Local wardens attend personal safety skills course

Two UK-based instructors from a health and safety training firm, H&S Consultants (UK) Ltd, were in Malta to conduct four days of training for employees of the Guard & Warden Service House Ltd at their training centre in Msida.

The course covered violence and aggression, equipping participants with lone safety and personal safety skills to recognise people with aggressive or violent behaviour and reduce the risk of physical and psychological harm when dealing with them.

The two instructors were Mike Dawson and Kurt Busuttil, who demonstrated through a mixture of questionnaires, input sessions and practical tutorials how to build the knowhow and self-confidence to deal with these situations effectively.

Among the subjects covered were: interpreting the Occupational Health and Safety Authority's definition of violence at work; recognising assertive, aggressive and submissive behaviour; interpreting the law on self-defence; learning how to conduct on-the-spot personal risk assessment; and various techniques to reduce risk of personal injury in confrontational situations.

There was a continuous assessment process throughout the course, with the 46 participants having successfully completed a multiple choice paper. Commenting on the course, Mr Dawson said he was impressed with the commitment and interest shown by the participants, who shared their experiences and demonstrated tangible progress as direct benefits of the course.

H&S Consultants (UK) Ltd trainers are chartered members of the UK Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). They have run several other courses in workplace health and safety in the UK.

Guard & Warden Service House Ltd general manager Patrick Busuttil said the course is part of ongoing training of staff to enable them to offer a more professional service, while ensuring that their personal safety is safeguarded at all times.