Here at Wurkplace, we know that working in the equine sector can be very fulfilling but also stressful and at times dangerous! We know that working with horses (or ponies) can sometimes put HR, Health & Safety and Online Training on the back burner, but it’s an essential part of keeping equine businesses open.
Wurkplace consultants will make sure your equine business is always compliant with the latest rules & regulations and make sure your employees are well managed. We pride ourselves in providing a personal service, our consultants will implement all of our services for you (unlike some outsourcing companies), leaving you to focus on your stables real work!
We’re not like other outsourced HR and Health & Safety service providers, we don’t use call centres, so when you call our number you’ll be connected to one of our experts directly. This allows you to get professional support and guidance for your equestrian from day one. Also, we don’t believe in long-term contracts – So you can stay in control of your services!
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Equine HR
- Keeping Compliant With Legislation – Staying up to date with all the HR policies and legislation that applies to the equine sector can be difficult. They are regularly updated and if your HR documents are not compliant with current legislation, there could be legal action, fines or prosecutions – Our HR Consultants and online HR system will help you stay compliant!
- Development & Training of Staff – Often the training and development of equine employee’s can be overlooked. Investing in developing your employees skills (e.g. time management, leadership, communication, etc) can improve their overall performance at work – Our extensive range of HR training courses can aid in developing equine staff skills.
- Recruiting Talent – Attracting talented employees with good experience with horses is HR’s responsibility. It can be hard to tell if an employee will be the right fit for the position available – Our online HR system improves the recruitment process by creating job descriptions, tracking and comparing applicants and helping with inductions.
Wurkplace provides Equine businesses with bespoke outsourced HR services all over the UK! Working with horses can be very satisfying and fun but it can also be dangerous, HR can sometimes be overlooked. We know nobody is immune from HR issues but Wurkplace can help – For example, making sure all your HR documents are compliant and employees are appropriately trained.
Our HR Consultants can help you with:
- Having a Full Initial HR Audit – Our consultants will audit all your existing HR procedures & policies and documentation. We will then give you an action plan with our recommendations and put it into place once you have approved.
- Providing Employee Contracts & Handbooks – We will give all your equine staff contracts and handbooks via an online system which confirms acceptance of their terms of employment. This allows you to stay fully compliant with equine HR legislation, and if there is a change we can change the documents accordingly. It can also ensure employees have the right to work in the UK and DBS checks are done when working with children/vulnerable people and houses.
- Implementing a HR System – Wurkplace uses an online HR system which lets you store all important documents in one place and it tracks employee attendance, performance and recruitment candidates (comparing applicants and helping with inductions).
- Employment Law Support – Our HR Consultants can help with any employment law issues that may come up. This includes; probationary periods, sickness absence & holidays, disputes, disciplinary situations, grievances, redundancies, TUPE and immigration.
- Insurance for Legal Expenses – An optional extra, this protects your company against legal fees and tribunals. This can be up to the value of £100,000.
- HR Training – Online or on-site training courses that can be personalised to the equine sector. For example – communication courses, leadership development and performance management.
- HR Updates Monthly – Our team will stay in regular contact with you and your staff, always keeping you up to date with any changes made to HR legislation that affects the equine sector.
Do You Need Help With HR or Health and Safety in Your equine Business?
Equine Health And Safety
What are the 3 main Health and Safety issues in equine industries?
The main Health and Safety issues in the retail sector include:- Manual Handling of Horses/Ponies – Often leading horses by pulling or pushing horses from behind can result in injury. Equine employees also usually manually transport feed, bedding, equipment and deliveries – Our Health and Safety training can help minimise the risks of manual handling!
- Substances Hazardous to Health – Exposure to substances like bleach, is covered under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002). Bleach and other hazardous substances are often used for cleaning in equine settings, there should be controls in place to remove or reduce the risks – Our detailed risk assessments include COSHH ensuring your compliance with all relevant regulations.
- Falling From Height – Falling off a pony or horse, as well as falling when accessing storage areas, can cause serious injury. There need to be appropriate measures in place to ensure the risk of injury is minimal where it can’t be avoided – Our risk assessments help implement control measures (e.g. PPE) and our training can reduce the risk of working at heights.
Wurkplace can provide businesses in the equine sector with bespoke outsourced Health and Safety services – On a retainer or an ad-hoc basis. Riding horses can be dangerous, but so can handling them from the ground! Our team of highly-experienced specialists can visit your premises/stables and give you gap analysis advice on how to improve/implement your Health and Safety procedures and policies.
Our Health and Safety Consultants help you with:
- An Initial and Annual Audit – Our consultants will audit all your existing Health and Safety policies and procedures. Then you will receive an Action plan with any changes needed to stay compliant with general and equine Health and Safety legislation. After every year with us, we’ll also conduct an annual audit to ensure the safety of your staff and customers
- Visiting Your Site – We can regularly visit your yard/stable to provide you with on-site support and reports that review your Health and Safety processes and policies (for example, ensuring PPE like helmets are maintained and stored correctly).
- Conducting Risk Assessments – Our Health and Safety Consultants can make custom risk assessments to identify potential hazards/risks in your stable and ensure the proper control measures are put in place to remove or reduce the risk. This includes fire and COSHH risk assessments.
- Occupational Health Support – We can help you with occupational health referrals, medical examinations/screenings, physio, sickness management, on-site support and much more. We have our own qualified nurse that can help with all your occupational health needs!
- Health and Safety Training – We can tailor our training courses to suit the equine industry and provide our courses online or on-site, whichever is best for you (for example, abrasive wheel training for equine trailers and emergency first aid at work).
- ISO Certifications – Once we have reviewed your Health and Safety processes we can give you support in gaining ISO (International Organization for Standardisation) certifications.
Equine HR and Health & Safety training
Additionally, Wurkplace offers both online or on-site training courses to equine employees! They’re accredited by CPD (Continuing Professional Development), IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health) and RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) approved.
When working with horses, it’s vital that employees have received all the relevant training to help them develop in their role and improve their safety while at work! Once our training courses have been completed, employees will receive a certificate that can be put in their records.
Our Health & Safety and HR training courses for the equine sector include (but are not limited to):- Abrasive Wheels
- Leadership Skills
- Working at Height
- Time Management
- Emergency First Aid at Work
- Performance Management
- Manual Handling
- Introducing GDPR
- COSHH Training
Want To Arrange a Free Consultation?
For a FREE consultation with one of our qualified Equine experts, fill in our online contact form.