Health and safety in manufacturing, for the firm with no safety department
SafetyPro360 keeps the record of who is trained on which machine and when its guards were last checked. It is there when an HSE inspector or a customer's auditor asks.
14 days free, then from £9.99 a month, with no card needed to start.
“Who is trained to run that machine, and when was the guard last checked?”
An HSE inspector on the shop floor, or a customer auditing you as a supplier
It is asked standing at the machine, usually pointing at it. The answer needs a name, a date and something in writing.
What a small manufacturer gets asked, and by whom
An HSE inspector works from the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). Everyone who uses a machine must have had adequate training in how to use it, the risks and the precautions, and so must whoever supervises them. Dangerous parts must be guarded, with fixed guards wherever that is practicable. Where wear or damage could make a machine dangerous it must be inspected at suitable intervals, and regulation 6 requires the result to be recorded and kept until the next inspection is recorded.
A customer's auditor asks for the same things in a different order: the training matrix first, then the checks, then what happened after the last accident.
Noise and dust bring their own duties. Employers must give information, instruction and training to people exposed to noise or to substances hazardous to health. SafetyPro360 holds the record that the training was given and the checks were done. It does not carry out or store health surveillance, hearing tests or exposure monitoring.
One course for each machine, so authorisation is on record
Set up each machine or process as its own course: power press setter, CNC lathe, guillotine, abrasive wheels, forklift, overhead crane. Give it a provider (in house counts) and the number of months it lasts, or leave it as never expiring. Then record who has been trained, with the date.
A role such as press operator lists the courses it needs. Put a new starter in that role and the matrix shows each one as missing until it is done, which is the plain answer to "who is allowed on that machine".
- In-house training recorded the same way as an outside course
- Each role lists the training it needs
- New starters show as gaps until trained
Guard and machine checks, done at the machine
Build a checklist for each machine from your own questions: fixed guards in place and secure, interlock stops the machine when the guard opens, emergency stop works, two-hand control cannot be defeated, no damage to cables or air lines. Label it daily, weekly or monthly.
Whoever is logged in runs it on a phone, answers yes or no, pass or fail, and comments on anything wrong. The completed check is kept with its date, who did it and a score. If something fails, add an action with a name and a due date. Overdue actions stay on your dashboard.
Near misses and accidents written down on the shop floor
A trapped finger, a stillage dropped in despatch, a guard found tied back: report it on a phone while people still remember. The report takes the type, the severity, the date and time, the area and exactly where, what happened, who was hurt, the injury and treatment, witnesses and what was done straight away. Add the root cause when you know it.
Each report stays open until you close it. If an injury is reportable under RIDDOR, you still report it on HSE's website: see our guide to RIDDOR reporting.
How a small manufacturer uses each part
- Training matrixOperators down the side, machines and courses across the top: abrasive wheels, forklift, manual handling, first aid, noise and COSHH awareness. Filter by role to see every setter at once.
- Inspections and checksDaily guard checks, a weekly walk-round of the shop floor and a monthly look at ladders and racking, answered on a phone with a comment where something is wrong.
- Incident reportingNear misses recorded with the area and the exact spot, and kept open until you close them, so what was done about each one is on record.
- Document registerThorough examination reports for the power press and the crane, the extraction test report, COSHH assessments and machine risk assessments, each uploaded with its expiry or review date.
- Toolbox talksTen minutes at the start of the shift on hearing protection, dust or last week's near miss, with who was on shift and who still needs it.
- PPE stockEar defenders, safety glasses, gloves and dust masks counted by item with a reorder level. It counts stock and does not record what was issued to each person.
Questions people ask
What health and safety training do machine operators need by law?
PUWER requires that everyone who uses work equipment has had adequate training in how to use it, the risks and the precautions, and so has anyone who supervises its use. The law names no course and sets no expiry date, so you decide what is adequate for each machine and keep a record of it.
How often do machine guards have to be checked?
For most machines PUWER gives no fixed interval. Equipment exposed to conditions that could make it dangerous must be inspected at suitable intervals, and HSE says records are not normally needed for the simplest pre-use checks. Power presses are the exception: the press and its guards need a thorough examination at least every 12 months with fixed guards only, or every 6 months otherwise.
Does SafetyPro360 do health surveillance or noise monitoring?
No. It records that noise or COSHH training was given, that a check was done and that a report is on file. It does not carry out hearing tests or exposure monitoring, and results about an individual's health do not belong in it. Those stay with your occupational health provider.
Can we record in-house training as well as certificates?
Yes. A course is whatever you define: an outside ticket with a certificate number, or a supervisor showing a new starter how to run one machine. Both are recorded with the person, the date and the provider, and both show on the training matrix.
Does it replace the signed guard certificate for a power press?
No. PUWER requires the guards on a power press to be inspected and tested by a person appointed in writing, who signs a certificate. SafetyPro360 does not collect signatures, so that certificate stays on paper at the press. The thorough examination reports can be uploaded as documents with the date the next one is due.
Have the answer ready before anyone asks.
Add your people, the training each role needs and the documents you hold. From then on, what is overdue or missing is on one screen.
14 days free, then from £9.99 a month, with no card needed to start.