Lesson Outcome
Induction Health & Safety Awareness course for contract cleaners.
This course covers:
- The Safety Statement contains
- Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
- Different hazard types including chemical and biological hazards
- Occupational Illnesses
- Accidents in the Workplace
- Chemical & Cleaning Agents
- Lone Working
- Driving to Work
- Emergency Procedures
- Visiting Worker
- Site to Site Worker
- Know what to do in an emergency
- Find the Eircode at work
- Know the emergency telephone numbers
- Who is the First Aider?
- How do I report an accident
- Do I have my Supervisor’s phone number
- Find the fire assembly point
- How to report a near miss or accident
- Know the dangers at work e.g. Stairs, ramps, cables, poor lighting,poor ventilation etc.
Induction Training
Induction training is important so all workers are familiar and comfortable with their workplace.
Questions
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- Do I know the Eircode?
- Who is my supervisor?
- Do I have a contact number?
- Where are the toilets?
- Where do I wash my hands?
- Am I using chemicals/machinery/equipment?
- Is PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) needed and provided?
- What clothes do I wear to work?
- What is the procedure in an emergency?
What is the main aim of the course?
Feel safe talking to your manager / supervisor about any concerns you might have in relation to your safety at work
Examples
- Working Alone
- Working with or near the public
- Being Pregnant
- Being Bullied or intimidated
- Working with chemicals
- Working with machines
- Working with equipment
- Sickness at work
- Safety Representation
You should have a safety representative who is not management, but an employee like you, appointed by you, the employees. This is usually done by secret ballot.
What is Health & Safety?
Health is defined as physical and mental wellbeing. Ill health can include physical injuries and medical ailments.
Safety is the control of unplanned events. It’s when you have:
- No accidents
- Absence of disease and illness
- Physical and mental well being
- Health is defined as both physical and mental well being.
- Ill health can include physical injuries and medical ailments.
- Safety is the control of unplanned events
- “Accident prevention through effective management ” policies and procedures

AIMS OF HEALTH & SAFETY
- Provide safe & healthy conditions
- Endeavor to avoid accidents and injury
- Ensure employees are aware of potential hazards & hazardous materials.
- Protect the public who come into contact with the company and its services.
- Comply with legislation
Reactive Health & Safety

Wait until something happens, then deal with it,
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- It is right and necessary to deal with events as they occur,
- The damage has already been done
- You are dealing with the consequences.
Proactive Health & Safety

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- Prevent an incident from happening in the first place,
- You don’t have to deal with the consequences.
- The trick is to try and see things before they happen
- Put in place the necessary protective and preventive measures.
Examples
- Carry out regular safety audits
- Identify & reduce foreseeable hazards
- Train staff
- Regular safety meetings with staff
- Effective communication

HEALTH & SAFETY TRAINING IN THE WORKPLACE
- It is very important employees receive training that is applicable to their job work tasks.
- At a minimum, when new staff enter into a business, they must have induction training provided.
- Induction training will include information on:
- Company Eircode
- Emergency Numbers
- Emergency Systems
- Fire Protocols
- Fire Assembly Points
- Incident Reporting
- They must also be informed of who are the company safety representatives, the first aiders, the fire wardens etc.
- There is mandatory training and non-mandatory training. Other training includes:
- Manual Handling Training
- Chemical Training (if applicable)
- Fire Safety Training
- First Aid Response Training

A health & safety induction is an important procedure to help prevent workplace risks. When a new person attends an induction they are being made aware of the risks that they may encounter whilst working..
- A health and safety induction is a form of training for new employees.
- A company would use the training to highlight safety risks in the workplace, emergency procedures, list o responsible persons in the workplace, for example who is the nearest first aid responder, fire warden, safety representative as well as explaining company or premises emergency procedures, how to report near misses, incidents or hazards which may be present in the work place.
- This training will also include information on the company safety statement and safe work procedures for this particular place of work.
- You must inform the employee of the company’s health and safety policy and how they can access it.
- You must also make them aware of any other policies such as mental health, drugs and alcohol and equality and diversity.
Health & Safety Training
- Must be delivered by competent people
- Training must be given prior to starting a new task
- All training must be documented and signed and records maintained
- Re training must be identified and scheduled.
