The Importance of Health and Safety Training for Line Managers and Supervisors

Making sure that your line managers and supervisors receive adequate health and safety training should be the first line of defense for any organization. This will ensure that your business is better able to prevent accidents in the workplace, avoid expensive legal fees and, most importantly, keep your employees safe and potentially even save lives. A strong, clear, and comprehensive health and safety policy should be at the center of your business culture and reflected in your standards and values. Upper management should make sure that health and safety are adequately resourced, risk assessments are regularly carried out, records are made, and that all managers and supervisors are provided with the training that they need to be responsible in this aspect of their job. 

Why is Health and Safety Training Important?

Line managers and supervisors tend to be the employees that provide a direct link between health and safety practices and your workforce. Because of this, it’s crucial to ensure that regular, in-depth training is given to provide managers and supervisory staff with a clear understanding of your health and safety policies and procedures. They should be able to both understand and actively promote health and safety regulations for your company and ensure that everybody abides by them. Training should be provided in aspects such as completing risk assessments, investigating incidents thoroughly, and implementing effective control measures. All supervisory and management employees should be thoroughly trained in emergency procedures, accident reporting, first aid, and hazard reduction. 

Where to Find Quality Health and Safety Training

There are several options to consider when it comes to training your management employees in health and safety. You may want to employ a trainer to come to the workplace to conduct the sessions, or go with the increasingly more popular option of providing training online. Online training allows supervisors and managers to complete the work in their own time within a given timeframe provided by you or the specific training programme that you have opted for. The online IOSH Managing Safely course is designed for management and supervisory employees and offers a flexible approach to training that can be taken anywhere in the world. Find out more about the IOSH Managing Safely Course by TSW Training here. TSW Training is a reputable provider of online training courses used worldwide. 

Benefits of Training Management

Training line managers and supervisors in all aspects of health and safety for your business will result in a range of benefits that the whole workforce can enjoy. Highly-trained managers and supervisors mean that you have extra peace of mind since there is always going to be somebody on the shift who understands your health and safety procedures well and can ensure that everybody is compliant with them. And, the more line managers and supervisors you train, the easier it becomes to avoid unnecessary spending. Accidents at work can lead to costly lawsuits and other legal issues. Well-trained supervisory staff increase the chance of these accidents being prevented in the first place and can ensure that all the correct steps are taken should an incident occur. Finally, training supervisors and managers helps you keep your employees safe. And, employees who feel safe and looked after at work are going to be more productive as a whole – at the very least, you will likely experience less sick days due to illness or injury caused at the workplace. 

Implementing a solid health and safety policy and procedures is vital for any business, but how do you ensure that these policies are upheld? Providing your line managers and supervisors with an extensive and thorough health and safety training allows you to keep everybody safe at work.