- When developing and writing down safety procedures, ensure that they are clear and applicable to the task. Use the findings of your risk assessments as the basis for determining what controls are needed, how they should be implemented and when. Ensure that the correct planning and coordination of tasks takes place before any work starts.
- Check before work starts that all workers understand the safety procedures and what is required of them. Simple misunderstandings can have major repercussions when heavy or dangerous machinery is in use, for example.
- Regularly review your safe systems of work to check that they are still current and applicable. Also check all procedures after an accident or near miss, to see if changes need to be made to your processes.
- Make sure that all work is supervised by a competent person who has knowledge of the task and a clear understanding of the safety procedures to be followed.
- Give the right level of training to workers in relation to their roles and the tasks they need to perform. Check that contractors know about the safety procedures, too, and that they understand them.
Always ensure employees and contractors fully understand the companies policies and procedures.
Contact Walker Health and Safety Services for further advice.
