What are Safe Operating Procedures (SOP’s) /Work Instructions
Simply put Safe Operating Procedure or Work Instructions (as they are sometimes called) documents how to perform a set tasks safely.
Why are SOP’s/Work Instructions important?
Structured procedures are not only an important way to ensure workers are undertaking their work safely and employers are maintaining a safe system of work, but they also add enormous value when it comes to ensuring a consistent product or service, which is key to running a successful business.
Improving process efficiency and safety
Our approach ensures that safety is integrated into your normal operating procedures and not something that is just tacked on. Rather it becomes a part of normal work process. Typically this is done by observing work being performed and then developing a short and practical procedure that can be easily updated.
Ideally this is then integrated into the training content for the job role to ensure that procedures are systematically communicated to workers.
Our experience
We have developed hundreds of Work Instructions across a variety of industries, which provide step by step guidance on how to perform a particular job for example, operating a machine. We observe and document each step pictorially and at the same time conduct a risk assessment to identify any hazards associated with the tasks which are then mitigated in the Work Instruction. This will include a competency assessment requiring both learner and trainer to sign off the assessment that can then be uploaded into a system as evidence of competency.
If a worker is injured or killed in the workplace, the safety authorities will request evidence that the worker was trained in the job they were required to perform, therefore Work Instructions are a critical part of any Safety System.
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A workplace safety consultant can also ensure the owners and managers of businesses meet their safety compliance requirements. This helps protect them from compensation or legal costs.