When we ask clients what they wish to achieve through our gas training workshops, the reply that we often receive is:
We want staff to be competent when working with gases.
However, across industry, confusion often exists between the concepts of training and competence. The basic legal requirement is that people should be sufficiently competent at the tasks they are set, to keep themselves and others safe. Competence is defined by the Health and Safety Executive as:
The combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge that a person has and their ability to apply them to perform a task safely. Other factors, such as attitude and physical ability, can also affect someone’s competence. As an employer, you should take account of the competence of relevant employees when you are conducting your risk assessments. This will help you decide what level of information, instruction, training and supervision you need to provide. Competence in health and safety should be seen as an important component of workplace activities, not an add-on or afterthought.
If you use contractors, you also have a responsibility to make sure that they are competent. Someone’s level of competence only needs to be proportionate to their job and place of work. You would not need, for example, the same health and safety competence to work in an office as you would in a welding workshop. Therefore, specific job roles may have different competency attributes to other roles. Guidance Note 23 published by the British Compressed Gases Association states:
Training may provide confirmation of, or progress in, achieving some of the required attributes within a job role. Competence, however, is when the employer is satisfied over the achievement of all required attributes. The employer is solely responsible for determining when an employee is competent. Training may legitimately be one of the ways in which competence is developed. However, it is not the only way and on its own, training will rarely suffice to meet legal obligations. The legal responsibility for ensuring that people are competent rests with the employer, represented by the line manager.
Our awareness workshops provide knowledge so that staff are able to recognise unsafe working practices and play an active role in reducing risk within the workplace. The workshops also provide in-depth information concerning control measures that can be implemented to ensure staff are working safely with compressed and liquefied gases.
Our practical workshops provide opportunities for staff to develop their skills when working with gases, either through the correct assembly of equipment or the safe decanting of liquid nitrogen. Our process workshops enable operators to gain valuable tuition in the correct procedures when cutting, welding or brazing.
All of our workshops play a valuable role in assisting employers to ensure that their staff are competent to work safely with gases.
If you require any assistance with your training needs, please contact one of our specialists on 01270 758890 or contact us at admin@gassafeconsultants.co.uk.
