LO2 - Health and safety requirements

• Employers responsibilities

  • provide public liability insurance
  • provide first aid in the workplace
  • provide emergency action procedures
  • use signage and posters to promote safety
  • carry out risk assessments
  • report accidents and incidents (RIDDOR)
  • provide training and information for staff
• fire safety

  • keeping sources of ignition and flammable substances apart e.g. storage of chemicals
  • knowing how to detect fires and how to warn people quickly if they start, e.g. installing smoke alarms or bells, having emergency action plans to evacuate buildings
  • having the correct fire-fighting equipment for putting out fires quickly
  • keeping fire exits and escape routes clearly marked and unobstructed at all times
  • ensuring workers receive appropriate training on procedures they need to follow, including fire drills
  • reviewing and updating your risk assessments regularly
• manual handling

  • avoid the need for hazardous manual handling
  • assess the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided
  • reduce the risk of injury by using lifting aids such as hoists so that you can get disabled clients into a swimming pool and reduce the amount of twisting and lighten the load
• Control of substances hazardous to health - COSHH

  in place to control the substances in a workplace. employers are responsible for taking effective measures to control exposure and protect health
• hazard checklist

  • does any product you use have a danger label?
  • is the substance harmful to breathe in?
  • can the substance harm your skin?
  • is it likely that harm could arise because of the way you use o9r produce it?
  • what are you going to do about it?
  • use something else?
  • use it in another, safer way?
  • control it to stop harm being caused
• identify control measures

  Control measures include the use of appropriate equipment such as protective clothing, providing secure storage, identify appropriate handling methods and identify first aid requirements in case of an incident
• check and maintain

  Employers must make sure once hazards and control methods have been identified that they are kept working properly and maintain good practice
• Disability discrimination act


  • DDA is the main discrimination law and it bans disability discrimination.

  the main activities covered by the DDA are

  • employment, including access to employment
  • access to use of facilities and services, including access to leisure facilities
  • membership of private clubs and use of their facilities
• data protection act 1998 


  Controls how organisations , businesses or the government uses your personal information. Everyone responsible for using your data has to follow strict rules called ‘data protection principles’
• disclosure barring service - DBS

  • processing requests for criminal record checks - also known as DBS checks
  • deciding whether it is appropriate for a person to be placed on or removed from a list of persons barred from working with vulnerable groups
  • placing or removing people from the DBS children’s list and adults barred list for England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• duty of care 


  • the legal obligation to safeguard others from harm while they are using your services, or exposed to your activities
• ethical 


  • relating to moral principles
• legal and ethical responsibilites when leading activities

  • responsible for the health and safety of their clients when in charge
  • have access to first aid facilities and able to contact emergency services
  • could be liable if evidence shows that normal standards and practises have not been followed
  • responsibility to protect their children form harm and all forms of abuse
  • coaches should have appropriate insurance that covers both public liability and personal accidents
• equal treatment of special population groups

  • under 16s
  • over 50s
  • disabled persons
  • ante- and post-natal women
• managers and health and safety officers

  hazards and risks should be reported to either the manager or health and safety officer. under law, manager have the overall responsibility for the health and safety of the environment they are in charge of. they have a duty to protect the health and safety and walter of all employees and other people who may be affected by their business
• health and safety officer responsibilities

  • carrying out risk assessments and considering how risks can be reduced
  • outlining safe operational procedures which identify and take account of all relevant hazards
  • carrying out regular site inspections to check policies and procedures are being properly implemented
  • making changes to working practices that are safe and comply with legislation
  • preparing health and safety strategies and developing internal policy
  • leading in-house training with managers and employees about health and safety issues and risk
• first aider

  designated first aiders will be qualified to carry out first aid resulting from an incident or accident. they must record all information in the first aid book and report any issues that have arisen due to a health and safety issue to the manager and/or health and safety officer
• fire officer

  the fire officer is responsible for ensuring that all fire equipment, doors and alarms are in working order in case of a fire, in order to minimise the impact of a fire. they would also provide staff training on how to use fire fighting equipment and emergency evacuation plans
• coach/instructor

  a coach/instructor is responsible for ensuring the the class they are running is correct for the level, age and ability of the clients. ensuring that the class is suitable for the users will minimise any health and safety issues. they would also be responsible for checking equipment pre class and carrying out any event-related risk assessments
• lifeguard

  the lifeguards told us to ensure the safety of users in the environment of the swimming pool. this includes putting in place rules and regulations to minimise the risk of injuries such as ensuring no running on poolside or having different areas for different ability levels. in an event of an emergerncy in the swimming pool a lifeguard would be responsible for carrying out a rescue and and administration any poolside first aid
• receptionist 


  are responsible for reporting any health and safety issues that have been reported by clients
• safety procedures

  • gaining membership information and checking details, to ensure that clients can be traced if needed
  • monitoring entrances with CCTV
  • vetting procedures for staff to ensure they are appropriated to be working in the environment they have applied for a job; DBS checks are essential when working with children
  • ensuring that lockers are provided for clients so valuables can be kept safe at all times
• up to date maintenance and service records

  it is important that maintenance and service records are kept up to date. this helps ensure that all equipment is working properly and minimises the risk of injuries as a result of poor maintenance
• evacuation procedures

  emergency operation plans (EOP) are used to ensure the safety of clients in an event of an emergency, which as a fire evacuation. the EOP would contain information such as evacuation routes and staff responsibilities during the evacuation
• normal operating procedures

  normal operating procedures (NOP) outline the day-to-day routine and duties of staff members. this will include such information as the amount of time lifeguards should spend on poolside duty, and duties that need to be carried out daily, such as cleaning equipment to ensure it works properly.