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What would you do in a crisis?

It would be great to go through life without any problems, wouldn’t it? But chances are you’re going to come across some type of challenge during the course of your life. Often quite a few. While some challenges are more expected: child-care, pensions, dental treatment, for example, others are less so. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be anticipated.

Be Prepared

If you were a Scout as a youngster then you will already know their founder Robert Baden-Powell’s famous motto: Be Prepared. If you weren’t, it’s still a phrase to live by. In fact, one of the ways to reduce anxiety around the unexpected is to be prepared for as many eventualities as possible. And of course, the most important concern is around Health and Safety.

Be Aware

If you are an employer, you are bound by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999. If you are an employee, your employer is bound by these regulations. But while not everyone is a Health and Safety professional, we can all be mindful of our personal safety and the safety of others.

The UK government recommend being aware of the following areas as a Health and Safety priority in the workplace:

  • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Ventilation.
  • Coronavirus.
  • Lone working.
  • Home working guidance.
  • Risk assessment.
  • Stress and mental health.

If any regulations or awareness to do with the list above have not been made known to you, report your concern to your designated Health and Safety Officer or your line-manager. Even better, ask for training.

Be Trained

Being aware is important, but being well-trained is better. A  Health and Safety officer/lead is a requirement in all organisations, but H & S training shouldn’t be left to one or two designated staff members. The more people in your workforce who are trained in some area of Health and Safety, the more empowered your colleagues will be. Having great Health and Safety training is not only part of our life-skills essentials but it can improve people’s employability and job satisfaction. A safe colleague is a happy colleague, after all.

Let’s consider two key transferable H & S training options:

First Aid

A recent statistic released by St. John’s Ambulance revealed that 140,000 people die in the UK every year when first aid could possibly have saved their lives. A shocking statistic and a sad fact that so many deaths are preventable. Becoming first aid trained yourself or training your staff will equip them to potentially save the life of a colleague but more than this, they will be an asset to the wider community. We could all be the stranger in the street who needs first aid from a passer-by.

Fire Safety

The key component of being fire safe is being fire aware. With around 22,000 fires in the UK workplace every year, it’s important for your colleagues to be both aware and trained. We all know that the minute someone shouts, “Fire!” a panic can ensue. By empowering yourself or your team with fire safety training, your workforce will be calmer in the event of a fire emergency and offer a more controlled response to it. It goes without saying that this kind of training will be invaluable outside of the workplace, too.