What Does the IOSH Managing Safely Course Involve?

We deliver the IOSH Managing Safely course over three full days.

Target audience

Those who manage others and manage risk and resources

Course pre-requisites

None

Learning aims

1. To give managers and supervisors an understanding of everyone’s safety and health responsibilities in the workplace
2. To enable managers and supervisors to recognise how they can influence, control and monitor risk to improve safety and health issues in the workplace.

Learning outcomes

The learner will be able to:

1. Describe the key reasons to manage safety and health in the workplace
2. Define the key terms relating to safety and health
3. Identify how the law can have an impact on safety and health in the workplace
4. Describe how to assess, reduce and control risk in the workplace
5. Identify workplace hazards and risks, their impact and how to manage them
6. Identify how to evaluate and respond to an incident
7. List the benefits and characteristics of an effective health and safety management system
8. Describe the principles that underpin good safety and health performance

Course content

Module one: Introducing managing safely

• The three key moral, legal and financial reasons for managing safely
• Manager responsibility and accountability for safety and health in the workplace

Module two: Assessing risks

• Definitions of the terms ‘hazard’, ‘hazardous event’ and ‘risk’
• Definition of the term ‘risk assessment’
• Definition of the terms ‘likelihood’ and ‘consequence’
• Risk assessment process and risk rating systems
• The benefits of carrying out risk assessment

Module three: Controlling risks

• Definition of the term ‘reasonably practicable’
• How to evaluate risk using a risk matrix and how to control those risks
• How to reduce risk by applying the ‘hierarchy of risk control’
• How implementing risk controls can impact the likelihood of an incident, consequence of an incident or both factors
• Definition of the term ‘residual risk’

* Modules two and three include a practical activities to spot hazards, assess and control risk

Module four: Understanding responsibilities

• An overview of what the law requires an organisation to do to protect the safety and health of workers and other persons under its control 3
• Definition of the term ‘reasonably foreseeable’
• The three knowledge tests to help determine ‘reasonably foreseeable’ risks: common, industry and expert knowledge
• The difference between criminal law and civil law in relation to safety and health
• The possible outcomes of not working within the law
• Where to find help and guidance for working within the law
• The key parts, and the elements of each part, of a health and safety management system
• The key benefits of introducing a health and safety management system
• Why leadership is an essential part of a health and safety management system

Module five: Understanding hazards

• The six main hazard categories and how hazards can fall into more than one group:
  • mechanical
  • physical
  • chemical
  • environmental
  • biological
  • organisational
• Common hazards in the workplace, their effects and symptoms and how to manage them. Hazards covered are:
  • aggression and violence
  • asbestos
  • bullying
  • chemicals
  • computer workstations
  • confined spaces
  • drugs and alcohol
  • electricity
  • fire
  • getting in and out
  • heights
  • housekeeping
  • lighting
  • manual handling
  • noise
  • plant and machinery
  • radiation
  • slips and trips
  • stress
  • temperature
  • vehicles and transport
  • vibration
  • any other relevant hazards

Module six: Investigating incidents

• Definition of the terms ‘incident’, ‘accident’ and ‘near miss’
• Reasons to investigate incidents
• The benefits of incident investigation
• Definition of the terms ‘immediate’, ‘underlying’ and ‘root’ causes in relation to incidents
• The actions to be taken following an incident
• Incident reporting
• The stages of a structured approach to incident investigation

Module seven: Measuring performance

• The three essential principles for good safety and health performance
• What types of information performance indicators can give to help improve safety and health in the workplace
• The characteristics of good key performance indicators
• The differences between ‘proactive’ and ‘reactive’ performance indicators
• What is meant by ‘auditing’
• The two types of auditing: internal and external
• Types of evidence used in an audit

Assessment

Knowledge and comprehension

Assessment under examination conditions, which consist of 30 questions in a variety of formats that can be achieved within 45 minutes. Each paper has a maximum of 60 marks. Minimum mark required is 36/60.

Practical application of learning
Workplace risk assessment using either the standard IOSH form or their own company form. This is to be completed within two weeks of the end of the course. The project must be marked using the IOSH criteria and has a maximum of 38 marks. Minimum mark required is 23/38