TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT MIND THE GAP
Scott Saunders, Technical Services Manager at Watco, discusses how you can improve the safety of your facility by supporting training needs.
Providing training and upskilling opportunities for facilities management (FM) teams creates a safer workspace. According to recent research from Watco, the industrial paint and repair specialist, over a third (35%) of UK FMs are concerned that there is a skills shortage in the industry. With increasing demands on the sector, driven by growth in sectors including construction and retail, the pressure is on managers to ensure core responsibilities can be fulfilled by capable teams. This is critical not only to maintain a smooth-running site, but also to keep everyone safe.
The research also highlighted that 38% of FMs agree their skills are often in need of a refresh, with core training areas identified including product and technical knowledge, recruitment and people management.
KNOWING WHERE THE OPPORTUNITIES LIE
Strong product and technical knowledge ensure that FM team members can carry out responsibilities that contribute to safety, including site inspections, ordering the right supplies and completing repair and paint jobs. In Watco’s research, 22% of FMs identified product and technical knowledge as the area where they needed most training.
With knowledge gaps in these areas, valuable opportunities to reduce the risk of accidents are likely already being missed. For instance, FMs not introducing anti slip floor coatings to areas where hygiene is critical, for fear that the rough texture would make it difficult to clean. However, solutions with innovative smoother beads exist which allow for improved slip resistance without catching on mops, reducing the risk of slips and falls. Similarly, FMs may not consider line marking in sites where chemicals are being handled, for fear that the paint would corrode upon contact and wear away. Yet durable, chemical-resistant coatings are available which help to highlight hazardous areas and reduce the risk of collisions.
https://www.watco.co.uk/watco-product-finder https://www.watco.co.uk/help-advice/guides-and-resources/ebooks
Digital tools such as Watco’s product finder can help FMs to quickly identify the solutions that exist and expand their technical knowledge. Watco’s eBooks are another digital resource that allow team members to upskill on their own schedule, gaining a wider understanding of potential hazards in a facility and how steps such as site inspections and repairs can help mitigate them.
EMPOWERING THE TEAM Busy FMs must rely on the skills of the wider team to ensure responsibilities are being completed and safety remains a priority. Recruiting the right people, and managing teams effectively were both among the top five areas where UK FMs highlighted as needing the most training.
Over a third of FMs also agreed that there is a difficulty in finding good employees, but with many of the industry’s most experienced professionals soon reaching
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retirement, attracting and properly training new talent is more important than ever.
It is expected that team members who are new to the sector altogether and were recruited for transferable skills will have limited experience of how facilities function and the specific role they play in maintaining safety. However, the sole responsibility for this training cannot fall to FMs who are already stretched to meet demands of adjacent sectors, which is where digital resources can offer support.
Basic training on hazard spotting and reporting can be completed independently online as part of initial inductions, not just for the FM team but across the facility, and can be administered by HR professionals.
https://www.watco.co.uk/help-advice/guides-and-resources/ebooks/ guide-for-safety-underfoot-part2
STEPS FOR A SAFER FUTURE
To maintain safe workspaces and meet the demands on the facilities management industry today, FMs must leverage external resources to fill training gaps, ensuring that core responsibilities can be fulfilled without adding significant pressures to their own workloads. Now is the time for FMs to take proactive steps in seeking out these resources and opportunities, empowering both themselves and their teams to thrive in an increasingly demanding industry.
www.watco.co.uk WWW.TOMORROWSHS.COM
Equally, on the job shadowing of more senior FM staff can help to get newer team members up to speed and to increase their understanding of risk prevention. For example, observing a colleague apply GRP strips to steps and then reading up on the wider safety considerations in Watco’s Safety Underfoot eBooks, can help inform future decisions and safety recommendations.
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