Five reasons confined spaces training is worth your time and money

Labourers in Australia will generally accept some level of danger in their work. A great deal of this risk often comes from working in places where humans aren’t intended to be – confined spaces which often have poor ventilation allowing hazardous atmospheres to quickly develop.

As a business owner, or a worker, it’s near impossible to make your workplace 100 per cent safe. But with confined spaces training, you can go a great way towards ensuring no nasty accidents occur at work. Here are five reasons why doing so is worth your time and money.

1. It’s not just the worker’s responsibility

The onus for providing a safe workplace doesn’t just fall on the workers. When it comes to working in confined spaces, responsibility is spread across these four parties according to Safe Work Australia:

• The person conducting the business or undertaking has the primary duty under the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Act to ensure the safety of workers.
• The designers of equipment and structures have a responsibility to limit the need for entry into confined spaces.
• Company directors and officials must exercise due diligence to ensure the company complies with WHS laws.
• Workers must take reasonable care.

2. Your safety is at risk

The fact is, when working in certain environments, your life and wellbeing are at risk. Safe Work Australia’s statistics show that this is true, as tragically 14 people have already died in workplace accidents this year as of February 10.

Unfortunately accidents happen, and sometimes they’re unavoidable, but training staff on best work health and safety practices can help to reduce their likelihood.

3. Most accidents in confined spaces occur due to lack of training

Another tragic fact is that most workplace deaths in confined spaces occur because of a lack of training and knowledge.

This information is from a Fire and Safety Australia report which states that a shocking 92 per cent of confined space fatalities in workplaces in Western Australia were due to inadequate training.

A staggering 90 per cent of these also listed ‘inadequate supervisor knowledge and supervision’ as a factor in the death. These are saddening figures that elucidate the importance of proper training and education in the workplace to keep workers safe.

4. Save money in the long run

As a business owner, your workers’ safety, and staying profitable should always be two of your most important priorities. Luckily they’re not mutually exclusive, and by taking great care to ensure that your workers operate in a safe environment, you’ll protect your profits.

Accidents cost money, in sick leave and even payouts and court costs if the worst happens. Avoid this completely by keeping your workers safe at all times by providing them with a compliant workplace and all the training necessary.

5. Give yourself peace of mind

The average business owner has a million and one things to do in a day. Cross worrying about your workers’ safety off the list by enrolling them in nationally recognised confined spaces training with Alert Force.

All of our courses are in line with the most recent legislation, and we can teach your employees all they need to know about safety in a confined space during a comprehensive one or two-day course.

Get in touch today to find out more about how we can make your workplace a safe one.