Professional development in health and safety

Professional development is an integral part of any robust health and safety system. Training workers in health and safety has benefits for both the workers and the organisation.

Benefits of health and safety training

Health and safety training provides significant benefits to both management and the workers.

For management	For the worker
Improved health of workers Reduced workplace accidents Reduced sick leave More engaged workers Increased worker performance Reduced absenteeism Better staff retention Lower injury, illness and sick pay costs	A safe and healthy work environment Reduced likelihood of accidents or injuries in the workplace Improved health Improved morale Increased job satisfaction Improved sense of wellbeing

Recommendations for health and safety training for workers

Health and safety training must ensure workers can operate in the workplace in a safe manner. It should include:

the health and safety responsibilities of the board and early learning services and their workers
risk identification and management
incident recording and reporting, including near hits and misses
safe work procedures
safe use of all equipment relevant to the worker’s duties
safe use, storage and maintenance of personal protective equipment
safe use and storage of hazardous substances
role-specific training for those with health and safety responsibilities in the workplace, for example, HSRs
induction training covering health and safety
emergency procedures, including evacuation procedures and use of emergency equipment

Health and safety induction training for new staff

Induction training for new workers should:

include a full health and safety briefing on workplace hazards and safe working methods
identify and explain hazards they will be exposed to in the workplace as well as hazards they may create as they work
explain the person’s health and safety responsibilities and any reporting requirements for incidents and accidents
introduce the Health and Safety Representative, fire warden, and first aider, and explain any emergency and evacuation plans
show the location of first aid kits, Civil Defence kits, phones, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, emergency exits, emergency meeting points
explain any compulsory personal protective equipment and safety gear, and why it must be used.

Emergency procedure training

Training in emergency procedures should include:

types of emergencies that may occur, including fire, medical emergency, natural disasters, hazardous substances, violent confrontations or threats, and explosions (of boilers or gas bottles)
evacuation procedures, including emergency exits and assembly areas
location of emergency equipment, e.g. fire extinguishers
procedures for notification of emergency services at the earliest opportunity
first aid arrangements and the location of the first aid kit
how to safely shut down machinery, plant or equipment.

Tools and resources for schools and early learning services

External resources

The NZSTA website has additional information about professional development (external link)

Last reviewed: 12 July 2019 Has this been useful? Give us your feedback