No health and safety qualification, no need to apply

Anyone looking for a health and safety job without suitable qualifications "need not apply" according to new research.


The 2011 NEBOSH Jobs Barometer found that just three of 100 nationally advertised health and safety vacancies failed to specify an appropriate level qualification or professional status.


NEBOSH Chief Executive, Teresa Budworth, said she was delighted with the high standards being set by employers when it came to health and safety roles. "It's clear that anyone seeking a job as a health and safety manager or advisor in the UK will struggle to find a position without appropriate level qualifications."


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No health and safety qualification, no need to apply

Case Law - Marshall v. Gotham (1954)

Case: Marshall v. Gotham (1954)
Precedent: Reasonably Practicable

The case concerned the collapse of a mine roof which had been subjected to earlier tests but which collapsed due to a rare geological fault.

However, the evidence also showed that after the accident, additional precautions were taken in the area near the accident: a hydraulic prop was used unless the roof was thought to be thin, in which event that area was bypassed. The plaintiff argued that it would have been reasonably practicable for the defendants to use props (as they did after the accident). The trial judge found no negligence at common law, but ruled in the plaintiff’s favour on the statutory claim, reasoning that hydraulic props should have been used before as well as after the accident.

The Court of Appeal unanimously reversed, on the ground that because the risk was not reasonably foreseeable it was not reasonably practicable to guard against it. As Jenkins, L.J., explained, “it cannot fairly be said to be ‘reasonably practicable’ to guard against a contingency that could not reasonably have been foreseen, inasmuch as its occurrence would be contrary to all previous experience.”

Health And Safety Training: What You Should Know About Electrical Safety

It is imperative to take precautionary measures while handling electrical equipment in the workplace. If you are not careful you could suffer from electrical shock or injure someone else around you. Health and safety training teaches workers how to deal with electric sources and equipment in a safe and responsible manner. Electrical safety is an important part of the health and safety training curriculum for workers. Below are the tips for maintaining electrical safety in the workplace. This is just some of the crucial information that is shared with workers during health and safety training.

Electrical cords and equipment should not be in contact with any moisture. A worker should avoid handling electrical cords and equipment with damp hands. Doing so could cause electric shock or fatal injury. Cords that are broken or torn should be immediately replaced. Health And Safety Training encourages workers to become aware of where the fuses and circuit breakers are located in the building. This is important information that could be useful during an emergency or crisis situation. Rooms that have high electrical hazards should have safety posters outlining electrical safety procedures.

Circuits and conductors should be tested before workers handle them. Lockout and tag-out procedures should be put into place while handling electrical equipment. Health and safety training teaches workers about lockout and tag-out methods to ensure their safety and avoiding injury. Lockout and tag out procedures protect employees from injury if there is an unexpected start-up during maintenance. Testing and maintenance for electrical equipment should be carried out on a regular basis to ensure safety. Health and safety training emphasizes that all electrical sockets in the building should have safety covers when not in use. This reduces the risk of workers being exposed to electrical shock.

In order to make sure your workplace is safe and secure from electrical hazards you should answer the following questions:

* Are there any signs of burning or overheating for any electrical cords and equipment being used?
* Do you get small jolts of electric shock while using certain electrical equipment?
* Are certified electricians being used to make any repairs required on electrical equipment?
* Are all wires and extension cords out of the way to prevent someone from tripping and falling?
* Are all appliances being used in the workplace properly grounded?

Health And Safety Training encourages workers to focus on the electrical outlets to make sure they are not being overloaded with too many plugged items. During health and safety training it is important to teach workers how to dress an electrical burn injury. They should also be taught the procedures to follow if someone is stuck to a live electrical current. Health and safety training suggests that you should find the power source and to shut of the electrical current immediately in such a situation. If you are not in the position to shut off the electrical current you can use anything made of wood to push the person away from the electrical current. Now that you have understood the importance of electrical safety make sure to invest in a number of safety reference materials to conduct your health and safety training sessions successfully. Reference materials could range from safety posters, safety booklets, hazard signs, first aid kits, safety awareness DVDs, trainer guides and more.

Safety Media is the UK's leading Health And Safety Training provider. Their range of products and services include online safety training software, manual handling DVDs, ergonomic equipment, safety posters, first aid equipment, safety booklets, safety and hazard signs, and much more. For more information and details on how to make your workplace a safer environment visit http://www.safetymedia.co.uk/

Health And Safety Training: Noise In The Workplace

Many employees are not aware of the numerous health problems noise can cause. Noise is something we're so used to tuning out but if it is loud enough it can still affect the way we normally function. Loud frequencies of sound can prevent us from understanding crucial information which someone is communicating to us and also trigger health problems. Through health and safety training we can learn how to prevent hearing loss and minimize noise related stress to our bodies.

If we are exposed to loud decibels of noise for an extended period of time our bodies can suffer from hypertension, high blood pressure, ulcers and other serious health problems. Safety Training regulations emphasize the use of ear plugs, ear muffs, or other standard hearing protectors in work environments that have abnormally high decibels of noise. Hearing protectors cancel out most of the sound we are exposed to allowing us to function normally during our day to day tasks. By learning how to use hearing protectors in health and safety training we will be able to perform our tasks without compromising our health.

Safety posters put up in high decibel noise areas will remind employees to put on hearing protectors to prevent hearing loss. Safety posters will outline the steps to wearing protective gear correctly so employees do not suffer from bodily harm while working in these high risk areas. Usually workplaces that expose their staff to high decibels of noise regularly perform audiometric testing to determine the hearing sensitivity of each employee. The test will conclude if each employee's hearing sensitivity is within normal range. If a physician finds that significant hearing damage has occurred other hearing protector and safety training options are explored to prevent further injury to employees. In certain cases the employees have a right to refuse to perform the tasks at hand until sufficient hearing protectors are provided to maintain their health and well being in the workplace.

Health and safety training guidelines help staff become aware of the warning signs that noise levels are at abnormally high decibels and the steps to take to avoid further exposure. Health and safety training not only covers occupational noise exposure but also other important topics such as fire safety, electrical safety, chemical safety, and manual handling. Safety posters are available in the market with all of these topics in mind to outline the important safety procedures in a variety of emergency situations. Safety posters can be put up in bathrooms, high risk areas, in the cafeteria and break room so staff will take the time to read them.

With regular health and safety training in the workplace you can ensure the safety and well being of all your employees and staff members. Browse online for a variety of helpful resources to efficiently conduct health and safety training within your workplace. Some of the notable resources used for health and safety training include safety awareness DVDs, Safety Posters, e-learning software, booklets, ergonomic equipment, trainer guides, basic first aid supplies and more. With so much information and resources available in the market there is no reason why every office and workplace should not be conducting health and safety training for their employees.

Safety Media is the UK's leading health and Safety Training provider. Their range of products and services include online safety training software, manual handling DVDs, ergonomic equipment, safety posters and more. For more information and details visit http://www.safetymedia.co.uk/

Case Law - Edwards v. National Coal Board (1949)

Case: Edwards v. National Coal Board (1949)
Precendent: Reasonably Practicable

In this case, a miner (Edwards) was killed when a section of the road on which he was travelling subsided. The section of the road concerned had no timber supports, although other sections were properly supported. The Coal Board stated that the cost of supporting all roads was prohibitive in relation to the risk. Lord Asquith, the judge in the case, said that a balance had to be struck in deciding whether it would have been reasonably practicable to have taken the precaution of providing supports for the section of road which collapsed.

The test for what is reasonably practicable was set out in this case. The case established the risk must be balanced against the 'sacrifice', whether in money, time or trouble, needed to avert or mitigate the risk. By carrying out this exercise the employer can determine what measures are reasonable to take. This is effectively an implied requirement for risk assessment.