subject: The Importance Of Health And Safety Training [print this page] It may sound to some people a bit farcical or a joke, but in all fairness safety around the office needs to be taken extremely seriously. Usually the unenviable task of enforcing the policy around the office falls down to the office manager, I know this because it has fallen to me within our company. It doesn't fill me with happiness or glee to have to pester everybody about keeping safe around the office and I can see the disappointment in people's eyes when I mention that we might have to do some health and safety training, but at the same time it is just as much of a chore for me as it is for them, so you really do wish that people would stop complaining and moaning, especially in office whispers.
When people do have the confidence to speak up and complain about the fact that they are being pulled out of work to take part in health and safety training, I merely point out to them the fact that as soon as they stop having accidents we can stop the training. It is compulsory for people to take health and safety training when starting with a new company, this is merely to help familiarise themselves with the fire exits and instruct them on basic principles of basic lifting, heavy lifting and safe electrical equipment usage. However, what I seem to be seeing more and more of is the need to provide additional health and safety training to members of staff who constantly flaunt the rules.
When I walk through the corridor and see people scooping down to pick up a number of boxes without bending their knees, I enquire whether they have been on the H&S course. Obviously they instantly correct themselves and pick up the box in the correct manner. Another classic around the office is people overloading the power sockets with extra adapters or extensions leads plugged into additional extension leads.
When you try to point out to these people that they are in breach of the H&S requirements, they appear to believe that you are just being a stickler for the rules. However, they would be the first people to call an injury lawyer should they suffer an injury that they suffer at work.
At the end of the day you have to realise that you are there to do a job and not to be liked. H&S is not something that should be flaunted at any time.
