when using machinery
• ensure that you don’t put other people in danger, both employees and other members of the public
• ensure that you don’t misuse the equipment provided for your health and safety
• to report any injuries or instances of ill health that you’ve received from your job
• to consult your employer anything that may influence how you work (e.g. a condition, becoming pregnancy, etc)
• to inform your employer if you’ve taken medication that affects your ability to work with machinery

What You Should Do When the Work Health and Safety Policy Has Been Breached

If you’re injured at work or believe there are safety issues in the workplace, it can be tough knowing exactly what to do, especially if the company you’re working for isn’t being cooperative. The best course of action is to contact the health and safety executive, or the local authorities depending on your workplace. If you work at a factory, farm, mine, school, hospital, nursing home, building site, establishments that work with gas, electricity and water systems, etc, then you should contact the HSE. Generally speaking, if you work in an office, shop, hotel, restaurant or any type of privately owned establishment, then you should discuss any issues you with the local authorities.

How to Get Familiar with Your Work Safety Policy

Your company should have clear and up to date policy that they should make all their employees aware of. If you are unsure of a certain aspect of the policy, you should discuss it with your employer. If you’re still feeling unsure, then the HSE can give you advice either on the phone or online. There are also courses that will teach you all the specifics in a particular area, like fire safety, risk management and first aid.

Work Health and Safety Jobs

• Regional Health and Safety Officer
• Health and Safety Assistant
• Health and Safety Advisor
• Health and Safety Facilities Coordinator
• Health and Safety Training Coordinator

For our in-depth guide on becoming a health and safety advisor, click here.