This month, it’s a good idea to set aside some time to make sure your company’s social media policy is up-to-date.

Social media certainly has its benefits in the business world, allowing us to connect like never before, and increasing the diversity and volume of recruitment. There’s no doubt that using social media in the right way can raise more awareness of your organisation and what it does. But the world of social media can also have its downside.

We’ve seen many brands damage their reputations – and profits – through social media mishaps. We’ve also heard the stories of workers being fired for their careless use of social media. And with new social media platforms appearing on the scene all the time, it’s important to know the potential risks they could have for your company and employees.

The fact is, your social media policy must be as fast-paced and fluid as social media itself, to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in the digital landscape. That’s why it’s so important that all businesses, large and small, make sure their social media policy is regularly reviewed and updated. So when did you last review your policy?

Meghan M. Biro, founder and CEO of TalentCulture Consulting Group, is a firm believer in annual reviews for corporate social media policies, recommending that companies update their policy at least on an annual basis to reflect industry changes, avoid legal troubles and protect company secrets.

Biro also points out that only 51 percent of people said their employers have social media guidelines.

“Developing a social media policy and keeping it up to date will ensure that your employees are aware of what they can and cannot do, help your company avoid violating any rules and ultimately serve to cover the company's you-know-what,” she says.

The Risks of Social Media for Your Company

In a previous article, we’ve talked at length about why you need a good social media policy for your organisation.

These days, with much of our life being documented online, there is a thinner line between what’s private and public. Many people include details of their occupation and employer on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, meaning anything that is posted on social media could be seen to reflect that company’s organisational values.

Whether you like it or not, the way in which your employees use Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms can have an impact on the professional and ethical reputation of your organisation. It can also lead to serious legal ramifications and security risks for the company.

Things can become even more complex when it comes to protecting sensitive or confidential information. How can you know, or control, what content employees are posting on social media?

To avoid any risk from this kind of situation, it’s vital for all businesses to have a strong social media policy in place, outlining guidelines and expected behaviour from their employees.

A good social media policy will help to define what’s appropriate for staff to post about their company on social media channels. Having clearly defined guidelines means all employees know the difference between what’s appropriate and not appropriate to discuss on social media. This information will need to be regularly updated as the business grows and develops.

Your social media policy can also help to safeguard sensitive data from potential hackers and scams. This is really important if you’ve got employees working remotely, or bringing their own devices into work.

Make Sure All Staff are Aware of Your Social Media Policy

Your social media policy should be part of a company-wide training plan that includes everyone in your organisation.

Biro raises a good point: “Just because Sarah is a Millennial, who works in marketing and Joe is a boomer toiling away on the factory floor, don’t assume that Joe knows nothing about social media, and Sarah is the digital native.”

These days, expect employees of all generations and backgrounds to be using social media. The best way to make sure that all staff are aware of the policy and its guidelines is to run social media training.

Basic social media training will let your team know how you expect them to represent your brand online, and what they can and cannot talk about. You’ll be able to make sure staff are familiar with the key points in your social media policy, as well as who to contact if they have any questions or are unsure of what’s appropriate.

Using an online platform to deliver your social media training will help you reach all staff, regardless of geographic location. You can also find plenty of good online courses that will help you in creating your own social media policy.

Take a look at this short one-hour course on Developing a Social Media Policy. This eLearning course is useful for anyone wanting to know more about protecting their business and employees while using social media. You’ll also receive a free social media policy example for you to download at the end.

Need training for your team? Get started with Go1 Premium now!

False

With Christmas just around the corner and the holiday season in full swing, it's time for the annual end-of-year work party for many companies. While this is supposed to be a time of high spirits, fun and celebration with your team mates, these occasions can unfortunately often see incidents of sexual harassment rise in number.

In recent months, we’ve seen a lot of media focus and discussion around the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in many industries. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2012 survey tells us that 1 in 4 women (25%) and 1 in 6 men (16%) have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

To address these figures, it’s vital that Australian employers take a strong stand against sexual harassment, discouraging it in all its various forms and in all work environments – including staff Christmas parties.

You can reduce the risk of incidents taking place at your work party by making sure you have a proper understanding of exactly what constitutes sexual harassment, what steps you can take to prevent it, and how you can create a zero tolerance culture in your organisation.

Be Aware of What Constitutes Sexual Harassment 

One of the biggest problems with sexual harassment is that it can take the form of many different behaviours and actions, with some of them less obvious or aggressive than others.

Whilst many people may think of sexual harassment purely in terms of unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate touching, it can also encompass other more subtle forms of behaviour – behaviour that is still, however, completely unacceptable. At a work social event, such as the end-of-year party, these lines can unfortunately become even more blurred.

The Australian Human Rights Commission defines sexual harassment as “any unwanted or unwelcome sexual behaviour, which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated.” There are many ways that an individual can be made to feel uncomfortable or intimidated, without physical contact occurring. And they are all potentially damaging.

Unfortunately, in many workplaces, particularly male-dominated work environments, unacceptable actions or comments are often passed off as “jokes” or locker room talk, or just dismissed with a shrug and a “boys will be boys” attitude. When mixed with alcohol and the casual atmosphere of the staff Christmas party, these attitudes can really rise to the surface.

Regardless of whether someone is staring inappropriately, making sexually suggestive comments, telling inappropriate “jokes” or subjecting you to unwelcome physical contact – all of these examples are considered sexual harassment and are behaviours that are completely unacceptable in any work environment.

Make Sure Your Organisation Has a Clear Sexual Harassment Policy

The key to preventing sexual harassment from occurring within your company is for employers and management to ensure that they have a clear policy in place, that defines sexual harassment and outlines unacceptable behaviour and its consequences.

Developing and promoting this policy will make it clear to every employee that sexual harassment is 100% unacceptable in your workplace – at any time. Create a clear and effective policy on sexual harassment, communicating it to all staff within your organisation.

Be sure that your policy is compliant with all local, state and federal laws. Define clear consequences for any form of sexual harassment and monitor staff to make sure employees are complying with this policy.

As an employer, you have a responsibility to be on the lookout for inappropriate conduct and to stop it right away. Be aware that you can also be held liable for the actions of an individual, if it can be shown that you knew sexual harassment was occurring and failed to address the matter.

Make sure that you and other managers encourage the prompt reporting of incidents and always act immediately on any complaints that involve sexual harassment.

Make Sexual Harassment Training Compulsory for All Staff

Make sure that training around the subject of sexual harassment is ongoing for all employees, with refresher training sessions held at least once a year to remind staff of the policy and reinforce its key messages.

You can also hold separate sessions for all managers and supervisors, to educate them on the policy and make sure they are aware of the correct procedures. Managers, supervisors and team leaders should participate in training specifically relevant for their positions, as they can play a significant role in preventing workplace harassment.

Your leaders must be up-to-date with all sexual harassment laws in your state and know how to deal with any incidences in the proper way.

You might want to communicate a reminder to staff, at this time of year, that there will be zero tolerance for sexual harassment of any form at the company Christmas party or end-of-year celebration.

Zero Tolerance for Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

When incidences of sexual harassment occur within a company, it results in serious negative impacts for both the individual and the organisation as a whole.

Cultivate a zero tolerance work culture, making it clear to all staff that sexual harassment is neither welcome nor tolerated. Make sure individuals are aware of their rights and are empowered with a clear idea of what constitutes sexual harassment, so they can feel confident in addressing and reporting it. 

Also, ensure managers, supervisors and team leaders understand their particular role in maintaining a strong stance against harassment in the workplace and leading by example.

In group environments such as the workplace, sexual harassment can have an unfortunate cumulative effect on other staff who bear witness to the behaviour, serving to reinforce and normalise negative male/female stereotypes – especially if the behaviour is not stopped. This is why it’s so important to speak up when you see or hear something unacceptable, even if you’re not in a management position. And yes, even at the staff Christmas party.

By speaking out against sexual harassment, and calling out inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, you can challenge and change the dynamics in your own sphere of influence. You’ll also be encouraging other women, and men, to do the same.

Everyone has a right to enjoy their end-of-year celebration in a safe, positive environment – just think about that for a moment.

If you’d like to learn more about handling sexual harassment in the workplace, or how you can take steps to prevent harassment in your organisation, you might like to read our previous articles:

The Importance of Sexual Harassment Policies

The Impact of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Speaking Out Against Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Zero tolerance for sexual harassment at staff parties

Are you hosting a work holiday party, but want to make sure everything goes to plan this year?

The festive holidays are nearly upon us, which means tis the season to be jolly! Not only is it one of the best times of the year for social gatherings with family and friends, but it is also a time of celebration for many companies and businesses.

It marks the end of the business year and this means thanking employees for all their hard work over the last 12 months. Of course, everyone really loves the free food and drinks at the holiday party - this is normally the highlight of the year for many people!

We’ve all heard the stories that float around the office the following week about the time someone had a little too much at the work Christmas party.

While these stories can be harmless and funny, often things can turn sour pretty quickly at a work holiday party, especially when alcohol is involved.

Intoxication and employees going overboard when it comes to alcohol can lead to serious problems for your company. We aren’t just talking about spilled drinks – we mean safety concerns, bad behavior and harassment claims.

Too often we’re seeing complaints and problems at holiday parties, which takes the fun away from the festive occasion. The worst thing is that these situations could be easily avoided.

Not only are adverse events departing from the holiday spirit, but it also means that your company is liable for anything that happens between employees – it doesn’t matter that it didn’t happen during normal working hours, you are responsible.

So, how can you make these problems less likely to happen? Well, we think it’s all about changing the setup of your holiday party and making sure everyone knows exactly what’s expected of them. Let’s have a closer look.

What’s the first thing a lot of employees think about when you mention the holiday party? It’s got to be the unlimited alcohol.

While you want to reward your employees for their hard work, it doesn’t mean you need to give them unrestricted bar access. Now, we don’t mean ban alcoholic beverages altogether – we’re just saying everything in moderation.

There’s no doubt we can see a link between intoxication and unacceptable conduct. So, just forget about the open bar this year. Why not provide drink tickets so everyone can enjoy their fair share without overdoing it?

Even simple adjustments, such as serving a full dinner or limited the wine on the table, will make sure everyone stays in the festive spirit and nothing bad happens.

Another way to ensure a fun and happy holiday party for all your employees is to switch it up and focus more on having different games and activities. After all, this is a social event – it’s a great time for employees to bond and get to know each other.

One of the best ways to have a successful holiday party is by reminding employees what is expected of them beforehand. This is the simplest way to point out what’s acceptable conduct and what will not be tolerated.

This way you can set the tone and create a safe environment for everyone. Let’s not forget that the work holiday party is about having fun and celebrating the end of the year after all that hard work!

So, how can you do this? It’s pretty easy actually – e-learning online courses. Let’s face it, a lot of your employees won’t read the boring and long email you send around warning about inappropriate behavior. This means you’ve got to get creative.

Thankfully, e-learning online courses do this for you. All you’ve got to do is select the ones you want.

Just like we use e-learning online courses for employee inductions and ongoing training purposes, they’re also exactly what you need to remind everyone about acceptable conduct at the holiday party.

The great thing is that it’s instant to add to the LMS, cost-effective and engaging for employees. Why send around a lifeless email when you can choose an animated and colorful video that employees are going to remember?

e-learning courses can be general and explain the rules and regulations, as well as highlight your own company policies that everyone should comply with.

It’s going to bring to light the key points that should be in the back of employee’s minds when they are at the party. This can avoid the risk of unpleasant and unacceptable situations occurring.

Often telling a story is an easier way for people to digest the information and it brings to life what can actually happen in real situations. Sometimes this is all that’s needed as a deterrent.

Plus, another benefit of e-learning online courses is that you can choose courses with quizzes at the end and track employee’s process to see who’s completing the compliance courses and how well they’re doing.

By changing the focus of your work holiday party and reminding employees before the event of the company rules and policies on unacceptable conduct, you can minimize the risk of bad behavior and harassment from happening.

This way you can have a celebratory holiday party where you can toast to the accomplishments of the year and make sure your employees feel appreciated. It’s all going to boost the morale in the office and promote a happy New Year for all!


Avoiding compliance issues at your work holiday party

Do you want to learn more about AB1825 and how this affects your business?

This employment law came to fruition in September 2004, when Californian Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger put his signature to the bill.

This law is all to do with preventing sexual harassment in the workplace and how businesses can promote an inclusive and safe office environment.

The law came into effect back in January 2005, requiring all employers and companies who have 50 or more employees to provide sexual harassment prevention training at least once every two years.

This continual training should be a total of two hours and be provided to supervisors within the business. It’s important to note that two hours of training doesn’t have to be consecutive – it can be over the course of a few days or even months. In other words, it’s a total figure.

In addition, while the definition of a supervisor is not specified, it generally means someone that has authority over other employees and has a responsibility towards them.

The number of 50 employees can also include full-time and part-time staff, as well as contractors that are even based outside of California.

AB1825 was a big deal when it was first introduced and continues to have an impact on businesses in California today. It was a big step towards tackling the issues of harassment in the workplace, particularly towards women.

The aim of this law was to make sexual harassment prevention training mandatory and a continuous area for improvement. Its goal was to cover issues of sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying and retaliation.

This is all known as unlawful and unacceptable behavior and by teaching the federal and state statutory provisions, as well as the impact of these actions on individuals, these situations can be prevented in the future.

What Constitutes Sexual Harassment in the Workplace?

Everyone in an office, from supervisors down to new employees, should know the signs of harassment and what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior. In some cases, people are unaware their actions will be constituted as sexual harassment and against the law.

That is why it’s essential to learn what is classed as sexual harassment and work to remove these actions from the workplace. In a general sense, sexual harassment can be verbal to another employee, a physical action or a written, inappropriate message.

The following actions will constitute sexual harassment:

Sexually suggestive remarks towards another, including jokes.

Physical contact that is deemed unprofessional and inappropriate. This can include touching, grabbing and hugging that makes another person feel upset, uncomfortable or nervous.

Asking invasive and prying questions about another employee’s personal life, sexuality or appearance.

Watching and staring at another employee and making them feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

Knowing what will be classed as sexual harassment allows employees to think about their own actions, as well as identify unacceptable behavior if they witness it.

The law in California means that an employer and company will be held liable for any unlawful sexual harassment by an employee towards another – even if they don’t know about it.

This means that letting your employees know what constitutes harassment will also lower the risk of lawsuits and problems for your business.

The Importance of Sexual Harassment Training in the Workplace

Unfortunately, the statistics and even major news headlines, show that sexual harassment still exists in the workplace. This is an issue everyone wants to tackle and one of the best ways to do this is through education, starting from the top, down to the employees.

Incidents at work, such as sexual harassment, can ruin working relations and bring down team morale, as well as effecting productivity.

Not only will this have an impact on company success, but it will also mean expensive litigation. Most importantly, these incidents can make employees feel unsafe in their place of work.

Sexual harassment training can highlight how you can identify bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment, in order for it to be tackled appropriately.

By demonstrating the impact these incidents can have on an individual, more can be done to prevent situations from happening in the future.

In addition, working to remove the stigma around reporting situations of sexual harassment will encourage more people to come forward.

How Online E-Learning Courses Can Help Your Workplace

Online sexual harassment training courses can satisfy the requirements of AB1825, which means that California businesses should consider this option seriously. E-learning courses can offer a host of advantages over traditional training.

For the company, online courses are cost-effective and save money on hiring instructors or sending employees on conferences. They’re more convenient and can be completed anytime, without interrupting the daily running of business.

Also, you can choose a sexual harassment training course and add it to your LMS straightaway, ready to use. It’s simple.

Most importantly, online e-learning courses are worthwhile and offer valuable information that can prevent unlawful conduct and harassment.

Through a wealth of memorable videos, real-life scenarios and interactive quizzes, employees can learn everything they need to know in an engaging course right from their own desk.

From an employer’s point of view, these online courses can help you to keep track of what supervisors are completing their two hours of training.

This is very useful, as new supervisors are being hired and promoted all the time and it’s essential they receive their training within six months of joining the company.

Ultimately, sexual harassment prevention training can help to bring unlawful situations to light and promote a safer working environment for everyone – we can all work together to achieve this.

What Californian businesses need to know about AB1825

If you’re a business owner or employer, you have certain responsibilities when it comes to first aid in the workplace.

As Safe Work Australia reminds us, “incidents can happen without warning and in every type of workplace - it is critical you are prepared for any first aid emergencies that could happen in yours.”

No matter what industry you’re in, it’s important that employees know how to respond in the event of an emergency. You can help staff feel more prepared by providing regular workplace first aid training.

By complying with national first aid code of practice, and ensuring you have qualified, trained first aiders on hand, you can significantly reduce the impact of incidents at your workplace.  You’ll also be helping individual employees to develop the skills – and confidence – they need to make the right decisions in the event of a first aid emergency.

The Responsibility of Employers for First Aid 

All Australian employers are responsible for providing staff with a safe workplace, free from hazards and health risks – and this includes having proper first aid procedures, facilities and equipment in place.

If you run a company or organisation, it’s important that your business is compliant with current workplace safety laws and regulations, to promote a safer workplace and ensure the safety and wellbeing of your employees.

Employers are legally responsible for providing first aid equipment in the workplace, in locations that all staff can easily access, and close to areas that present higher risk of accident or injury. If you’re a large worksite or organisation, spread out across a number of floors or buildings, this means providing multiple first aid kits. If employees travel for work, kits must also be present in all company vehicles.

Your business must also make sure there’s an adequate number of trained first aid providers that employees can go to for assistance. As a rule of thumb, Safe Work Australia advises that there should be one first aider for every:

50 workers in low-risk workplaces (an office)

25 workers in high-risk workplaces (a construction site)

These first aid officers must hold a current first aid certificate that is relevant to their state, and have the skills and knowledge to handle the situation until further medical assistance arrives, if necessary.

Helping Staff to Prepare for First Aid Incidents

Would your staff know what to do in the event of a first aid incident in the workplace?

Whether your workplace is considered high or low risk for first aid incidents, it pays to be prepared. It’s not just constructions sites or factories that present a risk to employees – team members can still experience serious cuts, burns or falls in an office environment.

The best way to help staff feel prepared is to provide workplace first aid training for all employees. Training modules should be repeated on a regular basis to make sure individuals can refresh their knowledge and skills from time to time.

While it’s important for all staff to attend first aid training, your designated first aiders will require more intensive additional training to be qualified to respond to incidents in the workplace.

Invest in First Aid Training for All Staff

So what’s the best way to deliver first aid training to staff across your organisation?

Through the use of workshops, online courses and eLearning training modules, you can make sure employees are properly engaged in workplace safety, while reducing the risk of accidents, injuries and hazards for your organisation.

If you’re an employer ready to invest in workplace first aid training, Go1 can make this process a whole lot easier for you and your staff.

You can make your training process quick and easy by enrolling your teams in accredited first aid courses through the Go1 platform. We provide the online courses that every Australian business needs, including first aid training.

By investing in first aid training for your staff, you’ll be making the safety of your workplace a top priority and showing your commitment to the safety and wellbeing of your employees. You’ll also have peace of mind knowing that your business is compliant with Australian laws and regulations.

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo today to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

There are many reasons why you should consider getting first aid training. We've listed them here along with explaining why first aid is essential.

Does your workplace have someone trained in first aid?

Did you know there’s more bacteria on your kitchen cutting board than your toilet?

While it may be hard to believe, germs can be anywhere and since they’re micro-organisms, they can’t be seen by our own eyes. They can spread quickly and easily, meaning we can get sick and suffer from illness.

Of course, we all know germs aren’t good for our health. But, it can be especially dangerous when there’s bacteria around areas we cook and serve food.

If you run a business that involves food production or service, you have a responsibility to ensure the best food safety practices and hygiene in the workplace. After all, nobody wants to poison their customers!

Food safety can involve anything from handling food and preparing it to how substances should be stored and surfaces cleaned afterwards.

In fact, food safety and hygiene are so important, there’s legal guidelines in place to ensure a minimum standard of protection for consumers.

When you don’t run a clean kitchen, your business risks ruining its good reputation and livelihood.

Nobody wants their business shut down, so that’s why it’s important to follow the rules and teach your employees about the best food safety practices and how they can keep good hygiene.

This Food Safety and Hygiene course is ideal for teaching employees the right ways to work in an environment cooking and serving food.

The goal of this course is to alert employees to the hazards presented by germs in the kitchen and how they can keep everyone safe from them. It explains the best hygiene practices and looks at food safety information that everyone needs to know.

This e-learning course is broken down into different sections so that the information is engaging and easy to understand.

This section highlights that employees have a responsibility to follow proper food safety procedures. After all, it’s the law.

The aim of having these legal rules is to prevent people getting sick and as long as employees know the basics, they can make sure everyone stays safe.

The course gives users a list for practicing good personal hygiene and workplace cleanliness.

This content points out that food safety hazards aren’t always in the workplace, but can be present in farms or factories beforehand.

It’s all about hygienic conditions and other employees following food safety too. Employees are able to click on images at this point to find out more about the hazards, such as chemicals and microbiological dangers.

Bad practices and poor hygiene lead to foodborne diseases – this section explains the four common types of bacteria can make us sick. This includes detailing where they can be found and how it can cause harmful foodborne diseases.

In addition, the course describes the symptoms you can expect from illness and how they can begin between 12-72 hours after eating contaminated food.

Employees can learn about how microbes and allergens can be transferred by hands, equipment and surfaces and contaminate our food.

This is usually by raw food touching cooked food through bad practices and bad personal hygiene. This section provides advice on how to avoid cross contamination through steps, such as disinfecting surfaces and washing your hands.

Having dirty hands can spread germs. This section highlights the importance of washing your hands to stop the spreading of bacteria and viruses in a food environment, as well as giving you tips on how your hands can be squeaky clean.

It also provides a to-do list for the best personal hygiene, which includes tying hair back and using gloves, as well as covering up cuts and bruises. Things to avoid doing in the workplace are given too.

Knowing how to store food properly can help to prevent bacteria growth. This section sets out the rules for food storage and how to keep food in fridges and freezers and how to dispose of spoilt or outdated food.

This section acts as a reminder of how important it is to tell someone if you’re sick, especially your supervisor.

You should even advise when someone you live with has an illness, as well as tell your doctor you work around food. This way you can avoid spreading germs and sickness.

The course clarifies how good cleaning practices can stop foodborne diseases. This includes wearing gloves, using disposable cloths and how you can wash surfaces and equipment.

This section details how you should carry out a general clean of the area with a suitable detergent and rinse, following by disinfection. It’s important to also pay attention to manufacturer instructions on cleaning products to use them properly.

Pests, such as rats and cockroaches, are attracted to places where there’s food. This section explains how pests can spread harmful diseases by contaminating food and workplaces.

This can lead to legal penalties, losing your job and even closure. The signs that you may have a problem with pests are displayed on-screen and five simple rules are shared that can promote proper food safety that keeps pests away.

Employees are kept involved with the content of this e-learning course through an engaging voiceover and amusing, colorful animation.

The main points are communicated through easy to read video slides and a self-study workbook is provided that covers the key information for employees to take away from the course. This includes a short quiz at the end so you can test your learning.

As a business, your customers and their safety are your priority. This is especially true when you work in an environment serving food. There’s lot of rules to follow and this means that the responsibility to adhere to them falls on your employees.

Foodborne diseases are easily preventable and by following proper food safety and practicing good hygiene, you can make sure your customers don’t get sick and continue to enjoy your business.

Food safety and hygiene in workplaces is an important aspect of keeping employees healthy, safe, and productive. Find out more here!

Food safety and hygiene in the workplace

Are you aware of how dangerous it can be to work in a confined space?

When we don’t have a fear of something, it’s often easy to dismiss the danger and risks of the environment we work in. Plus, it can be easier to trust other people too much and not be aware of things we should be doing ourselves to keep everyone safe.

The truth is, there’s a number of people every year that are killed or seriously injured when they haven’t paid attention to the dangers of working in confined and enclosed spaces.

That’s why it’s important now more than ever to know the facts and how you can stay safe in your job. Your life’s on the line.

That’s where a confined space course can help. This is going to provide your employees with everything they need to know before they enter an enclosed space to carry out their job. After all, the health and safety of your employees is paramount.

This section reminds employees how many people are injured and killed every year from working in confined spaces, over a range of industries.

It raises awareness that 60 per cent of the deaths are those that are sent on rescue missions to save people that’ve become trapped. This opens your eyes to the real dangers of confined spaces.

Of course, this section also defines a confined space – being a place enclosed or where there’s hazardous substances or conditions nearby. The cartoon visuals show easy ways to identify confined spaces, as well as pointing out the less obvious danger lurking.

The voice-over reiterates that atmospheric hazards are the ones to watch out for the most. This includes toxic gases and flammable materials being lift threatening. It raises awareness of dangerous conditions already being present, but some are caused by working.

This section gives real-life examples of accident stories that have occurred in confined spaces.

This includes a story about two Scottish sea farm workers and one of them collapsed due to low oxygen levels. Two colleagues trying to help tragically died. This demonstrates the real dangers of working in hazardous conditions and how this include could’ve been avoided.

This is the important part of the course. It points out that entering confined spaces should be avoided if possible. Otherwise, training should be provided so employees know what they are doing before entering a dangerous place, as well as having the right equipment.

There must be plans in place beforehand and emergency arrangements in case something goes wrong. You should consider, how you’ll communicate with a person in a confined space to confirm they are okay and how they can be rescued if they are in danger.

You’ve got to be aware of the risks you are exposed to when you’re in a confined space. In addition, the person doing the work should be trained and competent enough to do the job, as well as have all the equipment they need.

This section also outlines what you shouldn’t do – this includes avoiding confined spaces where you can and don’t ignore the risks or the potential for hazards to occur for you and your colleagues.

This section summarizes how confined spaces can be dangerous places for employees and that you shouldn’t take risks for any reason.

The last section leaves employees with the thought-provoking question of what they can do differently to stay safe at work.

Why is a confined space course important?