Health & Safety Stage 1

Resources for your Course

Week 1 Getting Started
Week 2 Involving Members
Week 3 The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
Week 4 The 'Six Pack' Regulations
Week 5 Safety Inspections
Week 6 Reporting Accidents - RIDDOR 1995
Week 7 The Role and Make Up of Safety Committees
Week 8 Risk Assessments
Week 9 Health & Safety Exectuive Inspectors
Week 10 Equal Opportunities
Week 11 Making Use of the Internet
Week 12 Sending & Receiving Email

Week 1 - Getting Started

Week 1 gives you a chance to get to know one another and find out how the course will work. We understand that this will be the first day in a classroom for some time for many of you so we are keen to make you welcome and introduce you to the Trade Union Studies learning environment.

Activities:-
  • Course Introductions - page 2
  • The Safety Rep's Job - page 20
  • Prioritise the Course Aims
  • The TU Approach to Health & Safety - page 25
  • Setting Up The Course Meeting - page 200
 Resourses:-

Web resource - The Health & Safety Executive
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- Safety Reps & Union Members - page 35
This workplace report gives you the opportunity to find out what your fellow work mates think about health & safety. It will get your face known as the local rep and be an ideal chance for you to start to find out the issues that matter in your

Week 2 - Involving Members

This Week looks at the specific role of the health and safety rep in your workplace. We will look at the issues your members have and examine the way reps are elected and involved in the management of health and safety matters.

Activities:-
  • Safety Reps & Union Members - page 37
  • Appointment of Safety Reps - page 12
  • Safety Reps & the Law - page 40
  • Facilities for Time Off & Training - page 48
 Resourses:-

No web resources are available for week 2
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- Union Organisation - page 54
Your workplace report for this week will help you to find out how your union works both inside and outside the workplace and enable you to make contact with the key players within your organisation.

Week 3 - The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

The 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act is the cornerstone of all of the legal aspect of H&S in the work place. We will examine this piece of legislation and analyse it's scope and effect. We will move on to look at H&S as a method of recruiting new members by using a role play situation.

Activities:-
  • Involving Members - page 55
  • Improving Union Organisation
  • Using the Law
  • Recruiting Using H&S Issues
 Resourses:-

Handout - Reasonably Practicable?
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- Finding Information - page 65
This workplace report is to collect health & safety information from your employer. Use the check list on pages 66 & 67 to help you and remember that the SRSC reg 7(1) gives you the right to read and take copies of health & safety information.

Week 4 - The 'Six Pack' Regulations 1992/1999

In this session we look at the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 which, along with its five accompanying regulations, is often referred to as "This Six Pack". We then look at tackling problems using a systematic approach and the Trade Union approach as to why accidents happen.

Activities:- Resourses:-

Web Resource - Management Regs
Web Resource - Workplace Welfare Regs
Web Resource - Display Screen Equipment Regs
Web Resource - Manual Handling Regs
Web Resource - PPE Regs
Web Resource - Work Equipment Regs.
Activity - Fatal Accident Case Studies
Lesson Plan
Workplace Report:- Inspections - page 134
Inspections are a fundamental part of the Safety Rep's role as defined in the SRSC regulations. This Workplace Activity is to find out how inspections are carried out in your workplace and prepare to make an inspection yourself.

Week 5 - Safety Inspections

Safety Inspections are a major part of the activities of a Safety Rep. In this session we will use the SRSC regs to identify the various types of inspection that can be carried out and the procedures for arranging and conducting them.

Activities:-
  • Types of Inspection
  • Inspections - Page 135
  • Tackling Problems with Inspections - Page 141
  • Planning & Doing Inspections - Page 142
 Resourses:-

Handout - Model Inspection Checklist
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- Accidents, Ill Health & Near Misses - page 168
The 1979 Social Security Act states that employers must keep an accident book to record injuries. This activity is to investigate the common accidents / incidents that happen in your workplace and discuss H&S issues with your members.

Week 6 - Reporting Accidents

Accident reporting is vital if pro-active planning to prevent recurrences is to be effective. This week we look at your internal accident reporting systems and see when accidents / incidents need to be reported to the HSE under the RIDDOR regulations.

Activities:-
  • Accidents in the Workplace
  • What Causes Accidents & Ill Health? - Page 170
  • Understanding & Using RIDDOR 1995
  • Interviewing Injured Members - Page 184
 Resourses:-

Web resource - The RIDDOR Regulations 1995
F2508 form in Word format
Web resource - Reportable Diseases
Web resource - Report an Incident
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- Procedures to tackle Health and Safety Problems - page 108
How are Health and Safety matters dealt with in your workplace? Do you have a Safety Committee? If so how does it operate? if not why not? This workplace report will give you all the answers.

Week 7 - Safety Committees

The theme of week 7 is Safety Committees. We will look at the legal position with respect to setting up and running a safety committee and make comparisons with your own arrangements at work. We will also look at the role of the committee and see how we can make it an effective organisation.

Activities:-
  • Safety Committees, the legal position
  • Why Have a Safety Committee at All?
  • Health & Safety Committees - page 116
 Resourses:-

Web resource - About Safety Committees
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- Risk Assessments - page 151
Risk Assessments are a relatively new tool in the prevention of accidents. This report will help you find out how risk assessments are carried out for the duties you undertake. Obtain copies of the risk assessments relevant to your job.

Week 8 - Risk Assessments

Risk Assessments are a concept born out of the 1992 'Six Pack' regulations. We will look at what obligations the employer has to risk assess and what we, as safety reps, can do to make the process more effective.

Activities:-
  • Risk Assessments - page 152
  • Safety Reps Rights & Risk Assessments - page 155
  • Understanding the Difference between Inspections and RA's
  • Safety Reps Involvement in Risk Assessments - page 162
  • Using the Manual Handling Regs - page 165
 Resourses:-

Web resource - HSE's 5 Steps to Risk Assessment
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- HSE Inspectors and Your Workplace
Next week an inspector from the HSE will be giving a presentation to the course. Find out when an inspector last visited your workplace. Try to obtain copies of any paperwork or correspondence linked to the visit. Also, prepare some questions to put to the inspector.

Week 9 - HSE Inspectors

The people who formally police all of the health and safety legislation we have looked at are the HSE's inspectors. We will look at the role and remit of the inspector and compare notes about visits to your workplaces. An inspector from the HSE will give a presentation to the course and take questions.

Activities:-
  • HSE Inspectors and Your Workplace
  • Visits By Factory Inspectors
  • Guest Speaker from the HSE
  • Question & Answer Session
  • Review of the Day's Session
 Resourses:-

Web resource - What to Do When An Inspector Calls
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- Health & Safety Training - page 90
How are staff and safety reps trained in your workplace? Is it an ad hoc approach that gives the bare necessities or systematic and thorough one that ensures that everyone is fully aware of safety issues? This activity will help you find out.

Week 10 - Equal Opportunities, Safety Policies & Training

Week 10 is the final week of the TUC course contained within the course material we have been using. We will cover off the last few items still outstanding in your records of achievement and make sure your files are ready for moderation.

Activities:-
  • Learning Opportunities - page 231
  • Equal Opps and Health & Safety
  • Contents of a Safety Policy - page 105
  • Taking Up Problems - best practice - page 109
 Resourses:-

Web resource - Writing a Safety Policy
Lesson Plan

Workplace Report:- Finalising your Portfolio
Next week your course files will be assessed by your tutor. The tutor will then take a sample of the classes files for the moderation process. Make sure that your files are organised and cross referenced to your records of achievement.

Week 11 - Making Use of the Internet

The internet is a valuable resource for safety reps. It can provide you with a vast array of bang up to date information on almost any subject. This session will show you how to access this information and search for specific topics.

Activities:-
  • Working with Internet Explorer
  • Accessing a known web site
  • Searching for information
  • Downloading and Saving Files
 Resourses:-

Lesson Plan
Action Planning Spreadsheet

Week 12 - Sending and Receiving Email

Email is a fast, effective method of communication. As well as having the ability to communicate with people you know you can also email people for further info after reading their web pages or make contacts with people in other countrys.

Activities:-
  • Setting Up an Email Account
  • Sending and Recieving Messages
  • To: CC: and BCC:
  • Address Books and Distribution Lists
  • Forward and Reply
 Resourses:-

Web resource - Yahoo Mail
Lesson Plan