Staying safe
Kate Thompson, Director Wales at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), on staying ahead of regulation and maintaining workplace safety in holiday season.
Many hospitality and leisure venues are busier during holiday season and the increase in custom, coupled with the hiring of temporary – or new – staff, inevitably leads to pressure across the business.
When trade is brisk and there are large numbers of people on site with less knowledge and experience of the business than usual, managers will inevitably be focusing on day-to- day survival, potentially leading them to neglect some areas, such as health and safety.
Yet, these hectic periods are exactly when health and safety must be at the forefront. Here are some of the key considerations to keep in mind for those cleaning hospitality and leisure venues.
Assess risks
It is a legal requirement under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 that every organisation holds a policy for managing health and safety. This must outline who within the organisation will manage health and safety processes, what those processes are, and how and when they must be implemented.
This includes a risk assessment. The minimum employers must do is:
•
Identify what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazards).
• Decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk).
• Take action to eliminate the hazard, or if this isn't possible, control the risk.
There is lots of information available, including templates, to help you carry out a health and safety risk assessment and record it on the Health and Safety Executive’s website.
Consider all areas
If the outlet you’re cleaning serves food, don’t forget about food safety. Wherever food is served, it’s important to
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demonstrate the highest standards of food preparation, handling, storage and service. This is not only to ensure the safety of those who will be consuming the food, but also to comply with the law and to be assured of a food hygiene rating the business can be proud of.
HACCP is a system that helps you identify potential food hazards and introduce procedures to make sure those hazards are removed or reduced to an acceptable level. More details can be found on The Food Standards Agency website.
Make all aware
Employers have a legal responsibility to provide adequate training that contributes towards safer operations. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, for example, requires you to provide information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure – so far as is reasonably practicable – the health and safety of your employees.
To create and enhance a positive safety and health culture, health and safety training and information should be provided to all workers so that they can actively participate in actions to improve safety. Workers should learn from insight and intuition rather than incidents. Ensure this training is offered to all staff, including temporary ones, to avoid incidents.
Failure to comply with the necessary requirements can have serious consequences for both organisations and individuals, including not just exposure to health and safety risks, but fines and even imprisonment.
Consult the experts
Businesses who are unsure or need support should consult an environmental health professional, who can advise on best practice as well as legal compliance. Understanding the law and how it affects your business, as well as ensuring that staff are trained correctly, will enable you and your staff to adhere to relevant regulations designed to uphold workplace safety.
www.cieh.org twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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