Employers have a legal responsibility to protect their workers. The right level of health and safety training in Kent and across the country will depend on your business. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 clearly places responsibility on employers to: “…ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.”
What does this mean in practice? What training do you need to provide to keep your employees protected and also ensure your Kent business complies with the law? First, let’s look more closely.
Health and Safety Training In Kent: Who Needs Training?
Health and safety training is essential for all employees. It should be compulsory for staff at all levels. This ensures a good understanding of your business’ health and safety requirements at all levels. Management is crucial in providing adequate health and safety training and must not be exempt from further training and refresher courses. This is especially true if regular employees must review their health and safety training.
How often should training take place?
There are different stages of employment where health and safety training is vital. The most critical stages are:
- New employees and those moving to a new department
- Job-specific training for new starters – if there are specific health and safety concerns
- When you need to cover changes of job or new skills
- Reinforcement and updating, usually on an annual basis
- When you invest in new equipment or processes which require specific safety training
What Types of Training Should you Offer?
Employers can choose from a range of types of health and safety training. Some prefer to book in-person training on-site, while others will send employees on day courses or residentials to reinforce health and safety training. Online training is becoming more popular too. This gives employees the freedom to learn at their own pace. It also makes it easier to keep training consistent and track employees progress throughout their training modules.
Consider the size of your organisation and how many people you need to provide training for regularly. Of course, your budget may influence your training decision, too, and you can find different options available for businesses of various sizes. But, again, working with professional health and safety consultants like our team can help to find the right solution for your business.
Risk Safety Services specialist in Health and Safety Training In Kent. We work with many businesses to help them find the best training solutions for their teams. So get in touch today to discuss your business’ needs.