Health and safety training requirements in your hospitality business.

This article has been written by Pilla Founder, Liam Jones, click to email Liam directly, he reads every email.

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Health and safety training is a must for any business. It's not just about ticking boxes – it's the law. In the UK, the Health and Safety at Work Act says employers have to give whatever info, instruction, training and supervision is needed to keep people safe. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations also say that employers must make sure employees can do their jobs safely.

Training helps people understand the risks of their role and how to avoid accidents or ill health. It's not a one-off – things change, so training has to stay up to date. New starters need to know the ropes, but existing staff might need a refresh too.

In the US, the Occupational Safety and Health Act is the main law. It says employers have to give training so people can do their jobs safely. OSHA standards set out exactly what training is needed for certain roles and risks.

The hospitality industry has plenty of risks to think about, from slips and trips to cuts and burns. So, health and safety training is extra important. It protects staff, customers, and the business itself.

Health and safety training arrangements:

  • •Make resources available so suitable and sufficient training can be arranged for staff.
  • •Responsible persons should identify and arrange formal training, like level 3 food safety training, and deliver the training to employees in keeping with a compliant time period.
  • •Arrange, where necessary, to train staff in the use of firefighting equipment and its proper use and maintenance.
  • •All employees are required to assist and cooperate with your company in any arrangements made for their training requirements.
  • •Responsible Persons should maintain a record of all training that is undertaken. Training records should be maintained on the company training matrix.
  • •The training needs of employees should be continually monitored in relation to business activities, including changes to legislation, introduction of new technology or equipment, and work methods, etc.
  • •The company’s training program should utilise both in-house and external training facilities. Certificates of attendance/competence will be issued where appropriate.
  • •Responsible Persons should monitor the training provided to ensure its effectiveness and identify the requirement for further training or refreshing of skills.

Information and Communications (Consultation)

Consultation should be carried out in accordance with statutory requirements. The provision of information and communication to employees should be carried out using a number of different procedures:

All consultations and communication of health and safety, food safety, or fire safety matters should always be documented, detailing the topic discussed, content of information, and a record of attendance.

In-house training

All operatives employed should attend ‘Safety training’ meetings. The meetings should be held on an as-and-when-required basis and last approximately 15 minutes. The meetings should be conducted by senior management, or the person tasked with delivering the training.

The topic for each talk should be selected by senior management or be in the form of a company-produced Alert, Bulletin, or Communication, which should be designed to keep all employees informed of key topics and information relevant to the work you carry out.

The safety training meeting records should be subject to audit in accordance with your health and safety performance measurement procedures.