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Health and safety for the self-employed

If you are self-employed then more than likely you won’t be able to ensure that you are going to be working in the same environment every day. This means that you may be faced with a variety of hazards in each situation you find yourself in. Therefore it is essential that you keep yourself up to date with identifying potential health and safety risks that may arise in your work.

Identifying the hazards

Being able to recognise potential hazards and risks in new working environments can help keep you safe from harm. Learning this skill can be difficult but it is made easier with the help of a health and safety consultant who will be able to teach you how to spot potential risks. Working in varying environments with new people means that you have to keep on your toes and always be on the lookout for potential risks.

Training

It is recommended that you take part in a health and safety course to ensure that you up to date with the latest first aid training and the best way to spot potential hazards. It is important to keep up to date with the best methods to identify hazards in order to keep you and others around you safe in the workplace. Refreshing your health and safety training on a regular basis is also highly recommended to keep the information fresh in your mind and also keep you updated on any new practices or procedures.

A health and safety course can also give you the information and skills necessary to not only be able to identify potential risks buts also how to control them. Being self-employed, you will lose a certain amount of control over your environment as it is likely to change often but you can learn to control risks and potential hazards in order for you to work in a safe environment. Learning to control the risks around you can help you to prevent any possible dangerous situations developing making your working environment safer for you and your colleagues.

Prepare for everything

While you may think being self-employed makes you exempt from any health and safety issues as you only have yourself to consider. However, this can be a disadvantage, as you also don’t have anyone else looking out for you. Therefore it is essential that you partake in health and safety training in order for you to guarantee you are working safely at all times.