There are many health and safety in the workplace courses to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start. With so much choice now you can at least be reassured that there are many options out there and something for every type of employee and business regardless of the industry you are working in. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the options out there to help you make the right choice.

Who to Train

First of all it is worth knowing that everyone within your organisation does need health and safety training. Work out each individual’s role and group together those who require the same level of training. Some can be given very basic courses that might include skills such as manual handling, what to do in a fire and who to report any health and safety concerns to. Others will need to be trained to help manage the health and safety side of your company. They will need to learn skills such as making and recording risk assessments, managing fire risks, communicating important topics to individuals and having the ability to deal with first aid. These individuals will need more intensive training on a higher level.

Where to Learn Health and Safety in the Workplace

Health and safety in the workplace courses can be taken in a variety of different settings. Many are delivered in a classroom setting, often at a local learning centre. A trained tutor will deliver the course and the materials to your employees. Sometimes it is possible to request the tutors to come and deliver the training in your own workplace (on-site) but often you need 3 or more individuals who need training for this to be possible.

Other health and safety in the workplace courses include online and e-learning or distance learning courses. This is when the course materials and training is largely delivered online. You will need to be able to provide a computer that has a reliable broadband internet access. Often these types of courses also provide a tutor who can be contacted via the phone or email too so if help is needed it is readily available.

There are other health and safety in the workplace courses such as where you or one of your managers will support the training in the workplace. You will help the candidate work through the training and be willing to respond to any questions that may arise on the course. On a few occasions an individual will come to assess the candidate in the workplace too. This is often the case with courses provided by the City and Guilds.

What Qualifications?

Each course that is worth training on will provide a recognised qualification. This can be used to show the Health and Safety Executive that the individual was provided with suitable training and they have the right qualifications for the role. The qualifications should be easily recognised throughout the UK so it is good to look out for training bodies such as NEBOSH, IOSH and City & Guilds. In the construction industry some of the most popular courses to consider are the SSSTS, the SMSTS and CITB Health and Safety Awareness.

Why Training is Essential

Without training you open your company up to multiple health and safety risks that could result n injuries and even fatalities. You also risks being prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if they discover you are failing to provide health and safety in the workplace courses to your employees. With so many injuries caused in the workplace it is essential that you meet your legal duties and do everything you can to keep your employees safe, training is just one of the steps you must take to achieve this.

Health and safety courses are available all year round. There are no excuses that the HSE will except if you fail to train your employees.

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