What Does This Unit Mean?
This unit is about ensuring that relevant health and safety information is identified, evaluated, communicated, received, understood and acted upon both within and outside the organisation.
Effective communication is essential for maintaining legal compliance, improving health and safety performance, promoting a positive safety culture and ensuring that people have the information they need to work safely and make informed decisions.
Health and safety information may come from many sources including legislation, standards, guidance, suppliers, contractors, regulators, trade associations, audits, inspections, risk assessments, incident investigations and monitoring activities.
In simple terms, this unit is asking:
“Can you establish and maintain a system that ensures health and safety information is obtained, evaluated, communicated to the right people and used to improve health and safety performance?”
What Competence Does This Unit Require?
You are expected to demonstrate that you can:
- Identify and evaluate relevant health and safety information.
- Monitor changes in legislation, standards, guidance and industry best practice.
- Determine which information is relevant to the organisation.
- Establish internal and external communication arrangements.
- Communicate health and safety information using appropriate methods.
- Communicate with employees, managers, contractors and other stakeholders.
- Manage health and safety information received from suppliers and service providers.
- Ensure statutory reporting requirements are fulfilled.
- Communicate relevant information to regulators, authorities and other interested parties.
- Ensure contractors receive relevant health and safety information.
- Maintain records relating to health and safety communications.
- Promote health and safety culture and awareness throughout the organisation.
- Review and manage the effectiveness of communication systems.
The focus is not on sending a single email or delivering a single briefing.
The focus is on demonstrating that a complete health and safety communication system exists and is being used to support legal compliance, risk management and continual improvement.
Evidence Requirements: Unit 03
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How is relevant health and safety information identified and evaluated?
Evidence Examples:
- A legal register, standards register, audit report, inspection report, incident investigation report or similar document showing how health and safety information was identified.
- Evidence showing that the information was reviewed and resulted in actions, controls or improvements.
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How is health and safety information communicated within the organisation?
Evidence Examples:
- A toolbox talk, briefing, email, training record, safety alert, meeting minutes or other communication showing that health and safety information was shared with employees, managers or supervisors.
- Evidence showing that the communication was delivered, such as attendance records, email circulation records or meeting records.
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How is health and safety information communicated to external parties?
Evidence Examples:
- An email, letter, contractor briefing, supplier communication, customer communication or meeting record showing that relevant health and safety information was shared with external parties.
- Evidence showing that the information was received, acknowledged or acted upon.
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How is health and safety information relating to purchased goods, services and resources managed?
Evidence Examples:
- A Safety Data Sheet (SDS), supplier information, equipment manual, contractor information pack, specification document or procurement record showing health and safety information received from suppliers.
- Evidence showing that the information was used to develop or review risk assessments, safe systems of work, procedures or controls.
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How is health and safety information converted into risk controls and improvements?
Evidence Examples:
- Evidence showing that information received from audits, inspections, incidents, legislation or suppliers resulted in changes, such as revised risk assessments, updated procedures, new controls, training programmes or action plans.
- Evidence showing that the improvements were implemented.
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How are statutory reporting and external communication requirements met?
Evidence Examples:
- A RIDDOR report, regulator correspondence, enforcement response, local authority communication or other legally required notification.
- Evidence showing that reporting or communication was completed within required timescales.
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How are communication records maintained?
Evidence Examples:
- Communication records such as toolbox talk records, briefing records, consultation records, emails, meeting minutes or training records.
- Evidence showing that records are controlled and retained, such as a document register, filing system or document control procedure.
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How is health and safety culture promoted through communication?
Evidence Examples:
- A safety campaign, toolbox talk, safety briefing, newsletter, poster, safety alert, awareness event or communication initiative that you developed, organised or delivered.
- Evidence showing employee participation, attendance or engagement.
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How is the effectiveness of health and safety communication evaluated?
Evidence Examples:
- An internal audit, management review, employee survey, consultation record, communication review or similar activity used to evaluate communication effectiveness.
- Evidence showing actions taken, improvements made or conclusions reached following the review.
Some of your evidence against one Assessment Criterion may also be used to meet the requirements in other assessment criteria (Where applicable).
Important Note for Learners
The competence requirements outlined above describe the practical workplace activities, systems, processes and records that may be used to demonstrate competence against this unit.
As this is a competency-based qualification, learners are expected to demonstrate that they can apply their health and safety knowledge and skills within their own workplace or working environment.
In addition to the competence-based assessment criteria, this unit also contains a number of knowledge-based assessment criteria. These are typically assessed through:
- Written responses
- Professional discussions with the assessor
- Assessor questioning
In most cases, the knowledge-based assessment criteria relate directly to the same workplace activities, systems and processes described above. Learners will therefore often find that the workplace evidence gathered to demonstrate competence also helps them prepare for and satisfy the knowledge assessment requirements.