You might talk to employees about what they have to do on a day-to-day basis; but are you communicating effectively with them? If you hire people, whether they are employed by you or contracted you have a responsibility to inform them of the risks they are facing when carrying out the work. If you are unsure how to communicate these risks you can learn the skills through health and safety training.
Another of your duties is to ensure that they are involved in health and safety consultations relating to their work. You can provide the information in a number of ways, through your policies, face to face meetings, discussing the findings of risk assessments, training working methods and supplying equipment and protective gear. It’s important to consider their level of understanding, especially if you hire people who do not speak English as their first language. In these circumstances you may need to have the information translated.
What Should You Communicate to Your Workers?
The information you communicate to your employees needs to include:
- Who the competent person is in the organisation that they can approach when discussing health and safety concerns?
- What should they do if they notice any risks or hazards?
- What work or precautions are there to reduce the risks and how they can introduce them into their work?
- What risks are they facing with their work?
Communicate with Your Representatives Too
When dealing with health and safety representatives you need to be aware that they are entitled to view your safety documentation that is required to be created and kept by law. This might include your risk assessments and records of any accidents or incidents.
Health and safety training for directors and managers can help you to learn the methods of effective communication. These courses are available all year round and in most towns and cities. Some are just one day long while others can run into several days or even months. Our team will help you to find the right one to suit you and benefit your health and safety management. Speak to one of our advisors on 0844 576 6750.