Staff at Coatbridge enjoyed their first Health and Safety Day consisting of a mixture of classroom presentations and practical demonstrations on defibrillator awareness, transport risks and fire extinguisher operation.
Speaking about the purpose of the day, Head of Health and Safety, Craig Welsh said, “It was a great opportunity to engage the staff at Coatbridge. The practical demonstrations were staged to provide a life-like scenario with staff getting the opportunity to perform CPR, check blind spots from inside a vehicle as if they were a driver and activate fire extinguishers."
On the day Craig held a demonstration on how to use a defibrillator and the science behind CPR. Through a mixture of videos and demonstrations, the seminar highlighted the importance of acting quickly in an emergency.
Chris Byrne, Senior Arctic Supervisor and attendee of Craig’s Defib Awareness Seminar noted, “I found the training extremely informative and well delivered. I was lucky enough to have been nominated to be Craig’s glamorous assistant and it was interesting to see exactly how much pressure I needed to put on a casualty’s body for the CPR to work. We all hope that we are never in a situation where this training needs to be put into use, but I would feel a lot more confident administering CPR or using a defib after this seminar.”
In the training room across the corridor, Jade Grant, Scott Johnston, and Des Lennon demonstrated the risks involved in transport, including coupling and uncoupling procedures and blind spots.
Following a presentation on the importance of drivers adhering to the BLACK safety procedure (breaks, legs, airline, clip, and kingpin), staff were given the chance to experience what it is like to sit in the driver’s seat of an HGV. The purpose of the exercise was to showcase HGV blind spots and encourage staff to be more aware of HGVs on the road.
Over in the Warehouse, Ian Robertson from Caledonian Fire Safety Solutions Ltd, led a seminar on how fires start and how to tackle different types of fires.
This was followed by a demonstration on how to use fire extinguishers with staff being given the opportunity to use a fire extinguisher for themselves.
The day provided members of staff from teams across the business an opportunity to meet and learn. This was something James Hinds, Shift Mechanic appreciated:
“The health and safety day was good. It proved to be an engaging experience, as I not only had a good time but learned valuable insights. The fact that everyone took something away from it indicates the events effectiveness. Additionally, it was good to meet others within the group, and the boost in our team’s morale was an excellent outcome.”
Claire Kilfedder, Transport Administrator, said, “Health & Safety Day was interesting and valuable but also fun. From using a fire extinguisher to a potentially lifesaving defib, it’s given me more confidence to use either if ever required to do so. The fun part for me was sitting in an artic lorry. However, I must admit I did use to think the driver just got in and went – the BLACK safety checks were very interesting and showed the responsibility of driving one of these! It was all so very worthwhile and thanks to all who organised.”
Speaking of the success of the day and plans for future health and safety events, Craig noted, “The day was a great success, and the presenters are already planning next year’s event! This type of event will hopefully be extended throughout the group.”