How can training courses be used as a company benefit?

Training courses are ways of improving the effectiveness of your current workforce, but they are also attractive benefits for ambitious people.

Training isn't just important to any company, it is vital.

Although there are many categories of training such as management training and or sales training, there are general benefits to be realised from virtually any type of education program or policy a company undertakes.

Benefits both your company and your employees will realise include:

• Improved productivity and adherence to quality standards. 

• Employees develop skill sets that allow them undertake a greater variety of work. 

• Improved ability to implement and realise specific goals outlined in a company's business plan. 

• Increased ability to respond effectively to change.

Productivity usually increases when a company implements training courses. Training across the workforce, from the shop floor to executive level and in any discipline, improves:

• Competitiveness 

• Morale 

• Profitability 

• Customer satisfaction 

• Market share 

• Company reputation and profile

It can also lead to reductions in:

• Inefficient use of time and materials 

• Workplace accidents 

• Maintenance costs of equipment 

• Staff turnover and absenteeism 

• Recruitment expenses

Training also makes a company more attractive to potential new recruits who seek to improve their skills and the opportunities associated with those new skills.

The lack of a training strategy to a potential top candidate suggests that the company will fail to meet his or her own aspirations, leading to a lack of ambitious candidates.

A training strategy involves the systematic training and improvement of people within the organisation so that they, and the company, can achieve their objectives and both personal and corporate goals.

Training strategies vary according to requirements but important components include:

• Objectives 

• Team building 

• Team development 

• Leadership development 

• Coaching 

Training can be of any kind relevant to the work or responsibilities of the individual, and can be delivered by any appropriate method.

For example, it could include:

• On-the-job learning 

• Mentoring schemes 

• In-house training 

• Individual study 

There is, therefore, a large amount of flexibility that can be awarded to the delivery method of the training strategy, and, if utilised appropriately, this can successfully help to reduce expenditure.

Starting from scratch
One way forward is to identify the ever changing needs of your customers in terms of the strategic plan of the organisation and its current workforce.

Following up with research is the action plan for the training strategy and once that has been completed, focusing on the training goals.

If the required systems and resources are in place the training can begin.

This is complemented by on-going monitoring and when the training is through, an evaluation and assessment of the trainees as well as the training process should be implemented.

It is only by doing this that the firm will be able to assess the cost and benefit of the money it has spent, delivering training to staff, with confidence.

Communicating your training opportunities
Having a strong and successful training strategy helps to develop your employer brand and make your company a prime consideration for graduates and mid-career changes.

Your commitment to training will obviously be transmitted to the career marketplace, including job seekers and recruitment professionals, by means word of mouth and positive feedback by current and past employees.

Increasingly, your company will be recognised by recruitment professionals who seek to place ambitious candidates within your organisation partly on the strength of your company's reputation (employer brand) - and the strength and quality of your training.

You company reputation for training will also be built through those educational establishments which advise and guide promising talent towards the job market.

Glynwed Pipe Systems fined £1m after Mark Doel Transport driver killed by forklift

A plastic product manufacturer has been fined £1m after a delivery driver was fatally injured.

Cambridge Crown Court heard last week how Gareth Wilson, a delivery driver for South Cambridgeshire operator Mark Doel Transport, was fatally injured when he was struck in 2015 by a fork-lift truck that had large coils suspended from the forks.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Glynwed Pipe Systems failed to properly manage workplace transport in the yard area, where employees and members of the public were exposed to the risk of being hit. The investigation also found that the systems of work in place were not, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe.

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Glynwed Pipe Systems of St Peter’s Road, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and has been fined £1m and ordered to pay costs of £27,942.

Speaking after the hearing. HSE inspector Roxanne Barker said: “There are more than 5,000 accidents involving transport in the workplace every year and, as in this case, sadly some of them are fatal.

“The HSE investigation found the yard was not organised to allow safe circulation of people and traffic, as appropriate routes were not identified and therefore insufficient in number. A properly implemented traffic management plan should have identified sufficient measures for the separation of vehicles and people. These should include protected walkways, clear signage and barriers.”

Mark Doel, of Mark Doel Transport, said after the court case that he remembered arriving at the scene of the accident very shortly after it happened. It is the only traffic-related fatality that the company has experienced in its 30-year existence.

Doel added: “We’ve been going to this site for 20 years – maybe longer – and never had a problem. I’ve never understood how this accident happened. The yard had a few trailers in it, but not that many. I felt very sorry for the fork-lift truck driver too because he was obviously very upset about it. I just said to him ‘it was an accident mate, they do happen’ .”

Mark Doel Transport has continued visiting the yard since the accident and Doel said that although they had tightened up procedures since, he felt that the accident was a “one in a million” piece of bad luck.

Doel said he remembered Gareth Wilson, whom workmates knew as Gary, “was a good bloke and a good laugh” .

He added: “I’ve never quite got used to the fact that I was talking to him 30 minutes before he was killed.”

FLTA clears up confusion over lift truck fair wear and tear

Industry leaders are advising businesses relying on rented lift trucks to take good care of them. Failure to do so, warns the Fork Lift Truck Association FLTA, places them at risk of large end-of-contract repair bills.

Confusion over what constitutes ‘fair wear and tear’ of fork lift trucks is a long-standing issue for the industry.

“Disagreements between customers and dealers can quickly lead to costly court cases and damaged reputations all around,” explains FLTA Chief Executive Peter Harvey MBE.

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“At the end of a typical five-year contract, some degree of deterioration is expected. But, as you would expect when using a leased car, any damage caused by carelessness or neglect – be it a hole in a seat or a cracked mirror – must be paid for.”

The FLTA advises that ‘fair wear and tear’ refers to the degradation of components consistent with manufacturer’s recommended use.

Peter adds: “Damage caused by carelessness or improper use – be it damaged tyres, scratched bodywork or a dented overhead guard – is simply not ‘wear and tear’.

“This is why we advise that dealers and customers agree what condition a lift truck should be returned in and what damage is acceptable before equipment is leased out.

“With this in mind, we created the Fair Wear and Tear Guide. It’s available exclusively through our Members and – using photographic examples of real lift trucks returned at end of contract – it shows what is and is not acceptable damage.

“And, in response to public demand, we have just released a digital version so that our members can share it more easily with their customers.

Meat processor fined £90,000 over storage racking collapse

Injuries to a worker who climbed adjustable storage racking to reposition shelving has resulted in a £90,000 for a meat processing company. 

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On 12 April 2016, an employee of York House (Meat Products) was been instructed to adjust the height of shelves on a racking unit, with the help of colleagues.

The workers had climbed onto the lower crossbars to gain access to the higher shelves on the storage rack when a crossbar gave way, Luton Crown Court was told.

One of the workers, who had been standing on the crossbar, hit his head on the racking as he fell to the ground. 

The dislodged crossbar then fell from a height of 3.2m, hitting the employee on the back of the head and shoulders.

The employee sustained soft tissue damage to his right shoulder. He needed physiotherapy for several months, and was unable to work for two months.

The employees were unaware of the dangers of climbing the storage racking, an HSE investigation showed.

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It also found that York House had failed to manage the risks associated with working at height, and that no safe system of work was in place.

York House (Meat Products) of Shannon Place, Potton, Bedford, pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. 

It was fined £90,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,567.88.

HSE inspector Emma Page said: “This incident could have been prevented had York House Meat Products provided a risk assessment or a safe system of work for the task in hand. Employees should be made aware of the risks associated with climbing storage racking.”

In HSG76, the HSE’s guide to warehousing and storage health and safety, the HSE warns employers: “Before changing the position of adjustable components on racking (as supplied), you should establish the design limitations of the new configuration and, where necessary, amend the safe working load notice.” 

It continues: “Adjusting the position of the first or second beam from the bottom is normally the most critical alteration, which always requires a check on the rated carrying capacity of the rack.”

Briggs Equipment pumps another £10.8m into expanding forklift hire fleet

A Cannock-based fork-lift truck company has pumped another £10.8 million into expanding its fleet of vehicles for hire.
 

It brings to more than £80m the amount Briggs Equipment has invested in building its short term hire fleet in recent months. It now stands at more than 5,000 pieces of equipment. 

The company, which is based on Orbital Way in Cannock and employs 1,160 people, supplies Hyster and Yale fork-lift trucks and handling equipment. As well as companies around the UK it also provides equipment for the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. 

Steven Fogg, head of short term hire at Briggs Equipment, said: “The investment not only means a greater number of machines will be available, but a wider range of equipment which reinforces Briggs as the one stop shop and allows us to support the growing trend in our customers streamlining their supply chains to use us a sole supplier.

"This makes Briggs’ customers’ lives far easier, with just one delivery, one invoice and one point of contact with a fully certificated and trusted supplier.” 

He added: "In a more environmentally conscious world, the steady trend away from engine powered machines had led to further investment in our electric forklift fleet which is ideal for indoor operations and warehousing.” 

“Our strategic partnerships enable us to supply rough terrain forklifts and roto-telehandlers, meaning that our events industry customers can get into even the trickiest spots no matter where they are trying to set up.” 

“With our customers’ needs becoming more diverse, we need to hold a broader range of equipment than ever before. This £10.8m investment means that we have the right equipment available at short notice. Alongside that we’ve also made further investments in our transport, contract management and telemetry backing up Briggs’ mission statement of ‘Keeping Business Moving.”

German logistics robot specialist raises $24.8m

Magazino, the German logistics robotics start-up, has raised $24.8 million in new finance to continue its robotics development as well as expand its sales and distribution network both in Germany and internationally.

The company develops and builds perception-driven, mobile robots that automate the handling and transport of goods within intralogistics, in a flexible and scalable way.

The start-up’s technology enables dynamic warehousing and order picking as well as intelligent material disposition in e-commerce and assembly lines.

Magazino’s product portfolio includes a number of robot systems that are used for various operations, depending on the shape, weight and size of objects. The central development is the mobile order picking robot TORU, which enables the picking and handling of individual objects, such as shoe boxes.

Frederik Brantner, co-founder and chief executive said: “With the involvement of leading technology corporations, as well as the largest European players in e-commerce and fulfilment, Magazino is perfectly positioned for continued growth.”

Company and director fined after worker falls from height

Prior Homes Limited and company Director Paul Prior have been sentenced after the failure to control the risks associated with working on a fragile roof led to a worker sustaining serious injuries.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how two men were removing panels on a fragile roof when one of them fell through to the floor approximately five metres below.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Prior Homes Limited had failed to plan the work on the roof or to carry out this work safely. In addition, the investigation also found that, as the Director Paul Prior was personally in charge of this work, he had consented to the unsafe working practices.

Prior Homes Limited of Station Road, Gillingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £9,334 and ordered to pay costs of £6,398.20. Paul Prior pleaded guilty to breaching section 37(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was sentenced to a custodial sentence of 8 weeks suspended for 12 months and ordered to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work.

Speaking after the case, HSE principal inspector Keith Levart said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work fatalities and serious injuries in this country. The risks associated with working at height are well-known.

“Prior Homes Limited and Paul Prior had established an unsafe and poorly planned working practice which lead to a serious injury to one of the workers, and have today been held to account for failing to take adequate action to protect the health and safety of persons working on their site.”

HSE opts against imposing maximum pallet weight for distribution sector

After two years deliberation and two rounds of tests at its Buxton laboratories, the HSE has decided against writing a maximum weight limit for pallets into official HSE guidance, the regulator has confirmed.

One figure mooted was a maximum weight of 750kg, applying to both the goods’ originators and transport operators, although there was also a suggestion that the maximum could be set lower.

But the HSE has concluded that imposing a maximum pallet weight would be unduly disruptive for the distribution sector, and that safety would be better served by ensuring that individual risk assessments are carried out by transport operators. 

It has now asked an industry working, chaired by the Road Haulage Association (RHA), to draw up its own guidance on the safe handling of deliveries via pallets. 

In a statement, an HSE spokesperson said: “Our research shows that there are a number of factors which can significantly increase the force required to move a loaded pallet, weight is just one factor. Depending on these other factors, very light pallets could require excessive force to move them and very heavy pallets could be moved safely and easily.

“Setting a pallet weight limit would not be sensible, as any limit would need to cover the wide range of possible conditions and would be extremely low compared to current pallet weights used. It would have the effect of preventing a large proportion of potentially safe hand pallet movement and would severely affect the logistics industry with little or no safety benefit.

"It is the responsibility of  those in control of transport operations to ensure the suitable assessment and management of health and safety risks to their employees and others. The guidance the working group develops will support the industry in doing this with respect to delivery of pallets. Drivers do have a role but all of the responsibility for safe delivery is not with them."

The HSE has been exploring the issue since 2016, after concerns grew that drivers making deliveries from truck tail-lifts – often working alone at residential addresses – were being put at undue risk by pallet weights of over one tonne.

Last year, the HSE commissioned two rounds of “push and pull testing” of the forces needed to move different pallet weights, after it was found that the measuring equipment used in the first round was faulty.

One underlying reason for the study was the rise of “pallet networks”. These are groups of independent transport companies collecting freight from manufacturers, consolidating it at regional hubs then grouping the deliveries from multiple suppliers onto trucks bound for a single destination.

Pallet networks now regularly carry deliveries of products such as aggregates, stone slabs and tiles, destined for domestic construction projects.

In 2015, two pallet networks, Palletline and Fortec, announced that they were unilaterally reducing maxiumum pallet weights to 750kg.

HGV driver Petru Soimu Pop, 52 was killed in November 2016 while making a tail-lift delivery of a pallet of tiles weighing 1100kg to a residential address in High Wycombe.

His daughter Iulia Pop launched a petition after learning that there was no maximum pallet weight in the UK.

Pallet networks are represented on the “pallet weight working group” via the Association of Pallet Networks, alongside the Freight Transport Association and trade unions. The group now aims to produce guidance by the end of this year.

However, the managing director of pallet network Pall-Ex told Commercial Motor that he was critical of the HSE’s stance.

Kevin Buchanan said:  “The onus of responsibility has been pushed towards the driver. HSE is saying ‘Over to you hauliers, you sort it out’ and that is just not good enough. Much more needs to be done, and that includes reducing pallet weights.”

Workplace Injuries Cost Businesses Billions

Last year, 609,000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labour Force Survey. Of those, the majority were as a result of a slip, trip or fall.

The cost to businesses is over £14billion a year and 31.2 million working days lost. The irony is that slip and trip accidents are some of the most easily avoided accidents. Whether you're a business owner or a local authority, managing your site and securing it against staff and visitors suffering accidents requires vigilance, strong processes and the right flooring materials.

Here are some of the key considerations to reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls in the workplace.

Inspections

Make sure you undertake regular inspections of your site to ensure that any defects or hazards are noted and addressed. You might have to hire a safety manager if your workplace is intrinsically dangerous, or train managers or others to monitor the workplace for dangers. You should also make sure your employees know what to do if they encounter a potential hazard.

Clearly mark all potentially dangerous areas with signage. This keeps hazards that might go unnoticed in the front of people's minds. People are more aware of where they put their feet when they see a 'Watch Your Step' sign.

Once you've identified the risks on your site, formulate plans to help employees avoid injury for each risk. Break apart the risks as part of a risk assessment and make a clear and logical list of all steps they must take to avoid harm. This may sound basic and self-evident, but you'd be surprised at the number of businesses that ignore such steps, especially those in low-risk environments such as offices. Remember: accidents can happen anywhere.

Flooring

Once you have established the nature of the potential hazards you have to mitigate, you can choose the right flooring to ensure safety.

If your site is largely outdoors, you should consider a material that is weather resistant and remains slip resistant even when wet. If you need to consider aesthetics, anti-slip flooring panels provide a discrete solution that can blend in with the natural environment so as to be not too visually disruptive. Dangerous locations, such as roof walkways and catwalks on industrial sites often require a lightweight, yet robust solution to allow people to access certain areas without collapsing.

If your site is largely internal, you should make sure your flooring is fit for purpose. If you have trolleys or carts wheeling around, carpet, for all its softness and rugged, easy to clean qualities, isn't the best solution. Areas where different flooring types meet should be highlighted as a tripping hazard, so use threshold bars to create a smooth transition.

Once you've installed your flooring, be mindful of regular inspections. Some flooring, such as stone or wood can be easily damaged and create hazards at any time.

Lighting

Avoiding hazards is easy when you can see them. That's why you should be taking into account what's hanging from your ceiling as much as what's lurking on the floor. Adequate lighting in indoor corridors, stairwells and windowless areas will help keep hazards to a minimum.

Outdoors, lights along walkways allow people to watch out for hazards, as well as promoting security at night time. Adequate lighting also allows visitors and staff to spot differences in flooring levels.

Stairways

Both interior and exterior stairs are common tripping hazards. Trips and slips going downstairs lead to much more dangerous falls which can lead to a significant injury and liability. Consider reinforcing your existing stairs with stair nosings to create a rugged and non-slip strip on the edge of each stair to reinforce the surface. This will reduce the risk of slipping or falling downstairs.

Entrances

High foot traffic areas like entrance ways that are fitted with anti-slip panels or pads reduce the risk of a slip or trip. At high traffic areas, it is important to use a hard-wearing solution in order to remain cost-effective.

Anti-slip panels manufactured from glass reinforced plastic, together with an aluminium oxide diamond hard grit, you can be sure of safety underfoot. They can be screwed, bolted or bonded onto a variety of surfaces including wood, concrete, steel, chequer plate and open gratings.

Having the right materials in the right places is a simple way to reduce the risk of slips or trips in the workplace. After completing a full risk assessment, you'll know exactly what measures you need to take to reduce the risk of slips and trips in hazardous or high traffic areas.

Employers are training staff in first aid, but recent research suggests that might not be enough if they don’t have the confidence to step up or the right tools.

Two recent reports have highlighted the importance of first aid and pre-hospital interventions in tipping the scales in favour of survival for casualties. A report by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), Resuscitation to recovery, argues that automated external defibrillators (AEDs) should be as familiar a sight as fire extinguishers to raise the odds of survival after cardiac arrest; while a study by the British Red Cross and the University of Manchester based on data from coroners’ departments showed that survival rates following traumatic injuries have not improved in the past 20 years, and that too many people call 999 but do little else. 

For the UK’s first aid charities and trainers, the evidence of the reports is that achieving a step change in survivability will need wide-ranging action on several fronts: improving the availability and accessibility of AEDs;  increasing the overall population of first aiders by integrating first aid training into people’s lives at school, at work and on the road; and increasing that population’s willingness to act in the first place. 

Joe Mulligan, head of first aid education at the British Red Cross, says that employers need to be aware of the difference between training an individual and giving them “competence”, and making sure that they have the confidence to act in an emergency situation. “The bystander effect is a concern. It’s one thing to say you’ve trained people, but are they prepared to step forward? In our courses, we aim to instil competence, confidence and willingness,” he says. 

He also encourages employers to take a broader view of first aid training. “If you are equipped with first aid learning and skills, it also has a relevance outside the workplace. It’s about acknowledging the holistic benefits [to society] of first aid knowledge.” 

At the same time, with an ageing workforce more at risk of strokes and heart attacks, the St John Ambulance charity reminds employers to ensure that first aid training and equipment matches staff needs. “Risk in the workplace is changing. Employers need to make sure that whatever they provide reflects their risk profile, including the risk associated with the ageing demographic,” says head of training Andrew New. St John Ambulance is currently searching for this year’s Everyday Heroes in its awards scheme (see below). 

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The obvious end of first aid

The British Red Cross study replicated a previous investigation 22 years ago by Professor Anthony Redmond of the University of Manchester’s Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI). Redmond also contributed to the updated research, Are prehospital deaths from trauma and accidental injury preventable? 

This looked at 134 deaths following traumatic injury in Cheshire and 44 in Manchester, with the two most frequent causes of death being road injuries and falls. The researchers found that around half of the deaths could potentially have been prevented if bystanders had stepped in, compared to 39% in the earlier study.

While the researchers found that in 93% of the recent cases a 999 call was made, only around half of the bystanders on the scene attempted any first aid while waiting for the emergency services to arrive.   

“The team took a ground breaking approach, to see if the clinical outcome could have been different and if the impact of the injury could have been reduced,” says Mulligan. “It showed that the first person on the scene is critical in terms of having a positive outcome.” He notes that the missing interventions were often extremely simple. “It was at the obvious end of first aid – stemming blood flow, putting someone on their side to open their airways. We often get hung up on the perceived complexities of the subject.” 

Doing it the Danish way 

Meanwhile, according to the BHF report, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is attempted on nearly 30,000 people who suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in England each year, but survival rates are low and compare unfavourably to some other countries. Only about 7–8% of people who received resuscitation attempts survived to hospital discharge: the BHF wants to raise awareness among the public that survival can be increased to up to 40%.

The report’s authors point out that every minute without CPR or resuscitation using an AED cuts a person’s chance of survival by around 10%, and after ten minutes without CPR or defibrillation, chances are cut to 2%. 

On international comparisons, the BHF refers to a study conducted in Denmark between 2001 and 2010, which traced out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and first aid interventions. Over that period, the researchers found a marked increase in the frequency of CPR by bystanders; that survival rates at 30 days and one year more than tripled; and that the number of survivors per 100,000 persons more than doubled. The study took place over a period where mandatory and voluntary first aid training in Denmark had been stepped up, with an estimated 15% of the Danish population taking CPR courses from 2008 to 2010.

Rates of defibrillation by bystanders using AEDs remained low throughout the study period, however, although AED use was positively associated with survival. The report says that the low use of defibrillators was expected, as a national increase in the number of out-of-hospital AEDs – and implementation of emergency dispatch guidance to the nearest available defibrillator – had occurred only during the last year of the study period.

The BHF report says there is a “case for regarding PADs [public access defibrillators] in a similar way to fire extinguishers so that, ideally, they are located in all public places and private or commercial venues that host large numbers of people”, or where there’s a predictable delay in the arrival of emergency services.

That’s a view endorsed by New at St John Ambulance. “The evidence and research quite clearly points to the importance of AEDs for casualties who are unconscious and not breathing. You only have eight minutes for CPR to be provided, so an AED needs to be visible and accessible. The analogy with a fire extinguisher is a good one.”   

A year ago, the HSE made training on the use of AEDs a mandatory part of the First Aid at Work and Emergency First Aid at Work courses, a factor that New says is increasing the working population trained in AED use. “We’ve seen an increase in sales of AEDs and they’ve become more accessible for employers. It’s quite important to demystify the devices; there are still myths out there that get in the way of people responding. The devices are so clever, there is almost zero chance of adverse effects on an unconscious and non-breathing casualty,” he says.

The report also points out that there is no national database of defibrillators, potentially allowing the information to be made available to 999 call handlers. New agrees that current provision is patchy and depends on the regional ambulance trust. “We have a sign outside our building saying there’s an AED, as part of a London Ambulance Trust scheme, and there are similar programmes across the country,” he says. “We’d welcome a national approach that allows for quicker identification of the devices. Everyone’s got a smartphone so it seems an obvious move.” 

Starting young 

Both the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance charities are campaigning for first aid training to be mandatory at key points in our lives. “We’ve been campaigning strongly for first aid to be included in the national curriculum, and as part of the driving test. By providing first aid at key points in people’s lives, we can increase the population of first aiders,” says New. 

At the British Red Cross, Mulligan agrees, putting an emphasis on schools. “We want people to learn when they’re conditioned to learning, and that means in formal education. We want to get away from the idea that first aid is something you do at a certain time in your life – when you do a course at work, or become a parent. We should embed it in people in their learning years, as that’s when their perceptions are most likely to be altered.” According to the British Red Cross report, first aid is mandated in the school curriculums in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Norway. 

By making sure that a lot of people, at work and at large, know a little first aid, the UK could save many more lives, says Mulligan. “It’s inevitable that something will happen – that you or I will at some point come across a situation where we can make a fundamental difference. In training courses I sometimes I suggest to people that they should think of themselves as the victim, not the responder – what would their expectation be of their co-workers on site?” he asks.