How to Put Out Fires

Stand up if you know how to use a fire extinguisher. OK, sit down all you professional fire-fighters! The rest of you, by far the majority, would have said “No” and let’s face it, it’s not something you’re likely to use every day. The trouble is, when you do need to use it, it’s a bit late to read the instructions because you’ll already be on fire before you get through the first page.

When we set out to make our Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) training module, I didn’t know too much about fire extinguishers either, or CPR, or even choking rescue for that matter.  It turns out that even though the Government has guidelines on OHS most people know very little about keeping themselves and their colleagues safe at work.  I wondered about this, so I made it my business to find out why.

I didn’t have to look far. If you’ve ever snoozed your way through an OHS training session, you’ll know the reason too. They’re so boring that OHS training sessions are usually a good excuse for an afternoon nap. Instead of handouts, they should just issue blankets and pillows. What’s the point of having OHS training that nobody is interested in watching? Sure you comply with Government regs, but does it keep your most valuable asset, your employees safe? Not if they’re busy dozing off in the middle of it! I decided that it didn’t have to be tedious and humdrum to get the message across and I can assure you my OHS training is anything but boring.  What it definitely is, though, is effective.

I cover everything you need to keep yourself and your employees safe and I do it in a light-hearted and entertaining way. The message may be about disaster, death and destruction, but it doesn’t have to be grim. There’s plenty of time for grim if disaster ever strikes. In the meantime, do yourself and your business a favour and ask me about our Workplace Safety training module. I promise it won’t be like any other OHS training you’ve ever seen and that’s a good thing!

Why do you need OHS training?  Apart from the obvious reason, keeping people safe, you also have to contend with the legal reasons. The Government demands that every business provides OHS training.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Australia) requires employers to provide such training to employees as is necessary to enable the employees to perform their work in a manner that is safe and without risks to health.

Various regulations made under the Act (eg Hazardous Substances Regulations, Plant Regulations) require employers to provide training to employees on:
the nature of hazards
the processes used for hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control
the need for, and proper use, of measures to control risk
safety procedures
the use, fit, testing and storage of personal protective equipment.

Each state has slightly different requirements, but the basics remain the same.  It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, the only choice you have about OHS training is which training you’re going to use. Once you see it, I'm sure you’ll choose ours.