Using Pilla for Your Health and Safety System

Why video beats paper

Traditional health and safety systems rely on written documents: policy statements, procedure manuals, risk assessments, training records. The fundamental problem is that no one reads them.

Paper manuals go unread — A 50-page health and safety manual sitting in the manager's office doesn't protect your team from harm. Staff are asked to sign to say they've read the handbook, but everyone knows they haven't. The information exists, but it never reaches the people who need it.

Written procedures don't stick — Even if someone does read a procedure document, reading about how to do something is different from understanding it. Text describes what to do; video shows what to do. Demonstrating correct technique is more memorable and more practical than describing it.

Signed sheets prove nothing — An inspector can see that someone signed an induction checklist. They can't see that the person understood anything. When something goes wrong, "they signed to say they read it" is not a compelling defence.

Updates create chaos — When you change a procedure, you need to update the document, reprint the manual, remove old versions, distribute new ones, and get everyone to sign again. Most organisations give up and let procedures drift out of date.

Video-based systems address each of these problems:

Staff actually watch videos — People engage with video content in ways they don't engage with text. A five-minute video explaining fire evacuation procedures is more likely to be watched than a two-page document is to be read.

Demonstration beats description — Showing someone how to lift a heavy load safely is more effective than describing the technique in text. Video captures the nuance that text misses — the stance, the grip, the movement.

View tracking provides evidence — Pilla records when each team member watched each video. You can prove that specific training was delivered to specific people at specific times. This creates genuine evidence of due diligence.

Updates are seamless — When you change a procedure, record a new video. Pilla identifies who needs to watch the updated version. Staff get notified. View tracking resets for the new content. The system maintains compliance automatically.

What a health and safety system covers

Your health and safety system is the documented framework that shows how you manage workplace safety. It includes:

Policy — Your formal commitment to health and safety, signed by the person with overall responsibility. This is legally required if you employ 5 or more people.

Organisation — Who is responsible for what. The chain of accountability from the top of the organisation down to individual team members.

Arrangements — The specific procedures, controls, and systems you have in place to manage identified hazards. This is where most of your documentation sits.

Monitoring — How you check that the system is working. Inspections, audits, incident review, performance tracking.

Review — How you update the system when things change. Annual review at minimum, plus updates after incidents or significant changes.

The articles below guide you through recording video content for each element of your system. They explain the legal requirements, what to cover, common mistakes to avoid, and how to structure your content effectively.

Policy and organisation

Every health and safety system starts with policy—your formal commitment to protecting your team. These videos establish the foundation that everything else builds on.

Incident management

When things go wrong—and they will—you need clear arrangements for responding, reporting, and learning. These videos ensure your team knows what to do.

Risk management

Risk assessment is the process of identifying what could go wrong and deciding how to prevent it. These videos explain how your organisation approaches risk.

Training and competence

People can only work safely if they know how. These videos establish your approach to ensuring everyone has the knowledge and skills they need.

Physical hazards

Many workplaces involve physical tasks — lifting, carrying, working with sharp objects or machinery, and potential for slips and falls. These videos address the physical hazards your team faces.

Chemical and health hazards

Working with cleaning products, exposure to occupational hazards, and managing health risks require specific arrangements documented in your system.

Psychosocial hazards

Mental health, personal safety, and substance misuse are health and safety issues with legal obligations. These videos address the psychosocial hazards your team may face.

Workplace management

The physical environment and how it's maintained affect everyone's safety. These videos cover the arrangements that keep your premises safe.

Recording your videos

Each article guides you through recording a specific video for your health and safety system. The general approach is consistent:

Step 1: Set the scene — Explain why this topic matters and what the video covers. Establish the legal context and the practical importance.

Step 2: Plan what to record vs write — Some information works better on video (locations, demonstrations, personal commitments); some works better as written reference (detailed lists, contact numbers, forms).

Step 3: Cover the core requirements — Walk through your arrangements systematically, explaining what you do and why.

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through — Show how things work in practice. Visit locations, demonstrate procedures, introduce key people.

Step 5: Address common mistakes — Explain what goes wrong when arrangements aren't followed, and how to avoid those mistakes.

Step 6: Summarise key takeaways — Reinforce the essential points that staff need to remember.

Tips for effective videos

Be authentic — Staff respond better to real managers speaking naturally than to slick corporate productions. It doesn't need to be perfect—it needs to be genuine.

Keep it practical — Focus on what people need to know to do their jobs safely. Skip the theory unless it helps explain the practice.

Show, don't just tell — If you can demonstrate something, demonstrate it. "The first aid box is here" while walking to it is more useful than describing the location.

Keep videos focused — A 10-minute video on one topic is better than a 60-minute video covering everything. People can watch what's relevant to them.

Update when things change — Outdated videos are worse than no videos because they teach wrong information. When procedures change, update the video.

Building your system in Pilla

Pilla's video library is designed for building health and safety systems. Here's how it works:

Upload videos — Record your videos on any device, then upload them to Pilla. Organise by topic so staff can find what they need.

Track viewing — Every video view is logged with the viewer, timestamp, and completion status. You can see who has watched what and who hasn't.

Link to work — Connect videos to work elements so staff see relevant training when completing tasks. A fridge temperature check can link to the temperature monitoring video.

Manage updates — When you upload a new version of a video, viewing history resets. Staff are prompted to watch the updated content. Compliance stays current.

Evidence on demand — Need to prove someone was trained? Pull the viewing record. Need to show an inspector your system? Export the video library and viewing analytics.

Connecting to daily operations

Your health and safety system doesn't exist in isolation. It connects to everything else in Pilla:

Risk assessments — The Risk Assessments guide explains how to conduct and document assessments. Those assessments identify what controls you need—and your system videos explain how those controls work.

Daily checks — The Daily Checks guide covers operational monitoring. Your system videos explain the "why" and "how"; daily checks verify that controls are actually working.

Training records — Video viewing history creates training records automatically. Combined with documented assessments, you have a complete picture of who knows what.

Incident review — When something goes wrong, review whether the relevant video was watched. If it was, the system worked but something else failed. If it wasn't, training gaps may have contributed.

Common mistakes

Creating videos but not tracking viewing — A video library is useless if you don't know whether anyone watched. Use Pilla's analytics to identify gaps and follow up.

Making videos too long — Staff won't watch 45-minute training videos. Break content into focused segments that can be watched in reasonable chunks.

Recording generic content — Videos should show your workplace, your equipment, your procedures. Generic content doesn't resonate and may not apply to your specific operation.

Not updating when things change — An outdated video teaches the wrong procedure. When something changes—new equipment, new layout, new legislation—update the relevant video.

Forgetting the "why" — Staff follow procedures better when they understand why they matter. Don't just show what to do—explain what could go wrong if they don't.

No accountability for completion — If there's no consequence for not watching required videos, some staff won't bother. Build video completion into performance expectations and induction requirements.

Next: Identifying your risks

Your health and safety system documents how you manage risks—but first you need to identify what those risks are. The Risk Assessments guide explains how to conduct systematic assessments that identify hazards and determine appropriate controls.

The complete cycle works like this:

1. Risk assessments identify what could go wrong and what controls you need
2. Your system documents the policies, procedures, and arrangements that implement those controls
3. Daily checks verify that controls are working in practice
4. Audits confirm that the whole system is functioning as intended
5. Review feeds learning back into improved assessments and procedures

Without a documented system, you have no evidence of how you manage safety. Without risk assessments, your system isn't based on your actual hazards. Without daily checks, you don't know if controls are working. All three elements work together to create genuine protection—and genuine compliance.