Occupational Health and Safety

1 Understand how to create and ensure a safe office environment

The importance of ventilation in an office: dust, asthma, lung conditions, contagion control.

‍Facilities required for a safe typical work environment: bathrooms, water, space to eat, space to rest, ergonomic workspace, adequate lighting, emergency exits.

Building qualities that pose a risk for staff: asbestos, structural integrity, lack of fire safety measures, substandard electrical equipment, insufficient ventilation.

Measures used to ensure safe working with computers: Display Screen Equipment (DSE), training, eye tests, seating, ergonomics, lighting, breaks, screen settings.

Procedures to prevent slips and trips in the office: space, object placement, spills procedure, signage.

2 Be able to ensure a safe office environment

Hazard awareness: repetitive work, manual handling, noise, vibrations, computers, hazardous substances, individuals, stress, pressure systems, animals, heights, slips, trips, machinery, equipment, fire, explosives, confined spaces, transport, and vehicles.

Developing, implementing and monitoring behavioural safety in the office: creating policy, set targets, identify areas of development, report performance, safe and unsafe behaviour, evaluating existing policy.

Controlling health and safety risks in the office: rating risk, acceptable risk, record keeping, risk control, cost-effective risk control, giving recommendations, risk assessments, risk analysis, rating effectiveness, risk control hierarchies.

Making sure own actions in the workplace reduce risks to health and safety: identifying policies, identifying risks, locating responsible individuals, knowing competency and sticking to it, follow instructions, follow legal requirements, using equipment, materials and products safely following workplace instructions and suppliers' or manufacturers' instructions, risk vs hazard, reporting hazards.

3 Understand how to create and ensure a safe working environment for remote workers 

The procedure for ensuring remote workers are using computers safely: Display Screen Equipment (DSE), training, eye tests, seating, communication.

Safety provisions for staff working in vehicles: suitability of vehicles, maintaining vehicles, reversing aids, protective equipment, seatbelts, posture, fatigue, securing loads, correct loading, regular maintenance, cleanliness.

The importance of regular communication with remote workers: wellbeing, safety, stress, isolation.

Reviewing health and safety procedures at workplaces other than own: gaining access, setting benchmarks, obtain information regarding unfamiliar working activities, select correct research methods for workplace, recording evidence, making follow up plans, quality assurance.

4 Be able to ensure safe working environments for those working outside of the organisation’s workspace

Developing policy and procedure for healthy working in vehicles: maintenance, posture, cleanliness, loading and unloading, noise, fatigue, evaluating existing policy.

Developing policy and procedure for healthy remote working: eye strain, posture, stress, isolation, communication, evaluating existing policy.

5 Understand how to create and ensure a safe working environment in outside spaces Safety procedures

• Working at heights: PPE (harness, helmet, ropes), ladders (types, usage), training, experience, additional team members.
• Working with a range of animals: bites, scratches, infections, faeces, trampling, carrying animals, escaped animals.
• Extreme or dangerous weather conditions: hurricane, wind, lightning, extreme heat, blizzard, tornado, tsunami, ice, appropriate policy, evacuation, lockdown.

6 Be able to create and ensure safe working environments in outside spaces

Developing, implementing and monitor behavioural safety in outside spaces: identify improvements, action plans, setting targets, monitoring behaviour, reporting against topics.

Controlling health and safety risks in outside spaces: acceptable risks, levels of risk, risk assessment, control systems.

Making sure own actions in outside workspaces reduce risks to health and safety: following policy and procedure, recognising hazards.

Developing procedures to safely control work operations in outside settings: identifying procedures, evaluating procedures, and development cycle.

Controlling work operations safely in outside spaces: keeping up with regulations, ensuring guidance from reliable sources, informing others of controls and training, responding promptly to breaches in policy, maintaining records, and making recommendations.

7 Understand how to ensure specialised workplace settings are safe Safe working in specialist settings

• Safety around hazardous chemicals: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), lead, asbestos, consequences of contamination, record keeping.
• Radiation safety
  
  • Types of radiation (ionising and non-ionising)
  • Medical exposure
  • Radiation damage
  • Level of exposure
  • Gaining consent to work with radiation
  • Sources of radiation
  • Medical surveillance
  • Radiation protection advisors (RPA)
  • Radioactive gases
  • Shielding
  • Lasers
  • Regulations listed apply to the UK, teach local legislation if they exist
    
    • The Ionising Radiation Regulations 2017,
    • The Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2019 (REPPIR),
    • The Control of Artificial Optical Radiation at Work Regulations 2010 (AOR),
    • The Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016.
• Working in extreme temperatures: facilities to warm up, PPE, frequent breaks, cold stress, consider timing of work, shade, cool water, heat stress, sun exposure, dehydration.

8 Be able to create a safe working environment in a range of specialised settings 

Developing, implementing and monitoring behavioural safety in specialised settings: identify improvements, action plans, setting targets, monitoring behaviour, reporting against topics.

Developing procedures to safely control work operations in specialised settings: identifying procedures, evaluating procedures, and development cycle.

Controlling work operations safely in specialised spaces: keeping up with regulations, ensuring guidance from reliable sources, informing others of controls, training, responding promptly to breaches in policy, maintaining records, and making recommendations.