Competence
The word ‘competence’ is often used in health and safety literature. One definition, made during a civil case in 1962, stated that a competent person is:
‘a person with practical and theoretical knowledge as well as sufficient experience of the particular machinery, plant or procedure involved to enable them to identify defects or weaknesses during plant and machinery examinations, and to assess their importance in relation to the strength and function of that plant and machinery.’
This definition concentrates on a manufacturing rather than service industry requirement of a competent person.
Regulation 7 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations requires that:
formal, enables an exchange of information to take place quickly and the message to be conveyed as near to the workplace as possible. Training or instructions that are delivered in this way are called toolbox talks and can be very effective.
Written communication takes many forms from the simple memo to the detailed report.
A memo should contain one simple message and be written in straightforward and clear language. The title should accurately describe the contents of the memo.
In recent years, emails have largely replaced memos, as it has become a much quicker method to ensure that the message gets to all concerned (although a recent report has suggested that many people are becoming overwhelmed by the number of emails which they receive!). The advantage of memos and emails is that there is a record of the message after it has been delivered. The disadvantage is that they can be ambiguous or difficult to understand or, indeed, lost within the system.
Reports are more substantial documents and cover a topic in greater detail. The report should contain a detailed account of the topic and any conclusions or recommendations. The main problem with reports is that they are often not read properly due to the time constraints on managers. It is important that all reports have a summary attached so that the reader can decide whether it needs to be read in detail (see Chapter 5).
The most common way in which written
communication is used in the workplace is the notice board. For a notice board to be effective, it needs to be well positioned within the workplace and there needs to be a regular review of the notices to ensure that they are up to date and relevant. The use of notice boards as a means of communicating health and safety information to employees has some limitations that include:
u the information may not be read;
u the notice boards may not be accessible;
u the information may become outdated or defaced;
u some employees may not be able to read while others may not understand what they have read;
u there may be language barriers;
u the information is mixed in with other non-health and safety information; and
u there is no opportunity offered for feedback.
The following alternative methods could be used for the communication of essential health and safety information:
u memos, emails and company intranet;
u toolbox talks and team briefings;
u induction training and any further back-up training sessions;
u newsletters, bulletins and payslips;
u digital video media including DVDs;
u a staff handbook; and
3.4.3 Identifying and keeping up to date with legal requirements
The comparison with legal standards and requirements is an essential part of the setting of health and safety objectives. The organisation should have systems to identify legal requirements and keep up to date with changes to the law. This might be achieved by:
u regular checking of the HSE website looking at the
‘news’ section. This website gives detailed guidance on compliance – many published guides are now free to be downloaded as pdf files;
u free subscription to HSE bulletins on the internet;
u reading various health and safety periodicals;
u members of trade associations being kept up to date through their journals or websites;
u the text of legislation which can be obtained free of charge online.
There is more information on OSH websites and guidance on searching the internet in Chapter 19. Today there are so many ways of keeping up to date through the internet that the comment ‘ignorance of the law is no excuse’ is more poignant than ever.
3.4.4 Types of communication
Many problems in health and safety arise due to poor communication. It is not just a problem between management and workforce – it is often a problem the other way or indeed at the same level within an organisation. It arises from ambiguities or, even, accidental distortion of a message.
There are three basic methods of communication in health and safety – verbal, written and graphic.
Verbal communication is the most common. It is communication by speech or word of mouth. Verbal communication should only be used for relatively simple pieces of information or instruction. It is most commonly used in the workplace, during training sessions or at meetings.
There are several potential problems associated with verbal communication. The speaker needs to prepare the communication carefully so that there is no confusion about the message. It is very important that the recipient is encouraged to indicate their understanding of the communication. There have been many cases of accidents occurring because a verbal instruction has not been understood. There are several barriers to this understanding from the point of view of the recipient, including language and dialect, the use of technical language and abbreviations, background noise and distractions, hearing problems, ambiguities in the message, mental weaknesses and learning disabilities, and lack of interest and attention.
Having described some of the limitations of verbal communication, it does have some merits. It is less
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In addition to the health and safety poster, the following types of health and safety information could be
displayed on a workplace notice board:
u a copy of the Employer’s Liability Insurance Certificate;
u details of first-aid arrangements;
u emergency evacuation and fire procedures;
u minutes of the last health and safety committee meeting;
u details of health and safety targets and performance against them;
u health and safety posters and campaign details.
There are many other examples of written
communications in health and safety, such as employee handbooks, company codes of practice, minutes of safety committee meetings and health and safety procedures.
3.4.6 Consultation with the workforce General
It is important to gain the cooperation of all employees if a successful health and safety culture is to become established. This cooperation is best achieved by consultation. Joint consultation can help businesses be more efficient and effective by reducing the number
u through safety committees, safety representatives, and representatives of employee safety.
Graphic communication is communication by the use of drawings, photographs or DVDs. It is used to impart either health and safety information (e.g. fire exits) or health and safety propaganda. The most common forms of health and safety propaganda are the poster and the DVD. Both can be used very effectively as training aids, as they can retain interest and impart a simple message. Their main limitation is that they can become out of date fairly quickly or, in the case of posters, become largely ignored.
There are many sources of health and safety
information which may need to be consulted before an accurate communication can be made. These include regulations, judgements, Approved Codes of Practice, guidance, British and European standards, periodicals, case studies and HSE publications.
3.4.5 The health and safety poster
The Health and Safety (Information for Employees) Regulations require that the approved poster entitled ‘Health and Safety Law – what you should know ’ is displayed or the approved leaflet is
distributed. This information tells employees in general terms about the requirements of health and safety law.
Employers previously had to inform employees of the local address of the enforcing authority (either the HSE or the Local Authority) and the Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS), marked on the poster or supplied with the leaflet.
Research by the HSE showed that the earlier versions of the law poster and law leaflet were visually
unappealing and rarely read. They were re-designed to be more readable and engaging. The poster and leaflet are available in a range of formats as part of the commitment to make health and safety information more accessible.
The Health and Safety Information (Amendment) Regulations allows the HSE to approve and publish new posters and leaflets which do not need organisations to update or add enforcing authority and Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS) contact information.
However, the poster still needs to be displayed and provide employees with basic health and safety information. The HSE is concerned that the poster needs to be understood by employees:
u who have visual and/or learning difficulties;
u who have poor English reading skills;
u who work in an environment where the risk of being denied employment rights is high.
The poster (Figure 3.11) is a simplified version of the previous one and contains a single Incident Contact Centre number for the HSE helpline. The leaflets that employers could give to workers have been replaced with pocket cards.
Figure 3.11 Health and Safety Law poster – must be displayed or brochure given to employees
u investigate possible dangers at work, the causes of accidents there and general complaints by employees on health and safety issues and take these up with the employer;
u carry out inspections of the workplace;
u represent employees in discussions with the HSE inspectors and receive information from them;
u attend safety committee meetings.
In workplaces in which trade unions are not recognised:
u employees must be consulted on health and safety, either directly or through their elected representatives.
Elected ROES may:
u take up with employers concerns about possible risks and dangerous events in the workplace that may affect the employees they represent;
u take up with employers general matters affecting the health and safety of the employees they represent;
u represent employees who elected them in consultations with health and safety inspectors.
Finally, an employer should ensure that all
representatives receive reasonable training in health and safety at the employer’s expense, are allowed time during working hours to perform their duties, and provide other facilities and assistance that the representatives should reasonably require.