Online Health and Safety Training and its Benefits

Online Health and Safety training offers a strong return on investment for employers and a quick way to get employees up to date with workplace safety. Online courses are also tailored to specific areas of workplace safety. They can ensure employees are getting the exact information they need to do their job safely. In this article, we take a closer look at the benefits of online training for workplace safety.

 

The Importance of Online Training for Workplace Safety

Studies show online education is growing by 5-10% each year as more and more employers move their training methods online. According to the Irish Central Statistics Office (CSO) there was a sharp increase in the use of education portals/websites during COVID-19 with over one fifth (21%) Communicating with instructors or students using educational websites/portals, an increase of seven percentage points in 2019. These numbers remain high even after the COVID-19 pandemic. With the rise of digital technology in all areas of our lives this trend is far from declining.

Online Health and Safety training is a convenient way for staff to learn about their safety in the workplace. It removes many constraints which often hinder classroom training. This type of training is also very specific. It usually focuses on the precise lessons needed to stay safe in the workplace. From food handling and fire safety to workplace stress and working at heights, such online courses are always relevant to the workplace and ensure employers are abiding by certain laws and regulations.

Let’s take a look at some of the main benefits of online training.

 

7 Key Benefits of Online Training for Workplace Safety

1. Online Training Draws from High Quality Resources

Online training usually draws inspiration from the best interactive experiences online and incorporate these learnings into an online course. As a result, online training can sometimes include video conferencing or webinars and other opportunities which enable staff to engage remotely. Simply put, this consistent high quality and extent of resources is rarely guaranteed in the classroom.

2. Learning Practical Skills for Real World Experience

Employees develop soft skills through online training and practical lessons which they can put into practice at work. These lessons often come from real experience which can feel more relevant than the theory which you might hear about in a classroom. Online courses also use simulations, scenarios and multiple choice questions to ensure these lessons are always relevant to real world scenarios. This also highlights the objective of online training – to give employee the exact education they need to know to do their job safely.

3. Employees Often Retain More through Online Training

Research shows how many employees are likely to forget what they learn in the classroom. It makes sense when you think back to school days and just how little algebra or poetry you might remember! Memory retention is boosted by relevant experiences which can be applied straight away. With this in mind, online training is often split into areas of knowledge and structured to increase relevancy. This increased relevancy means employees will more likely learn and recall the contents of an online course than they might in a classroom.

4. Online Courses Can Be Scheduled for Any Time/Place

Standard classroom training is always set at a specific time but co-ordinating this time is near impossible in such a fast-moving world. There is also a time loss for going to and from a classroom. Many employees are likely to feel restricted in a classroom environment. Online training can take place at any time and enables employees to undergo the training at their own pace. It’s a win-win situation for both employers and employees. In addition, it also removes the requirement for having a classroom to facilitate the training.

5. Immediate Access to Support and Resources

Online training provides immediate access to a large number of resources which allows them to find answers at the time of learning. Classroom training takes place in a specific location where employees are most often unable to access training resources in real time. This means employees don’t need to wait until the next class to ask questions and can address any immediate challenges or concerns before moving on with the training. Online training can use forums or social media groups to provide extra support and provide employees with a place whether they can share tips or ask questions.

6. Online Training is Designed for Different Learning Preferences

Every audience consists of different people with varying abilities and backgrounds. However, more recent generations have become accustomed to smart technology and the online world. These employees are also likely to have acquired skills through Google, YouTube and apps in the past and appreciate this method of learning. This is why the rate of attention and engagement with online training is often said to be higher than a classroom. Online training is designed to cater to all learning preferences.

7. High Levels of Engagement and Responsibility

Some online training courses are gamified which means they feature levels, rewards and certain mechanics which encourage progress. These courses seek to encourage the learner to progress and keep going until they complete each lesson. They can also monitor performance along the way and feel more invested or responsible for participating in the course. It is this high engagement which should be attractive to employers and the fact they can outsource this time consuming process to a trusted online training platform.

 

Working with a training company

Working with an online training platform can help employers lighten the load and allow the experts to take care of the training. However, it’s important to choose a platform which abides by laws and regulations and incorporates these requirements into the online training. For instance, MyElearnSafety offer courses online health and safety training for Food Safety which adhere to the principles of the internationally recognised Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). It also offers Fire Safety Awareness, Manual Handling Awareness, Paediatric First Aid just to name a few.

Check out MyElearnSafety today and we can get everyone up to speed on their workplace safety!

Fire Safety and Why is it Important

Research suggests that most fires are preventable and unsafe human behaviour is most often the cause of these fires. This is why employees should be encouraged to take responsibility and adopt practices which help prevent fire in the workplace. Fire safety is also enforced and employers are required to prepare plans and procedures to protect against the associated risks. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) is proactive in monitoring how employers manage these risks and what they do to protect the health and safety of the public.

In this article, we provide some general information about fire safety and the practices which help protect against the potential damage caused by fire.

 

What is Fire Safety?

Fire safety is a set of measures which reduce the potential damage caused by fire. There are four common fire safety principles which are recognised around the world:

• Prevention: Avoid Risks and reduce potential fire hazards in the workplace.
• Protection: Identifying fire and notifying occupants/authorities.
• Containment: Limiting damage and spread of fire as much as possible.
• Extinguishment: Putting out the fire and protecting area.

 

However, there are three key actions which employees should know about that need to be taken in the event of a fire:

• Step 1 – Raise the alarm.
• Step 2 – Evacuate the building/area.
• Step 3 – Go to the assembly point.

 

Let’s take a look at the key elements which enable a fire to start and spread.

 

The 3 Key Elements which Enable Fires Start and Spread

Heat, fuel and oxygen complete the fire prevention triangle which explains how fires can start and spread. Fire needs all three of these elements to thrive and this is why removing one of these three can prevent a fire. This is also why a risk assessment needs to report on three different elements and consider how these elements might contribute to potential fire hazards in the workplace.

 

Heat

Heat is often generated through machines, systems and processes. Cooking is an obvious example in which heat is near constant and needs to be kept away from fuel. Let’s look at some examples of how employers can manage heat:

• No smoking signs in certain locations.
• Ensure kitchen and cookers etc. are never left unattended.
• Make sure work equipment is protected against catching fire.
• Service equipment on a regular basis.
• Clean ventilation points to ensure they are not blocked.

 

Oxygen

Oxygen is often used in manufacturing and creative processes. For example, oxygen gas is used for food packaging and food preservation. It is also used in flame cutting and welding and within decompression chambers as part of medical treatment. Pure oxygen can react fiercely with materials including rubber and textiles and then also the likes of grease and oil. In short, the presence of this oxygen makes it easier for a fire to start and grow and spread.

• Employees should always open oxygen valves slowly.
• No smoking signs where oxygen gas is being used.
• Oxygen equipment not to be used above pressure levels noted on equipment.
• Oxygen not to be used in confined spaces.

 

Fuel

Some workplaces will have more flammable materials than others and these environments can present a much greater fire hazard. Fuel essentially contains flammable material which burns naturally in a standard atmosphere. These flammable materials need to be clearly labelled. In addition, great care should be taken when handling or moving these flammable materials.

• Conduct fire safety assessment in areas with flammable materials.
• Ensure no timber features or lining in walls, staircases, ceiling etc.
• Use Health & Safety Acts as a guide for explosive atmospheres.
• Avoid noticeboards with paper or flammable material in common areas.

 

Establishing Fire Safety Principles in the Workplace

The Health and Safety Authority in Ireland enforces an act which holds employers responsible for educating staff about these principles. Employees must therefore know these practices and be able to put them into practice in the event of a fire. There is also a requirement for employers to appoint a competent person to this role who properly understands the risks, practices and tasks that relate to fire safety.

“Competent” implies this person must be able to demonstrate their knowledge and ability but this appointment does not mean the responsibility of fire safety is out of the hands of the employer. Employers must do everything reasonably possible to ensure their staff are not exposed to the risks associated with fire safety. For instance, employers must also ensure there is safe access, emergency exits and no unsafe substances or articles in the environment.

In case you might be asking yourself, action is taken whenever deemed necessary and government statistics show the number of fire safety notices issued by the Health and Safety Authority in Ireland. Safety notices can be costly for employers but they also point to a moral concern which suggests the business is simply not doing enough to protect the safety of employees and members of the public.

 

Employers Responsibility for Fire Safety in the Workplace

According to the Health and Safety Authority in Ireland, employers must not only train and educate employees about fire safety but also carry out regular risk assessments to ensure these measures are understood. This involves checking that all staff have sufficient knowledge, training and supervision to protect against the dangers of fire and then record the findings from this assessment in a Safety Statement. Employers are therefore required to provide relevant fire safety courses for their employees and produce certificates of completion in the event of an inspection by the authorities.

 

Final Thoughts

Fire safety is extremely important and an area which employers cannot ignore for both moral and legal reasons. Fire poses a serious threat to the safety of employees and members of the public and the Health and Safety Authority will issue notices to any business that falls short of the requirements. Employers should make every effort to abide by the law and assess risks and provide access to training which informs on the importance of fire safety.

 

Please Note – The Fire Services Act 1981-2003 specifies that it shall be the duty of every persons having control of premises (i.e. owner or occupier) to ensure the safety of persons on the premises in the event of an outbreak of fire whether such an outbreak has occurred or not.

Myelearnsafety offers fully online Fire Safety Awareness courses. The eLearn fire safety awareness course is designed to help employers meet their legal requirement to provide information and training to staff regarding specific hazards. Fire safety is an essential part of any safety management system. The course, along with regular fire drills, will help ensure regulatory compliance.

To find out more, please check our Courses page.

Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie

Food Safety HACCP & EU

What is HACCP?

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) is a system meant to ensure that food products are not a risk to human health. It is a tool to assess hazards and establish control systems that focuses on prevention.

Interestingly NASA developed and used the approach for production of safe foods for manned space flights.

Procedures based on HACCP principles are mandatory for most business operators placing food or feed on the EU market. Since 1998 it has been a legal requirement for all food businesses in Ireland to have a food safety management system based on the principles of HACCP.

EU Legislation Covering Food Hygiene

EU food law places full responsibility for safe food on the food business operators. In accordance with EU law all food businesses are, therefore, obliged to implement own-check systems. This own-check system must build on the principles of HACCP.

The specific pieces of legislation which cover this are Regulation (EC) 852/2004 and Regulation (EC) 853/2004.

The following principles are covered under these hygiene rules:

 

• Primary responsibility for food safety borne by the food business operator
• Food safety ensured throughout the food chain, starting with primary production
• General implementation of procedures based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points principles (HACCP)

• Application of basic common hygiene requirements, possibly further specified for certain categories of food
• Registration or approval for certain food establishments
• Development of guides to good practice for hygiene or for the application of HACCP principles as a valuable instrument to aid food business operators at all levels of the food chain to comply with the new rules.
• Flexibility provided for food produced in remote areas (high mountains, remote islands) and for traditional production and methods.

 

Who must be trained in HACCP?

 

Food handlers must be supervised, and also instructed and/or trained in food hygiene based on the level of activity they are involved in.

 

If you are responsible for your business’s HACCP system then you must undertake adequate training in the application of HACCP principles.

 

You can learn how to develop and implement an effective food safety system, incorporating Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) via online learning giving certification which is recognised nationally by employers and environmental health officers.

 

To effectively safeguard your business today, talk to Cormac or Shane on 01 278 1938. 

Recognising and Promoting Positive Safety Behaviour

For employers there is a legal duty to provide a safe place of work for their employees wherever the place of work maybe. In these COVID-19 times this can and does in many cases mean remote working from home. Health and Safety requires all the stake holders to actively participate in safe work practice and to understand what is involved to create a safe place to work. Giving staff the information and tools to do this is a first step. When on-boarding staff, it is important to carry out a risk assessment that is personal to the employee and their role. Making sure they have the correct training, and any necessary certification is the next step and thereafter the employer needs to monitor compliance and performance.

 

 

An effective way of doing this is through an online solution that provides the records and training required. Having such a system that provides 24/7 access to information you can then go further to promote positive safety behaviour. By encouraging ongoing engagement with the core safety information and training you can see which employees are performing well and keeping engaged and up to date. You can incentivise staff to make sure they are aware of safe behaviour and you can encourage them to report unsafe issues that may arise.

It is true that a safe place of work is likely to be a more productive environment for the employee which all contributes to your bottom line. Promoting positive safety behaviour will reduce the risk of accidents and incidents and will reduce days lost to illness or accidents. It will also help you protect your company from the negative publicity and potential legal action arising from an accident in the workplace. Everyone in a working environment requires knowledge and training on safety behaviour and how to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. A desk bound job requires proper ergonomics and knowledge regarding breaks and what to do in an emergency. Even working in the home carries significant risks if a workstation is not correctly set up.

Our pattern and location of work is changing rapidly as a result of the pandemic and is likely to change permanently with a much larger degree of blended work where people attend the office on a part time basis. In this scenario it will become increasingly important to promote positive safety behaviour as the employer will have less control of the work environment while still being legally responsible for it. Even more reason to recognise and promote positive safety behaviour.

Myelearnsafety.com can provide more information on this topic as well as providing a solution to safety training and compliance monitoring. We would be delighted to hear from you with any of your concerns or problems.

Article  by Vincent Traynor

Please feel free to contact Cormac on 01 278 1938 or cormac@elearn.ie,  if you would like to discuss your health and safety needs further,  or take advantage of a complimentary course.

Employers Beware: COVID-19 and Remote Working Obligations

The Safety Health and Welfare at Work legislation boils down to the fact that Employers are obliged to provide a safe place to work.

There are significant sanctions for employers who breach the legislation including fines up to €3 million and imprisonment for up to 2 years for a serious breach. In 2019 in HSA v Walker the defendant was prosecuted for a breach of s11(1)(c)(ii) of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and sentenced to 6 months with only 2 month suspended.

In these COVID 19 times a workplace can mean working from home for many employees. Employers have a duty therefore to check that their employees have the appropriate facilities and equipment to work safely. The big difference now is that people working from home are doing so for their  full working day or at least a large part of their working hours. Appropriate desk, chair and work station ergonomics need to be considered. How do you keep in touch with your staff to check on their well-being? Is there inappropriate online activity? How is everyone’s mental health holding up? These are just a few of the considerations that you need to consider and find ways of dealing with issues that were previously dealt with in the office environment.

 

“Having a designated COVID-19 Compliance Officer within the workplace

is looking like becoming the new norm.”

 

Having a designated COVID-19 Compliance Officer within the workplace is looking like becoming the new norm. This person or persons will be tasked with ensuring businesses meet any instructions or rules issued by the Government in order to allow them to continue trading. Online training, health and safety awareness and carrying out up to date risk assessments can be implemented easily and at low cost. A simple example is asking your employees to send a photo of their workstation. This can then be reviewed by an appropriate qualified person to assess its suitability. Creating appropriate checklists and procedures can help employers and employees assess what needs to be done in everyone’s best interests.

 

Myelearnsafety.com provides a range of courses and our experts are on hand to give advice and courses to suit your business helping you create a better safer workplace in a changed pandemic world and helping you meet your legal requirements to provide a safe place of work.

Safety Tips for Transportation Companies

We at My Elearn Safety are always looking to share valuable information with our followers. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has a publication on Workplace Transport Safety Management.

Workplace Transport Safety Management

What is a Risk Assessment?

A risk assessment is a careful examination of what could cause harm to people as a result of a work activity. It allows you to take precautions to prevent harm occurring. What’s involved in conducting a risk assessment? There are five key steps to a risk assessment:

1. Look at the hazards
2. Decide who might be harmed and how
3. Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done
4. Record your findings
5. Review your assessment on a regular basis at predetermined intervals as part of the safety management procedures

What should the Workplace Transport Safety Management System include?

Vehicle safety in the workplace must be competently managed. The size and form of the management system will vary depending on the size of the operation – however it should address the following:

1. Definition of the policy and rules for the management of vehicles at the workplace and identification of responsible person for managing vehicle safety.
2. How to carry out and record risk assessments – this means writing down the most significant hazards, identifying who is at risk and listing the safety precautions which should be in place.
3. Determine the training needs of workforce and the preventative maintenance program required for ensuring ongoing workplace vehicle safety. Any changes to vehicles, workplace or personnel which might have implications for the safety of the system must be allowed for.
4. Employees who may be affected must be kept fully informed of the system and of any changes to it.
5. Details of how acceptable standards for workplace vehicle safety are achieved and should also be included in the site specific Safety Statement.

What areas need to be considered?

The Workplace Layout of the place of work;

• Are vehicles and pedestrians kept safely apart?
• Are there suitable walkways for pedestrians?
• Are there suitable parking areas for all parking needs?
• Do the vehicle routes avoid sharp or blind bends?
• Is there scope for introducing a one-way system on vehicle routes within the workplace to reduce the risk of collisions?
• Are the lighting arrangements adequate both inside and outside?
• Where loading bays are longer than the width of five vehicles are appropriate numbers of exits or safe refuge points in place?

Suitability of traffic routes;

• Are they wide enough?
• Are they well constructed and maintained?
• Are they free from obstructions and other hazards?

Suitability / provision of safety features;

• Are roadways marked where necessary e.g. to indicate the right of way at road junctions?
• Is there a need for direction signs, speed limit signs, and, where applicable, signs such as ‘Give Way’, ‘No Entry’ etc.?
• Is there a need for features such as fixed mirrors to provide greater vision at blind bends, road humps to reduce vehicle-speeds, or barriers to keep vehicles and pedestrians apart?
• Is there adequate warning at the interface of the site with public areas?

 

The publication goes on to include:

• Vehicles
• Employee Selection, Training & Supervision
• Loading & Unloading Operations
• Legislation

….. Continue reading publication here.

Check out our Transport and Tourism sector specific online Safety Courses here.

Management of Vehicle Risks

Health and Safety Authority campaign to target transport operations and vehicles at work

We at My Elearn Safety are always looking to share valuable information with our followers. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) had a campaign in February of this year focusing on the management of vehicle risks in the workplace.

Management of Vehicle Risks

The Health and Safety Authority will begin a two week nationwide inspection and awareness campaign on Monday 18th February focusing on the management of vehicle risks in the workplace. Over the last six years, almost half (45%) of all reported work related fatalities involved vehicles. Last year, 18 people were killed in vehicle related incidents at work.

Inspectors from the HSA will be targeting transport and logistics companies, manufacturing premises, waste and recycling facilities and distribution and warehousing centres. Specific issues such as vehicle operations, particularly low speed manoeuvres, load securing and driving for work will be targeted.

Deirdre Sinnott, Senior Inspector with the HSA said, “Accident statistics show that the majority of vehicle related deaths at work occurred during low speed manoeuvring, reversing or coupling and uncoupling of vehicles. It is vital that procedures are developed and put in place to eliminate and control known risks associated with workplace vehicles. Once these written procedures are in place they should be communicated to all employees, contractors and visiting drivers in the workplace.”

Throughout the two week campaign, HSA inspectors will focus on:

• Pedestrian management near moving vehicles
• Reversing and slow speed manoeuvres
• Loading and unloading
• Vehicle maintenance
• Certification and safety of fork lifts, tail lifts and lorry loader cranes

… continue reading article here. 

 

Transport Safety Courses

We have a range of courses and bespoke courses available to the Transport and Tourism Sector here.

Transport Safety Case Study

Take a look at our case study on Dualway here.

Dualway Transport has grown over four decades to become one of the largest, family run, transport operations in Ireland.Myelearnsafety.ie worked with Dualway to develop a bespoke induction training program for new and existing staff members to ensure were properly inducted in the Health & Safety policies and procedures for the company.

Fire Safety in Hospitality

Section 11 of the 2005 Act states that employers are required to prepare and revise adequate emergency plans and procedures and provide the necessary measures for fire fighting and the evacuation of the workplace. Consideration for all employees and anyone connected with the workplace must form part of how an employer addresses the area of safety health and welfare and specifically the provision of emergency access and egress.

Soure – HSA 

Fire safety equipment and systems

All hotels, bars, restaurants, catering etc..  should be equipped with suitable fire safety equipment.

Smoke Detectors

When you have a bigger property, most jurisdictions require that you have an automated centralized smoke detector that integrates all smoke detectors in each location with a master panel. This alerts the staff to immediately identify where a smoke detector has activated and take steps of action without delay.

Fire Extinguishers

ABC fire extinguishers are multi-purpose and are the most commonly sold fire extinguishers for businesses and commercial properties. What does the ABC stand for? They are classes of what type of fires that fire extinguisher can put out:

• Class A – fires from wood, cloth, paper, plastic, etc.
• Class B – fires from flammable liquids like gasoline
• Class C – electrical fires from wiring and appliances

Sprinkler Systems

According to Engineers Ireland comprehensive report, Systems designed to BS 9251 are primarily for the protection of life and not intended for the protection of property or commercial risks. Sprinkler Systems are usually required as a means of demonstrating compliance with Building Regulations. However, there may also be occasions where a Sprinkler System is installed to compensate where a building is unable to achieve compliance with building regulations, for example;

• New / Older buildings where the minimum fire resistance cannot be achieved
• Buildings that cannot meet the access requirements for fire appliances
• Attic conversions where adequate secure escape is not practical or possible

Evacuation plan

All hospitality sectors need to have an emergency evacuation plan. A route must be laid out and that route must never at any stage be blocked or obstructed. Regardless of the location of a fire, once people are aware of it, they should be able to proceed safely along a recognisable escape route, to a place of safety.

If the premises is small and has a simple layout, the normal entrances and exits may be sufficient. There should be no possibility of anyone being cut off by smoke or flames before they can make their escape.

Competent Person

All premises need to have an assigned fire warden or a competent person to maintain all the fire safety equipment  – Smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems & evacuation paths. They are in charge of;

• How the system works
• When is maintenance carried out, and provisions for arranging access
• Who should be contacted for immediate repair if the system goes wrong
• In addition details of what was agreed for the sprinkler system at fire safety certificate stage should be kept available for consultation

Take a look at our Fire Safety Awareness course overview here.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Fire Safety in Construction

We at My Elearn Safety are always looking to share valuable information with our followers. The HSE has a great publication on Fire Safety in Construction, Guidance for clients, designers and those managing and carrying out construction work involving significant fire risks.

Have a look at our Fire Safety Awareness course overview here.

Fire Safety in Construction

Fire risk assessment

Legislation requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment to be carried out by a responsible person (the employer or persons in control).

The FSO places responsibility for compliance on the ‘responsible person’. Article 3 defines the responsible person as:

• The employer (for a workplace to any extent under the employer’s control); or
• A person who has control of a premises in connection with them carrying out any trade, business or other undertaking (for profit or not); or
• The owner, where the person in control of the premises does not have control in connection with the carrying on by that person of any trade, business or other undertaking.

As with assessments of risk from other hazards, the fire risk assessment should be based on the following approach:

1. Identify the hazards.
2. Identify people at risk.
3. Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk.
4. Record, plan, inform, instruct and train.
5. Review.

Step 1 Identify the hazards

The basic principles which follow are relevant to fire risk assessment in all circumstances. However, it is important to note that there will be different things to consider for new builds compared to the refurbishment of an existing building.

For a new build, your assessment will include its location and proximity to other buildings, the type of construction materials and methods. While completed buildings have the standards of fire protection required by Building Regulations, during construction and before final fire protection is in place the building will be more vulnerable to fire.

This vulnerability can often lead to the whole structure being involved in fire with resultant on- and off-site fire spread issues, eg the building could be timber framed and more vulnerable to fire before the external finishes are in place. This vulnerability needs to be taken into account early in the design process.

In some situations the additional costs entailed in providing adequate controls might make it more cost effective to specify alternative methods or materials from the outset. For a refurbishment project it will be important to take into account, among other things, the age and construction of the premises, eg the building could have a relatively heavy fire load due to lath and plaster ceilings and walls, wooden panelling and floors. There may also have been changes to the fabric of the building that could have significant consequences in a fire.

 

The publication goes on to include:

• Staps 2 – 5 in a fire risk assessment
• Detailed guidance on fire risk assessment and fire precautions
• Legal and enforcement responsibilities

To continue reading this publication please click here

Have a look at our Fire Safety Awareness course overview here