RATIONALE TO HEALTH & SAFETY QUALIFICATION

LEVEL 3 in Agriculture/Horticulture

CONTROLLING RISKS

This qualification is for level 3 - for people at work who have the freedom to move - or autonomous. This includes supervisors, skilled workers (eg herds people - trying to avoid "herdsman"!!) Managers are expected to manage - organise who shoudl do what, while it is usually up to somebody else who is in touch with workplace on a daily basis but who can move around freely. They can be expected to carry out complex tasks, and to translate safety policies into safe practices.

This qualification is not just about "Throwing information" at the problem and expecting you to be "more aware", but about::

• Doing
• Developing the skills necessary to promote a better cutlure of health and safety at work.
• Improving your competence in doing things at work which reduce the risks to people when working on a farm.

Culture is about Communication, Control, Competence and Co-operation, according to the HSE.

Unit 1

We start with "Risk Perception", and explore how people perceive risks in different ways, sometimes quite at odds with the available statistics that can be used to assess risk. You may assess the risk of pesticides if you are behind the nozzle, to somebody being sprayed - eg a neighbour. Yet the statistics of risk show that the risks from asbestos are much greater than pesticides. You need to be aware of these sorts of differences, as they will all be part of the risk assessment you will carry out in Unit 2.

When deciding which sort of control to implement, it is vital to know the best ways. This is set out in the Hierachy of Control, which states and starts from the poistion of reducing hazards at source. If this is not possible, we look to other methods of control before resorting to personal protection.

in order to determine best practicable controls, yo have to make a judgement about "what is reasonable practicable". This is a legally defined term to direct you on what is the most appropriate control available for any given hazard.

Another way to improve controls is to investigate accidents and incidents to see if there any underlying trends which may indicate hazard black spots. There are certain rules to be followed when investigating accidents, but there is a lot that can be learnt - and hopefully used to prevent future accidents.

When you start to consider ways to improve controls, you soon find that you need to turn policies into safe practices. The most trusted way to do this is to set up and implement procedures - either written or verbal. Communication is important to make sure the procedures are clear..picked up in Unit 2 LO1.

And once controls are implemented, the next step is to make sure that the relevant procedures are being followed. Again, the tried and trusted way is to carry out inspections. The SSCR give standards that can be followed for anybody..

The law provides standards of safe behaviour, which can be used to a basis for improving controls. It is important for candidates to understand the limits of the law, and the various levels of control. 'Regulations' say you have to do something, while 'Codes of Practice' are like the Highway Code on the road, and 'Guidance Notes' is good advise from H&S Executive. As many jobs in agruculture are carried out alone, a special Learning Outcome develops the potential to improve communication with lone workers and establish how they can be better protected.

Unit 2

This Unit puts all this into practice. And first you will need to communincate with staff - both supervised workers and employers. Level 3 people are at the intersting crossover between employers and supervised workers, and can be expected to communicate with many staff in different ways and are crucial to developing a positive culture for health & safety.

Then the next step is to carry out a risk assessment, according standrad risk assessment procedures. Using the knowledge of risk perception from Uni1 LO1, you will assess a series of hazards. There is no right/wrong ansers to these assessments, but you will be expected to justify any assessment you make. The overall aim (or LO?) here is for you to determine any significant risks and detemine priorities for action.

Having determined the priorities for action, you then determine the most appropriate control measures, using the infomration you gained in Unit 1 LO2. You will find access to many Guidance notes - produced by HSE and the industry, to show you good /best practices. This helps you choose which is the most appropriate for your given circumstance. Further details and access to materials is provided in Unit 2 LO5, where you can access the necessary documents either via the web or off your CD.

Arsing from your assessments and suggestions, you will then need to work what you will want to communicate to others - and who to tell. This is likely to be a two way process - what you tell your employer and what you may need to communicate to other staff, particularly supervised workers.

While you may not be doing any purchasing of equipment, it is a good idea if you can have an input - translating concerns around the farm to what is purchased - as this is where some long term problems can be sorted out. ..