Basic hazard awareness
Overview
This standard covers the skills and knowledge required to identify and understand “Hazards” in preparation for beginning employment, volunteering or work experience placement. It is not intended that risk reduction is included at this stage.
This Standard is about providing a basis upon which to build more specific risk awareness leading to lifelong learning in health and safety for all employees.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- comply with health and safety requirements and procedures at all times
- evidence awareness of risks
- evidence awareness of hazards
- follow instructions and respond appropriately to safety signs
- use personal protective equipment and other hazard control equipment following company standards
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- meaning of 'health and safety' in the workplace
- importance of health and safety to you
- meanings of basic terms including, hazard, harm and risk
harm that a range of health and safety hazards can cause including:
- manual handling
- repetitive work
- noise induced hearing loss
- hand arm vibration syndrome
hazardous substances causing;
respiratory and lung disease
- dermatitis and other skin conditions
- irritations and burns
cancers
computers
- animals
- slips, trips and falls
- falling from height
- machinery/equipment
- electricity
- transport /vehicles
- fire/explosions
- confined spaces
- pressure systems
- people/stress
meanings of different types of safety signs and the hazards they indicate, including:
- prohibition signs
- warning signs
- safe condition signs
- mandatory signs
- fire signs
how conditions in a workplace can cause hazards, relating to:
- house keeping
- access and exit routes
- lighting
- ventilation
- noise
- temperature
- dust/fumes
- working space
types of health and safety personal protective equipment and other controls available and hazards against which they provide protection. Personal protective equipment to include:
- protective clothing
- head protection
- eye protection
- hearing protection
- respiratory protection
- hand protection
- foot protection
meaning of "welfare provision at work"
- importance of personal hygiene
- importance of first aid provision
- health and safety responsibilities of managers/employers
- your responsibilities for health and safety as an employee
- importance of reporting accidents, ill health and other incidents