Roles and responsibilities for Health and Safety

Explain the roles and responsibilities for Health and Safety of key personnel in a selected workplace (P3) There are many employees that have different Health and Safety roles to uphold in businesses such as Debenhams. Some of the roles are more senior than others such as: Directors, Line Managers and different employees that have individual special roles to uphold like the Fire Marshall and the First Aider. All these roles are vital for Debenhams to have because they have to ensure the Health and Safety of their customers and employees is upheld to the highest possible standard. Firstly, the role of a director is important because they have to make sure they have someone that can manage all aspects of the company and they can make sure they can manage all the employees and guide them to completion of a successful job. The directors have a vital role in Debenhams management of Health and Safety because they have to make sure every employee is doing the correct job and they have to make sure that they can manage their work properly. An example of a directors meeting

Another role that is vital in the Health and Safety process is the role of a line manager because it is their job to ensure all the organisations objectives are completed to a high standard. It is important for Debenhams to have a line manager because they have to make sure all their objectives are met and completed to the highest standard. Also they have to ensure they have a line manager so they can help the director complete tasks and delegate them to the correct people. It is a line manager’s job to ensure all the objectives of the company are completed and they have to make sure they work towards achieving Debenhams mission statement which is ‘Debenhams has a clear strategy to drive future profitability and grow market share. This is being achieved by increasing our sales to our existing customers, attracting new customers and moving into new markets. Debenhams is Britain’s favourite department store group, with over 108 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland’. So this shows that the importance of a line manager in Debenhams is vital. An example of a line manager

Debenhams is a major company that have to make sure their Health and Safety procedures in place because they have to keep all their customers and employees safe and they also need to stick to the Health and Safety procedures because they are a big company and will get a lot of complaints in the media. There are many employees that work for Debenhams and they have to make sure they do the job they have been provided with correctly this means they have to make sure that they complete their job to a satisfactory level otherwise they can be putting their own lives and other people’s lives in danger.

Some of the special employee roles include: a fire marshal and a first aider and it is their job to ensure the safety of their colleagues and customers are safe. Firstly, the Fire Marshal has to ensure they understand the Health and Safety role of their position and they have to make sure they know the fire procedure so they can get the people to safety. The role of a Fire Marshal in Debenhams is important because they have to make sure they get everyone to safety if there is an event of a fire which means they have to understand the safety procedure and be able to get people to the fire access points safely. A sign for a fire marshal

It is important for a Debenhams to have a fire marshal so they can ensure the safety of their employees and their customers so they can feel safe in the knowledge they have a safety procedure in place. Finally, the last special role of an employee is a first aider and their job is to help people who have injured themselves in work or people who are seriously ill and they pass out in the store. It is important for Debenhams to have a first aider because they have to ensure the safety of the public over their personal profits. Also it is important for Debenhams to have a first aider on hand because they have to make sure they don’t put the public at risk by not having a first aider. It is vital because they have to make sure they keep the public safe and by having a trained first aider on hand it helps them feel safe in the knowledge they have someone to help before an ambulance arrives. A sign for a first aider

There are many other jobs that need to ensure Health and Safety is important and some of these are: landlords, contractors, emergency services, trade union representatives and consultants. They have to make sure Health and Safety is an important role whilst doing their job as they don’t just have to think about themselves and the people who work for them, they also have to consider the people who are putting their trust in them to help them. Firstly, the landlords have to consider Health and Safety because they have to make sure the properties they sell are safe for people to move into and they have to make sure they have all the relevant checks on them otherwise the landlord can be prosecuted for breaking the Health and Safety Act 1974. Landlords also have to ensure Health and Safety is upheld because they have to make sure their properties have all the correct maintenance checks so they can ensure the person renting the property is safe and well.

For example: if they failed to check if there was any damage to the ceiling then the people who rent the property can be injured if the ceiling falls through and this means the landlord is liable for all damage caused and they can be prosecuted for breaking the Health and Safety Act 1974 and the family can also sue the landlord for damages caused to them. Also the landlords have insurance to consider because they have to make sure their properties are covered by insurance because they have to make sure they have something to fall back on in the event of a disaster. Another, employer that has to make sure they focus on Health and Safety are contractors and it is important because they are self-employed so they are liable for any Health and Safety issues that may occur on site so they have to make sure they have something to fall back on like insurance. It is also important because they have to make sure the work they are completing is satisfactory and has a correct Health and Safety check in place before they finalise their work.

Emergency Services are vital in the Health and Safety regulations as their job is to serve and protect the public and make them safe. Firstly a paramedic has an important role in Health and Safety because they have to make sure they help the public by getting to the scene of the incident quickly and applying the correct procedures to help save the person’s life. Next a police officer’s job is to serve and protect the public and they have to ensure they get to the scene of the crime as fast as they can because they have to ensure they catch the criminals before they escape and hurt someone else. Finally, a fire-fighters job role is important because they have to ensure they save the public from fires and that is vital because they have to make sure they get the victim out of the fire as quickly as possible.

All the emergency services is important because they have to make sure they keep the public safe and well otherwise they won’t be doing their job correctly. Example of emergency services: red truck is fire-fighter, middle ambulance is paramedic and front car is police officer. Trade union representatives are important because they have to ensure the Health and Safety of all the people they represent in the union and if they fail to do this they can be sued by the union members which will cause big problems for the union and the people who the union members work for. The union represents teachers and other workforces that need a body to represent them and their views.

Finally, consultants have to consider Health and Safety because they are consulting people on their lives and businesses and they have to make sure they are sending their consulates to the correct places which will cause them no harm. Also consultants have a role where they consult companies on the jobs they are doing and they have to make sure they consider Health and Safety whilst consulting with the companies. An example of a consultant meeting

So in conclusion it is vital for Debenhams to ensure they have all the Health and Safety employees in their company and they have to ensure all the employees are communicating from the top down because they have to ensure the fire marshal and the first aider reports to the line manager and the director because they need to understand where their safety procedures are and what they have to improve on. Also it is vital for individuals to consider Health and safety in all the job roles they are in such as: landlords, trade unionists, consultants, emergency services and contactors.

Analyse the roles and responsibilities for Health and Safety of key personnel in a selected workplace (M2)

There are many roles and responsibilities in Health and Safety that organisations like Debenhams have to consider when running a business. Some of the roles are more senior than others such as: Directors, Line Managers and different employees that have individual special roles to uphold like the Fire Marshall and the First Aider. All these roles are vital for Debenhams to have because they have to ensure the Health and Safety of their customers and employees is upheld to the highest possible standard. Firstly, the role of a director is important because they have to make sure they have someone that can manage all aspects of the company and they can make sure they can manage all the employees and guide them to completion of a successful job. The directors have a vital role in Debenhams management of Health and Safety because they have to make sure every employee is doing the correct job and they have to make sure that they can manage their work properly. If they fail to do this then none of the employees will listen to the rules and regulations and this will cause chaos and evidently cause Debenhams to fail as a business and they will fail the Health and Safety check.

Another role that is vital in the Health and Safety process is the role of a line manager because it is their job to ensure all the organisations objectives are completed to a high standard. It is important for Debenhams to have a line manager because they have to make sure all their objectives are met and completed to the highest standard. It is important for the line managers to do their job correctly because they have to ensure order in the company otherwise it will cause problems for the business and they won’t be able to run the company successfully. Firstly, the Fire Marshal has to ensure they understand the Health and Safety role of their position and they have to make sure they know the fire procedure so they can get the people to safety. The role of a Fire Marshal in Debenhams is important because they have to make sure they get everyone to safety if there is an event of a fire which means they have to understand the safety procedure and be able to get people to the fire access points safely.

If the fire marshals fail to do their job then they can cause serious injury to the people around them and if there is a fire then they can cause their fellow employees to die in the fire. Finally, the last special role of an employee is a first aider and their job is to help people who have injured themselves in work or people who are seriously ill and they pass out in the store. It is important for Debenhams to have a first aider because they have to ensure the safety of the public over their personal profits. Also it is important for Debenhams to have a first aider on hand because they have to make sure they don’t put the public at risk by not having a first aider.

It is vital because they have to make sure they keep the public safe and by having a trained first aider on hand it helps them feel safe in the knowledge they have someone to help before an ambulance arrives. If the first aider fails to do their job properly they can cause someone more problems than they had and they can cause serious injuries to the person. So in conclusion it is vital for Debenhams to ensure they have all the Health and Safety employees in their company and they have to ensure all the employees are communicating from the top down because they have to ensure the fire marshal and the first aider reports to the line manager and the director because they need to understand where their safety procedures are and what they have to improve on.

Conduct a detailed risk assessment of a selected workplace (M3) Organisation name: Central Bedfordshire College

Make recommendations for improving Health and Safety standards and practices in a selected work environment (D1)

There are many Health and Safety issues that occur in organisations and one of the organisations that have many Health and Safety issues they need to address is Central Bedfordshire College. Some of the issues they have are: Unstable shelves, faulty lifts, slippery floors, unstable lights, old projectors hanging from the roof, no system on the stairs, no emergency cord in the disabled toilet and trailing wires. All these issues can cause big problems for all the staff, students and visitors that attend the college. Unstable shelves can cause big problems for the staff, students and visitors because if the shelves aren’t secured it can collapse and fall on someone who is sitting near it. Also unstable shelves can cause problems because the person has to ensure they don’t place too much on the shelves otherwise it will collapse. They can improve this by changing the shelves and making sure they are secured before leaving them. To ensure they are still stabilised they can do regular maintenance checks so they can fix any problems if they occur.

Faulty lifts is a huge issue at Central Bedfordshire College because they constantly break down and sometimes they break down when people are still inside, this is a huge problem for all staff, students and visitors because the lift can break down with them in it and if this happens it can cause problems because the person may suffer from claustrophobia and panic attacks so the college have to ensure they improve on this problem. They can improve on this by replacing the lifts and having regular maintenance checks on the lift to ensure it is fully-functioning. Slippery floors is another Health and Safety issue that Central Bedfordshire College has because they can cause big problems for everyone in the college as they have to ensure they indicate a wet floor otherwise someone can be seriously injured. Slippery floors can also cause big problems for the college as someone can injure themselves on the wet floor and sue the college for their injury and they are more likely to get 100% compensation if the college has failed to indicate the wet floor.

They can improve on the problem by getting warning signs that people can see to indicate the wet floor and this will mean they are covered in the event of an accident as they have pre warned people. Another problem Central Bedfordshire College has with Health and Safety is unstable lighting structures and this is a huge problem because the light can just fall off the roof and severely hurt someone who is beneath it. It is also a big problem because if the light falls off the roof then they will lose lighting which means they won’t be able to run the college as efficiently. They can improve on this issue by making sure they replace the lights and conduct regular service checks to ensure the lights are fully functioning and stabilised to the roof. Furthermore, a huge Health and Safety risk that the college needs to address is the old projector hanging from the roof in the classroom A207 because it was noticed on by a number of people undertaking risk assessments and it is unsecure and can fall on the staff and students who sit directly beneath the structure.

It is a big problem because the slightest touch to it causes it to wobble severely. They can improve on this by getting a member of staff from the maintenance team to take it down from the roof as it is not being used and is just there as a potential risk to people. Whilst undertaking a risk assessment of Central Bedfordshire College another big problem noticed was there is no system on the stairs and it can cause big problems because many people use the stairs and if there is no system in place then people can get hurt as someone can push them on the stairs so they can fall into others can injure them. Also there are disabled students in the college and it can cause big problems for them if people are rushing down the stairs past them as they can get hurt. The college can improve on this by creating a system for the stairs and ensuring the place signs around to try to make people stick to it as it will cause fewer problems and make it easier for the college to run smoothly. Another issue noticed whilst undertaking the risk assessment was there is no emergency cord in the disabled toilet, this is a huge issue because if the disabled person had a problem such as if they had fallen and needed help they won’t be able to get help because they won’t have an emergency cord to pull to indicate the problem.

They can improve on this by replacing the emergency cord which will make the college better and make the disabled people feel safer knowing they have an emergency cord there in the event of an accident. Trailing wires is another big problem for the college because they are all over the classrooms and they can cause people to trip on them and injure themselves, also they can cause electric shocks if people touch them. The college can improve on this by making sure they have covers for the wires and ensuring they are out of sight so no one can hurt themselves. There are different areas in the college that have to focus on Health and Safety more than other areas and they are: Hair and Beauty, Mechanics, Canteen, Engineering, IT Workshop, Library and Catering. These areas have to ensure Health and Safety is important because they have more issues that can occur than other areas around the college.

Firstly, Hair and Beauty is important because they are working around sharp objects and hazardous chemicals that can injure people if they are not wearing protective clothing. They need to ensure they focus on the protective clothing as they are working with sharp objects like scissors and shavers and they are working with hazardous chemicals like the hair dye products so they have to ensure they are protected. However the college have to improve on the layout of the classroom as it is overcrowded and people can get injured. Next, mechanics is another part of the college that have to ensure they focus on Health and Safety as they are working around dangerous tools and they are fixing cars which could injure them if they fail to do it correctly. They can improve on the problems they have by ensuing they wear protective clothing at all times, never leave the cars unsupervised and ensuring they place the tools away correctly when they finish.

The canteen is another department that have to improve on their Health and Safety risks because they have no labels on their cutlery so people are touching the cutlery trying to find what they are looking for, this can spread diseases. They have no protection on the food so people can accidently cough and sneeze on the food spreading germs. The ovens can cause problems if they aren’t turned off correctly and there are holes in the chairs which can spread diseases so they can improve on all of these by labelling the cutlery, protecting the food, turning the ovens off correctly and getting new chairs. Engineering, is another part of the college that have to make sure they stick to the Health and Safety regulations because they have to ensure everyone is safe. They can improve by ensuring protective clothing is worn at all times, coving tools when they have finished using them and getting air freshener for the block as it has a horrendous smell. The IT workshop has to also ensure they focus on Health and Safety because they have to ensure the people using the computers are safe.

They can improve on their Health and Safety by getting protective screens for the computers so people using them don’t hurt their eyes. The library is just like the IT workshop as they have to ensure that everyone passing through is safe and they can do this by making sure they have protective screens on the computer and the book shelves are stabilised. Finally, catering is the last department that have to ensure they focus on Health and Safety and just like the canteen they can improve by protecting their food, making sure the ovens are turned off correctly and making sure no one is near the stoves whilst they are on. Also they can improve by wearing protective clothing at all time so they don’t injure themselves. So in conclusion, Central Bedfordshire College has many issues they need to address and by addressing them they will be making the college a safer place for all staff, students and visitors that pass through the college. However, despite all the Health and Safety issues it is still a good college that with a little improvement can become a great one.