Carl talks about learning and development at Cross-Guard

At Cross-Guard, we pride ourselves on being a flexible and responsive employer. This includes learning and development where we encourage employee growth. We asked our Grilles Manager Carl some questions about his recent experience attending a 4-day IOSH (Institution of Occupational Health) Managing Safety course through the company.

How was your overall experience of the course?

It was a difficult course but, overall, a really positive experience that I’ve taken a lot of learnings from. I’ve become even more aware of the hazards around us and how I can play my part to help prevent and mitigate them.

The trainer was very passionate about the subject. He started sessions with reflective learning, asking us to recap on the day before—which did put you on the spot! This helped prepare us for the final test at the end.

What did the course cover?

We looked at a variety of different modules, including: assessing and controlling risks, understanding responsibilities and hazards, investigating accidents, and measuring performance. Within the course, we also looked at how to do a risk assessment.

There are so many risks and hazards that can easily be mitigated through safe working practice. Some of these are obvious risks such as incorrect methods of manual handling, noise, and slips and trips. But then there are risks which are usually not given enough consideration such as stress.

What was your favourite part of the course?

The part I enjoyed the most was doing a risk assessment. It’s good to know about the preventative measures we can take for a safe working environment and to receive a formal qualification in this area.

How has Cross-Guard supported you with this course?

The company funded the course and encouraged my development, allowing me flexibility to step away from my working role to learn.

How have you put learnings from the course into practice?

We are always keeping up-to-date with the latest safe working practices—health and safety is an ongoing process vital to our business. The course helped me in the development of our new safe systems of operation for the factory and risk assessments have been updated to a newer and better format.

What’s the one thing you’ve taken away from the course?

I do like one of the mottos the trainer used: ‘work safe, home safe.’ The course has also opened my eyes to the level of responsibility a company has for health and safety and the consequences of not adhering to our duties.