The Importance of Health and Safety Representative Training Course

The Importance of Health and Safety Representative Training Course -Health and Safety training of a representative of a workplace is an essential tool that employers can use to effectively keep a good flow of connection between the workforce and the management. The representative is the mediator between the two parties who plays a vital role in bridging the gap.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act clearly states that, 'every employer who has more than 20 employees in his employment at any workplace, shall, within four months after the commencement of the business, or from such a time the number as the number of employees exceed 20, as the case may be , designate in writing for a specified period health and safety representatives for such workplace, or for different sections.' This clearly indicates that it is not just important to have a health and safety rep in a workplace but it is also a legal requirement.

A Health and Safety representative is expected to perform several duties in the workplace. They are expected to review the effectiveness of health and safety measures, identify potential hazards and incidents in the workplace, make representations to the employer or a health and safety committee. Moreover, he is expected to make representations to the employer about the general matters that affect the health and safety of employees and insect the work place amongst many other duties. That is why, it is a legal requirement that health and safety representatives are sent for training as their scope of work is very wide.

However, training helps a representative significantly to perform his duties of connecting the workforce to the management. Below are a few benefits of acquiring proper training.

• Training helps groom a representative's confidence so that he/she is able to stand up for the workforce to management and vice versa.
• Helps him understand the positions of the two parties, their expectations and limitations and he can try to bridge the gap.
• Training educates a Rep on what the law, regulations and legislation stipulate and it helps him execute his duties effectively.
• Training enables a Rep to offer advice proactively to both management and employees and suggest procedures to be followed.
• Training grooms a Rep's flexibility to handle both management and staff in their different capacities.
• Training with MAKROSAFE is advantageous as they groom the inter-personal skills of a health and safety rep, which are essential when he or she is performing his duties.
• Training helps a Health and Safety Rep. to get knowledge of the latest trends and improvements that the outside world has adopted. He has the ability to suggest to management mechanisms that can bring improvement in the workplace. It helps him know where to get information to help him perform his duties.
• During training, reps are equipped with skills as to how to deal, handle and present issues in discretion across the table.

Employees are confident when they know they have someone representing their plight and is there to safe-guard their well-being. It is easier for them to communicate with someone from the same level as them who has been in their shoes and situation. Companies should not only send representatives for training because they want to comply with the law but also to benefit in many aspects especially when training is done at an accredited training institute like MAKROSAFE.

A workplace which has a dead line of communication between management and the workforce can be a deadly and unprofitable one. Send representatives for training so they keep communications smoothly flowing.