Do you work in the hospitality industry? If so then you’ll understand how challenging health and safety training in hospitality can be for employees.
Background
The hospitality industry employs a high proportion of minimum-wage employees and has a relatively high turnover of staff. Some of the main barriers explaining why hospitality employees are unable or unwilling to (further) safety training are:
- Training Fees – With a high turnover of staff, employers don’t see a return on their investment by providing training.
- Time—The lack of time for training is a barrier for many employees, particularly non-English-speaking or part-time employees. Many employers do not see providing training courses in each employee’s native tongue as a cost-effective option. However, it may be useful to consider means of communicating so that everyone understands.
- Motivation –Employees often fail to see the value in safety training. Employers should show the benefits rather than making it a box-ticking exercise.
First and foremost, providing health and safety training and information helps you to ensure that people who work for you know how to work safely and without health risks. By developing a positive health and safety culture, safe and healthy working becomes second nature to everyone.
Importantly, every employer has a legal duty to protect the health and safety of their employees. Situations where health and safety training is particularly important include:
- when people start work,
- on exposure to new or increased risks, and
- where existing skills may have become rusty or need updating.
Who needs health and safety training?
The short answer is everybody! As an employer, you need to ensure that:
- You’re up to date with how to identify the hazards and control the risks from your work.
- Safety support and information is available from sources such as your trade association, local chamber of commerce, or health and safety enforcing authority.
- Your management team can consult your employees or their representatives on health and safety issues.
- Your employees know what you expect from them regarding health and safety and how you expect them to deliver. They need to understand your health and safety policy, where they fit in, and how you want to manage health and safety. They may also need training in the specific hazards of your processes and how you expect the risks to be controlled. They also need to know how to raise your health and safety concerns.
- Young employees are particularly vulnerable to accidents, and you need to pay particular attention to their needs, so their training should be a priority. It is also important that new, inexperienced or young employees have adequate supervision.
Where to start?
Firstly, you should show your commitment, so the employees recognise that safety training is important. You should emphasise that despite all its negative publicity, Health and Safety is more than a ‘necessary evil’, by properly managing risks, work can be done safely and more economically with fewer accidents.
It is important to consult with your employees on the planning and organisation of the training. This will ensure that you properly prioritise and plan the training needs for your business.
Terra Firma 360 can help you by providing ‘competent assistance’. Get in touch for a friendly chat today- no pressure.
