healthsafety_skill

Overview

This skill provides UK-focused health and safety management guidance for manufacturing operations, covering risk assessments, COSHH, PPE, incident reporting, LOTO, manual handling, and emergency procedures. It aligns with UK HSE legislation and IATF 16949 clause 7.1.4 to support compliance and safe production environments. The guidance is practical, role-focused, and suitable for shopfloor supervisors, safety reps, and maintenance teams.

How this skill works

The skill inspects described hazards, procedures, and incidents and routes users to appropriate workflows: risk assessment, incident reporting, COSHH assessment, or safety audit. It uses the UK legal framework (HSE, RIDDOR, PUWER, COSHH, etc.) and an IATF-aligned approach to recommend controls, training, records, and timelines. Outputs include stepwise LOTO procedures, PPE matrices, emergency actions, and compliance checklists tailored to manufacturing scenarios.

When to use it

• When requesting a risk assessment or hazard evaluation
• After any accident, near miss, or reportable incident
• Before introducing a new chemical or process (COSHH)
• When planning machine installation, modification, or LOTO procedures
• For manual handling assessments or ergonomic reviews
• To prepare for audits, inspections, or management reviews

Best practices

• Follow the hierarchy of controls: eliminate, engineer, reduce, administrative, PPE
• Use the provided risk matrix to assign action timeframes for critical/high/medium/low risks
• Maintain and retain records to specified retention periods (e.g., COSHH/health surveillance 40 years)
• Train and requalify personnel per the training matrix and document completion monthly
• Apply the 8-step LOTO procedure for all maintenance involving energy sources

Example use cases

• New machine installation: run a machine-specific risk assessment, verify guards per PUWER, create LOTO and training plans
• Chemical introduction: obtain SDS, complete COSHH assessment, specify controls and health surveillance needs
• Coolant spill incident: secure area, complete incident report, investigate root cause, update COSHH and controls
• Manual handling review: assess weight/frequency/posture, implement mechanical aids or redesign tasks
• Audit preparation: run department inspections, address open actions, verify PPE and emergency equipment