 Safety Statement

 Preparing, implementing and keeping the safety statement up to

date are important steps in managing health and safety.

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, the
employer and persons in control of places of work must prepare
a safety statement.

A safety statement is a written action programme for

safeguarding the health and safety of employees while they
work. It details how health and safety are managed in the
workplace.

 Purpose

The safety statement is based on the principle that safety can

be managed because most accidents and ill-health are
foreseeable and can usually be prevented.
 The safety statement should be used to plan and control all
work activities so that the risk of accidents is greatly reduced.

 Content

By law, the safety statement must be based on the risk

assessment of hazards in the workplace. The control measures
and the resources necessary to reduce the risks to an
acceptable level must be indicated. In addition, employees'
duties and the responsibilities of key personnel in relation to
safety, health and welfare must be documented. As part of the
written health and safety programnne, emergency plans and
consultation arrangements should be documented.

 Duties and responsibilities

While the employer has the ultimate responsibility of the

management of health and safety, the responsibility is normally
delegated to senior managers, line managers, supervisors and
employees. Though compliance may be delegated to
employees or contractors, accountability cannot be delegated.
Each person's authority and duties should be clearly defined,
documented in the safety statement and communicated to
them.

Organization chart

An organisation chart showing the safety and health

management structure and the name, job title and
responsibilities of key personnel should be written down in the
safety statement. Responsibilities should be clearly identified
 and understood. The safety officer and safety representative
should be named, where they are appointed..

 Co-operation

The co-operation required from employees, including the safety

duties of staff, must be clearly stated in the safety statement. All
employees should be able to learn their safety role from the
safety statement. Where disciplinary procedures for failure to
comply with safety and health requirements are appropriate
they must be specified in the statement.

Consultation

The safety statement must specify the arrangements to be used

for consultation and participation by employees on safety and
health matters.


 Accident and Incident Reporting

The system for reporting hazards, accidents and incidents must

be documented in the safety statement.


o

o Emergency Plans

The safety statement should include plans and procedures for

dealing with emergencies and serious
 or imminent danger.

For example, there should be plans for dealing with serious

accidents and dangerous occurrences and in

the event of:

o
 Fire.
 Death or serious injury as a result of work activities.
 Gas leak (natural or medical gas).
 Flooding.
 Bomb threat.
 Violent and aggressive people.
 Sharps' injuries.
 Child abduction.
 Radiological exposure.
 Biological risks.

 Business Continuity and Continuity of Care

 Emergency plans should take account of shift work, day, night
and weekends. In devising plans, consideration should be given
to business continuity and continuity of care, in the event of a
major emergency.

 Informing Employees

The safety statement must be brought to the attention of all

employees at least annually and after any amendments, for
example at induction training or staff meetings. You may wish to
keep a record of this. Relevant sections of the statement must
be brought to the attention of all others who may be exposed to
risks, for example, contractors working in the workplace, 50 that
they are aware of the risks and any controls in place.


 Monitoring Performance

As a line manager, you should review your management of

health and safety and identify areas for improvement.
Corrective action should be taken when it is required. The
procedures for monitoring safety and health performance need
to be set out in the safety statement.

 Types of Monitoring
 Activemonitoring, before things go wrong, involves regular
inspection and checking, for example from audits, inspection
feedback or employee surveys.

Reactive monitoring, after things go wrong, involves using

accident records and learning from your mistakes in order to
prevent a repeat occurrence.

 Review and Update

The safety statement must be reviewed regularly, and at least

once a year, or if conditions change for example, if new
materials, equipment or systems of work are introduced. The
review should take account of workplace audits, any new
legislation, identification and information on any accidents or
incidents.

 Safe System of Work

 A large percentage of accidents occur due to lack of or failure in
systems of work. Implementing safe systems of work is an
 important part of creating a safe place of work. The law requires
that the employer provides systems of work that are planned,
organised, performed, maintained and revised as appropriate
so as to be, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and
without risk to health.

System of Work

A system of work is a set of procedures according to which

work must be carried out such as a standard operating
procedure or instructions in a care plan.

 When are Safe Systems of Work Required

Safe systems of work are required when hazards cannot be

eliminated and some risk still exists. In developing systems of
work, consider how the work is carried out and the difficulties
that might arise and expose the employee to risk. Then develop
a set of procedures detailing how the work must be carried out
to minimise or reduce the risk of accident or injury. For
example, how to deal with a fallen patient.


 Communicating Systems of Work

Systems of work must be communicated and understood by the

relevant employees. The detail of the system of work, for
example, whether it is oral or written, will depend on the level of
risk and the complexity of the work. For example, high-risk
activities, such as preparing cytotoxic drugs or manual handling
 of an uncooperative service user will need to have documented
systems of work which are strictly supervised and enforced.

Review and Revise

Systems of work should be kept under regular review and

revised as necessary. Safe systems of work can reduce or
eliminate exposure to hazards but they must be strictly followed.

 Safety Consultation


Consulting employees is vital to managing health and safety as

employees know the work practices and workplace better than
anyone.

The Law
 The law requires that employers consult with their employees
on safety and health matters. In addition, employees have a
right to make representations to and consult their employer on
matters relating to their safety, health and welfare at work. So
by law consultation should be a two-way process.

What is Consultation

Consultation involves employers providing information to

employees and also involves listening to employees' views and
taking these into account when making decisions. It involves
talking to one another, listening to each other, sharing and
discussing viewpoints and information.

 The importance of Consultation

Consultation ensures employee involvement and forms the

basis for behavioural change. Consultation between employers
and employees helps ensure co-operation in
preventing accidents and ill- health, highlights problems and
identifies means of overcoming them. Employees should be
encouraged to report health and safety hazards and
shortcomings and also to provide feedback and suggestions in
relation to health and safety.


 Benefits of Consultation

Good consultation can result in:


o Stronger employee commitment to safety and health.
o Better decisions about safety and health
o Greater co-operation and trust, and
o Safety and health becoming everybody's business.

 Consultation Arrangements

Consultation arrangements will depend on the size and

complexity of the workplace. It can range from informal one- to-
one discussions to a more formal safety committee or be a
standing item on the agenda of staff meetings.

Advance Consultation
 Employers must consult in advance and in good time on
anything carried out in the workplace which can have a
substantial effect on employee health and safety. This is to
allow employees time to consider, discuss and give an opinion
on the matters before managerial decisions are made.

 Essential Consultation

Consultation is particularly important when changes are taking

place, for example when a safety statement is being drawn up
or new work processes are being introduced.

Health and safety consultation must occur on:




o The introduction of new technology or products such as
equipment or chemicals.
o The outcome of risk assessments on workplace hazards.
o The planning and organisation of health and safety training.
o The engagement of health and safety experts or consultants.

 Safety Representative

Employees are entitled to select a safety representative to

represent them on safety and health matters when consulting
with their employer.

The safety representative should receive training so they have

the knowledge and skills to perform their function effectively.
 The employer is obliged to take their submissions into
consideration and act on them if necessary.

 Rights of a Safety Representative

Safety representatives have the right to:


o inspect the place of work
o investigate accidents, incidents and complaints
o make representations to the employer and also to Health and
Safety Authority (HSA) inspectors on safety and health matters.
o accompany a HSA inspector on an inspection, with the
inspector's permission.

 Safety Committee

Where agreed with the employer, employees can select and

appoint members to a safety committee to meet consultation
requirements.

When the safety committee procedure is used, it must be

carried out in compliance with Schedule 4 of the Act in order to
 ensure balanced participation by both employees and
employers.

 Information, Instruction, Training and

Supervision
 Law

The law requires that employers provide their employees with

the information, instruction, training and supervision necessary
to ensure their health and safety.

Why Provide it?

Providing employees with health and safety information,

instruction, training and supervision reduces the chance of your
employees suffering injuries or ill-health.

It helps people acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to

make them competent in the safety and health aspects of their
work and helps instil a positive health and safety culture within
the organisation.

 Assigning Work to Employees

 When assigning an employee to a specific task, account must
be taken of the person's capabilities in relation to safety, health
and welfare. Employees must not be put at risk by being given
work that they do not have the competence to undertake.

 Information

Employees should be provided with information on:


o the hazards and risks within the workplace
o the hazards and risks affecting specific tasks or operations
carried out by the person
o the control measures in place to minimize exposure to these
risks
o the job to be carried out and how to work safely
o names of safety representatives and employees designated to
act in emergencies such as fire wardens
o measures to be taken in an emergency.

 Training

Training means helping people to learn how to do something

safely and properly.
 It can take the form of telling people what they should and
should not do, providing them with information, on-the-job
coaching or formal off-the-job training.

Relevancy

Training must be relevant to the needs of the occupational

group to whom it is being provided and should not be a
substitute for proper risk control, for example, to compensate for
poorly designed or inadequate workstations or equiprnent.

 Provision of Training

Training must be adapted to changed circumstances or new

risks and by law must be provided to employees:


o on recruitment, for example, induction training.
o in the event of transfer or change of task.
o when new work equipment, systems of work or new technology
is introduced.

 Induction Training

Health and safety induction training must be given when an

employee first starts at the workplace.
 At a minimum, this should cover:


o How health and safety is managed in the workplace the safety
statement.
o Safe systems of work especially for their work tasks.
o Additional information which is available to help them do their
job safely such as equipment manuals, safety data sheets and
so on.
o Reporting of hazards or other safety issues emergency
arrangements.
o Anything else important for working safely.

 Offence

It is an offence under health and safety law for an employee on

entering into a contract of employment, to misrepresent himself
or herself as regards the level of training they have received.

Identify Training Gaps

To help identify deficits in training and education:


 o Compare people's current skills, knowledge and
training against those required to do the job in a safe
manner.
o Look at your risk assessments and see where
information and training have been identified as a
control measure.
o Take account of any accidents and incidents and the
legal requirements to provide training.

 Prioritize Training Needs.

Consider tasks and people where lack of information and/or

training could result in serious injury or ill health.

Consider training which benefits the largest number of

employees and take account of training requirements required
by law.

 Easily Understood

The information provided during instruction and training must be

easy to understand. In some cases, where English is a second
language, it should be provided in the employee's native
language or pictorially. Information may be in the form of printed
material, videos or verbal instruction.

 Agency Employees
An employer who hires employees through a temporary
employment business must inform the employment agency or
labour supplier about the occupational skills or qualifications
required for the job and the specific features of the work.

Employers must ensure that employees of another employer,

such as nursing agency employees, carrying out work at their
place of work receive appropriate instructions in any risks
associated with the place of work. Short induction presentations
may be a suitable way of giving this information.

External Communication

Relevant information should be communicated to people

outside the organisation who require it. If you share a
workplace, tell other employers and self-employed people there
about any risks associated with your work they might face and
what precautions they should take.

Ensure that contractors and any self-employed people who may

be working in your workplace also have information on
emergency procedures.
 Supervision

Supervisors should monitor work practices and the

effectiveness of training provided.

Carry out spot checks and initiate corrective action where

unsafe work practices are detected. Refresher training may be
required where unsafe practices are found.

 Refresher Training

Supervisors should monitor work practices and the

effectiveness of training provided.

Carry out spot checks and initiate corrective action where

unsafe work practices are detected. Refresher training may be
required where unsafe practices are found.

Records

Records of safety and health training should be kept. Records

will help identify when refresher training is required.
 At a minimum, keep a list of attendees, date of the training,
names of the trainers and an outline of the training content.

 Investigation of Accidents and

Incidents
 The investigation and analysis of work-related accidents and
incidents is an essential part of managing health and safety.
The fact that an accident or incident has occurred suggests that
existing control measures are inadequate.

The aims of this topic are to explain the following:


o What accidents, incidents and dangerous occurrences are.
o The principal accident triggers in healthcare settings.
o The reason for investigating accidents, incidents and dangerous
occurrences.
o What to look for when investigating accidents and incidents.
o The legal reporting requirements for certain work-related
accidents.

 Accident
 An accident is an event arising out of, or in the course of,
employment which, in the case of a person carrying out work,
results in personal injury or ill- health.

 Incidents

An incident is an unplanned event with the potential to cause

injury or ill-health. An incident is sometimes also referred to as a
near miss. For example, an employee slips on a wet floor but
doesn't injure themselves.

 Dangerous Occurrence

A dangerous occurrence is a specific adverse event which must

be reported by law to the Health and Safety Authority. For
example, the explosion of a boiler in the plant room.

Accidents in Healthcare

The three main reported accident triggers in the healthcare

sector are:


1. Manual handling.
2. Slips trips and falls.
 3. Shock, fright and violence.

 Reason for Reporting and Investigating Accidents

Accident and incident reporting and investigation help

employers to identify what went wrong and take action to
correct it, preventing the same type of accident happening
again.

Accident investigation should be conducted with accident

prevention in mind - not placing blame. Only after the
investigation has been completed is it appropriate to consider
whether any individuals acted inappropriately.

 When to Investigate

Investigate accidents and incidents as soon as possible. It is

important to get as much information whilst the event is still
fresh in people's memories.

 Accident and incident causes

 Accidents and incidents don't just happen; there is always a
reason for them. They generally have many contributory causes
which can be classified as:


o Immediate cause: the item or behaviour that caused the injury
or ill-health.
o Underlying cause: the unsafe act, unsafe condition or cause of
the behaviour.
o Root cause: the failure from which all other failings grow.

 Conducting an Investigation

There are five stages in an investigation:


1. Gather information.
2. Analyse the information.
3. Identify suitable risk control measures.
4. Prepare an action plan and implement it.
5. Monitor effectiveness.

 Gathering Information
The amount of time and effort spent on gathering information
should be proportionate to the level of investigation. An accident
investigation template will be of assistance with this step.

Accident Investigation Questions to consider

Questions to consider include:


0. Where and when did the event occur?
1. Who was injured/suffered ill health and how?
2. Were there other people or in the vicinity?
3. How did the event occur — detail any equipment involved?
4. What activities were being carried out at the time?
5. Was there anything unusual or different about the working
conditions?
6. Were there adequate safe working procedures and were
they followed?
7. Did the organisational or work arrangements or
8. work layout influence the event?
9. Were the people involved competent and suitable for the
work?
10. Was the safety equipment adequate?
  Analyse the information

This involves examining all the facts, determining what

happened and why? What risk control measures were
inadequate? When analysing the information take account of
any trends in previously reported incidents.

Identify suitable risks

In consultation with your employees, draw up a list of possible

nevu control measures to prevent a repeat of the same accident
or incident.

Evaluate each of the new measures taking account of the

General Principles of Prevention, which were covered in Module
I, and how successfully the new control measure(s) will be
implemented.

The Action Plan

Prepare an action plan to implement the new control

measure(s). Assign someone to take responsibility for the
 implementation of the new control(s) within the stated time-
frame.

Record any new control measure(s) in the safety statement and

inform all those affected by the work activity of the new control
measure(s).

Monitor Effectiveness

Monitor the effectiveness of the new control measures to

ensure that they eliminate or reduce the likelihood of a repeat
accident or incident occurring.

 Reporting Requirements

All accidents and incidents should be reported in line with the

arrangements documented in the safety statement.

In addition certain workplace accidents and dangerous

occurrences must by law, be reported to the Health and Safety
Authority (HSA).
 There are specific forms used for these reports: IR1 and IR3
forms. See www.hsa.ie for further details.

Reportable Accidents to HSA

By law, the following must be reported to the RSA:

Reporting to the HSA should be carried out in line with your

organisation'5 reporting mechanisms.


o The death of any employee or self-employed person which was
caused by a work accident.
o An injury sustained in the course of employment, which
prevents an employee or self —employed person from
performing their normal work duties for more than three
consecutive days excluding the day of the accident.
o The death of a non-worker as a result of a work activity.
o The injury of a non-worker as a result of a work activity, where
the injury required treatment by registered medical practitioner
(see reporting patient injuries).

 Record Keeping

A record of all work-related accidents and dangerous

occurrences should be maintained.
Copies of any IR1 and IR3 forms should be retained for record
purposes and held for ten years.

Reporting Patients Injuries

If a person dies or is injured while undergoing normal medical

treatment the death or injury is, in general, not notifiable to the
HSA.

Medical treatment includes the administration of medicines by

any route, surgical procedures, dressing of wounds,
physiotherapy and so on.

Any form of patient care which is part of everyday patient

management, for example; moving or being moved, whether in
bed or from place to place (i.e. patient handling), and cleaning
and bathing, is not medical treatment. If a patient is injured
during the course of such work activities and the resulting injury
requires medical treatment by a nurse or doctor, the incident is
notifiable to the HSA.