MANAGEMENT SERIES
A H&S review is not a desk- based process. Understand all the risks first-hand
In a nutshell: Five steps to success
1. Walk the walk: Do the rounds, assess the state of play, draw up any necessary actions and allocate responsibility for these.
2. Danger zone: Do a risk assessment covering areas such as fi rst aid provision, accident reporting, equipment maintenance and handling of chemicals, and create a site-specifi c emergency action plan.
3. Take control: Implement actions – such as staff training – to address potential hazards identifi ed.
4. Watch out: Always monitor progress on an ongoing basis.
5. Pen to paper: Draw up a health and safety policy statement outlining all procedures and responsibilities. Review regularly and revise when needed, such as when new legislation comes into effect.
records should be kept – but do you fully understand the frequency of inspections and what they should cover?
STEP 3 Take control
Look at the risks and each hazard identified in your risk assessment. This will help you decide what control measures need to be put in place, such as staff training. A programme that covers all aspects of tasks and activities staff undertake should be put in place, including job induction and ongoing training. Records, including copies of qualifications, should be maintained on-site and dated and signed by both the trainee and the trainer. Having identifi ed hazards that require
further control measures, safe systems of work should be created in the form of easy-to-read, step-by-step guides. This could be as simple as a sign alerting staff and members that exercise steps should not be stacked more than eight high, or that there’s a trolley for moving chairs in a nearby cupboard.
STEP 4 Watch out What monitoring provisions do you have in place to evaluate if all of this is happening, and that staff are following procedures and processes and working safely? Monitoring what’s going on in your site on a daily basis is vital to a safe working environment. This can be carried out in the form of both visual and recorded checks.
78 STEP 5 Pen to paper
Only now can you be confident the procedures in your health and safety manual are being implemented. A health and safety policy statement
should then be created and signed by the person responsible for health and safety. It should contain a commitment to providing a safe and healthy working environment, with effective systems and procedures that infl uence your organisation, arrangements, premises and equipment – covering all key activities for staff, customers and other visitors. It should also defi ne who’s responsible for what, and provide instructions and guidance on actions required to ensure a safe environment. Procedures should be written down,
updated when needed and regularly reviewed, as should the statement, taking into account signifi cant changes in size or organisational structures. But it doesn’t stop there. Who keeps
staff up to date on the latest legislation, and makes sure your processes refl ect this? Is there a review process for new legislation? Who updates you on any changes to the law? Do you have a process in place to ensure this is cascaded down from head offi ce, through managers and to the shop fl oor? An outside pair of eyes looking at
what your staff are doing and reviewing processes and procedures can help ensure staff are working safely and can assist in developing a strong safety
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
culture across the board. Doing an external health and safety audit at least once a year is the way to achieve this. The Health and Safety Executive’s
Managing for Health & Safety (HSG65) Plan, Do, Check, Act model aims to achieve a balance between the systems and behavioural aspects of management. Hand-in-hand with our advice, it treats H&S management as an integral part of good management, not as a standalone system. For details, visit
www.hse.gov. uk/managing/
plan-do-check-act.htm Working as a team is the only way to
instil a proactive safety culture among all staff – without this, you will be back to square one within a few months. ●
Gill Twell is head of group operations for Right Directions, and has been working in the leisure industry for more than 30 years. Her role includes business and product development as well as playing a key role in the management and improvement of the Quest scheme operations. Health and safety management specialist
Right Directions delivers Quest on behalf of Sport England, as well as ukactive’s Code of Practice and Flame Awards, and co-ordinates the ASA’s Learn To Swim accreditation scheme. Email:
gill@rightdirections.co.uk Web:
www.rightdirections.co.uk
October 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/DRAGON IMAGES
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