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Health and Safety Training

For any training or learning to be effective, course delegates must stay focused, and health and safety training is certainly no exception. Our health and safety course tutors are experts in keeping the attention of those on the course, which results in more information being absorbed and retained.

Health and safety can be a dry subject at the best of times, particularly when in comes to learning about legislation and regulations. Rather than sit and work through a textbook all day, mixing in activities such as interactive discussions, group work and activities like the practical demonstrations in our manual handling training courses help to engage the whole class, keeping delegates interested so they do not "switch off" and miss vital content.

This helps to keep course attendees coming back to us when they want to progress further in their career by undergoing additional health and safety training.

At the BCF Group, we provide our most popular health and safety courses as open courses. This means they are scheduled on certain dates at various training venues across the UK, and are ideal for individuals or companies with only a few employees requiring the training, (meaning that an in-house course would not be cost effective).

For the majority of health and safety training courses, the classroom-based learning is the type which usually gains the best results.

We also provide these course in-house at your premises, as well as tailoring bespoke programmes to suit your specific requirements and industry. Please click on the button below to find out more.

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Warehouse worker health and safety accident

Female delegate smiling during a safety training course
Accredited health and safety courses

Accredited Courses

Accredited health and safety courses and qualifications from leading awarding bodies including NEBOSH, IOSH and CITB.


Bespoke health and safety training

Bespoke Training

Health and safety training courses tailored to your organisation's specific requirements, industry and objectives.


Online health and safety training courses

Online Training

Learn online in your own time and location of your choosing, without having to attend a classroom-based training course.


A young woman reading an e-book

Useful Guide e-Books

Our library of over 80 Useful Guide e-books, featuring a number of titles which cover various health and safety topics.


We can design a programme around your exact requirements. Contact us to find out more!


NEBOSH Courses

The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health (or NEBOSH for short) was formed in 1979 and became the first health and safety awarding body to be accredited by the UK regulatory authorities in October 2000.

NEBOSH Courses
Accredited NEBOSH Courses and Qualifications

IOSH Courses

The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) pride theselves on being the leading body for health and safety professionals, with over 38,000 individual members. As an independent and not-for-profit organisation, they aim to regulate and steer the profession, maintaining standards and providing impartial, authoritative guidance on health and safety issues.

IOSH Courses

CITB Courses

CITB (also known as ConstructionSkills or CSkills) courses are designed to give firms in the construction industry the skills and knowledge that are necessary in order to survive and prosper in today's challenging economic environment, resulting in a safe, professional and fully-qualified UK construction industry.

CITB Courses

In-House Training

We offer a large number of the most popular health and safety training courses at venues across the United Kingdom, including accredited qualifications such as the NEBOSH General Certificate, IOSH Managing Safely and CITB Site Management SMSTS and Site Supervisors SSSTS certificates.

However, the majority of our work involves providing in-house courses to companies and organisations in both the private and public sectors. This can either be through running an accredited course such as those mentioned above exclusively for the employees of that company, or conducting a bespoke, tailored programme which deals with one or several specific aspects of health and safety in the workplace such as fire safety, manual handling, permit to work systems, the control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) and sharps safety to name but a few.

In-House Health and Safety Training

Bespoke Programmes

As well as accredited health and safety training courses, we also provide our own health and safety training courses which have been written and designed by our health and safety consultants, drawing on their many years' of knowledge and experience.

Unlike accredited courses, they do not need to follow a set syllabus, meaning that there is flexibility to tailor each course to your organisation's industry sector and specific requirements.

Our courses form the basis for our in-house training programmes, and can either be run as they are if the outline is exactly what you want, or can be be modified to suit the individual requirements of your organisation. Two or more can also be combined to tailor a bespoke training session for you.

Bespoke Health and Safety Training


We can design a programme around your exact requirements. Contact us to find out more!

Health and Safety Training Articles


Featured Article Sections:


5 Ways Health and Safety Training Can Benefit Your Business

It's essential that you are able to protect both yourself and also your members of staff from injury or illness in the workplace. By taking the necessary care needed in order to safeguard the health and wellbeing of your employees, it makes them far more inclined and motivated to focus on the interests of your business. Not only will your members of staff feel a lot safer, but they will also feel valued and far more confident with the knowledge and training you wish to provide them with. Aside from being a legal requirement in many countries, it makes sense to equip your business and its employees with the skills, training and knowledge in order to improve safety in the workplace.

Your members of staff influence the essential aspects of health and safety through their own day to day actions within the workplace. They are typically the best individuals to understand and identify the possible risks within their working environment, which is why it is also so important to consult with them when performing risk assessments and seeking to improve safety and working conditions within the company. Health and safety professionals who are able to provide NEBOSH courses and IOSH courses respectively are well placed to help you with advice, consultations and training for your employees.


1. Greater employee involvement and safety

A working environment where each member of staff is able to play an active role in health and safety is known to have far fewer accidents. Employees who feel involved and valued in decision-making are a great asset when it comes to high-performance within your business, with health and safety issues being no exception. Providing members of staff with safety training and health and safety courses highlights to them that you take both their safety and well-being seriously.

This empowers and encourages them to create a safe working environment and safety culture at work, which produces benefits including:

  • Helping you spot dangerous health and safety risks within the workplace.
  • Ensuring that health and safety controls and protocols are practical.
  • Increasing the level of commitment from employees to create a safe environment which will lower accident rates and near misses.

2. Reduce the number of absences

Another great benefit of health and safety training for your employees is that your members of staff are less likely to take absences due to sickness or ill health. This can help save your business many costs that are related to employee absence from the workplace.


3. Retain loyal employees

If you are able to reduce employee absences due to work related accidents or illness, you will subsequently save the cost and time of recruiting and training new employees. Not only this, but existing members of staff will feel valued and that management cares about their health, safety and wellbeing which will make them happier at work and less likely to want to move on and find another place of employment.


4. Build a strong reputation

Professional health and safety training can aid you with building a positive reputation with both your clients and your employees. Providing your staff with the correct form of training demonstrates that you care about your business and, most importantly, your staff. This will reflect positively on you and your brand, not only helping with your reputation with regards to improving sales, but also in attracting high quality talent to your workforce.


5. Save money on legal and insurance costs

Accidents can be expensive in terms of fines, legal fees, compensation payouts, remedial action required and statutory sick pay all being a very distinct possibility. A well-trained workforce which has a clear understanding of working safely with regards to their own safety and that of everyone around them will greatly assist with reducing the likelihood of a costly accident or incident taking place.



The Many Benefits of Health and Safety Training

When it comes to owning or operating any type of business, the importance of detailed health and safety training is absolutely essential. From the well being of your employees to legal issues that may arise within the workplace, proper training courses and education are guaranteed to benefit everyone involved. The following are some of the many benefits that come along with proper implementation of health and safety training...


Cuts Down on Workplace Accidents

Every single year without fail, thousands of businesses end up paying millions of pounds as a result of health issues due to accidents that occur within the workplace. Though it's impossible to cut out all accidents, especially within the more dangerous industries and workplaces such as construction, it is certainly possible to cut down on the amount. All it takes is simply setting aside time for the employees to learn and understand different health and safety procedures. Making certain each individual comprehends and acknowledges what they need to do in order to maintain a safe working environment will allow for a substantial decrease in workplace accidents.


Ability to Respond to Unexpected Emergencies

There will be times when unexpected emergencies occur that health and safety training cannot prevent from happening. However, if and when these emergencies do happen, it's important that other employees know how to respond in the correct manner. This can help to avoid future accidents and increase awareness of health and safety in the workplace.


Helps When Legal Issues Occur

With efficient health and safety training, it can of course cut down on legal issues that arise thanks due the prevention of workplace accidents but it also helps when there are the occasional legal issues that do come up. If you, as a business owner or operator can prove that you provided proper health and safety training courses to your employees and took all reasonably practical steps to prevent an accident, it can greatly help in your defence against any potential fines or payments you may possibly have to pay in the case of an employee attempting to sue you, or fines from the authorities.


Promotes a Safer and More Secure Workplace

It's important for all employees to feel safe, well thought of and taken care of within the workplace. In asking them to complete a health and safety course, you are making them aware that you are putting in great efforts to see that they are safe and secure when they show up to work for you day in and day out. This can provide many advantages for the company, including higher levels of effort and a reduced staff turnover as workers are less likely to want to leave.



Reasons for Providing Health and Safety Training to Employees

In nearly every country of the world, particularly those in developed nations, any business or company will have to adhere to strict health and safety regulations. It is for the benefit of all employees, whose work lives are made significantly safer thanks to the introduction of legislation and mandatory requirements. Many people may shrug off or pour scorn on the importance of health and safety training, but it cannot be overlooked; the safety and well-being of employees is no laughing matter.

Hazards in the workplace will always exist. Whether you are a massive multinational corporation, an industrial factory or a small independent firm with only a few staff members, hazards still exist. Accidents are always possible, even though the ultimate goal is that damage to health should never occur in a place of work.

Granted workers in some industries are more at risk than others, but this gives even more reason for comprehensive health and safety training to be provided. Dangers in the workplace must be fully understood by the employee, and training will provide this. If they know what risk can be easily avoided, then overall danger levels are significantly reduced.

Preventing an accident is one of the most important factors of health and safety training. No one wants to get hurt, or worse, die in their place of work. Yet the more hazardous the workplace the more likely this is to happen and health and safety training is a must in any workplace, but especially in these environments.

Teaching health and safety helps to educate people who may not be aware of certain hazards or dangers present in the work place. New staff that haven't attended any courses or been a part of any health and safety programmes in the past must be given full training, not only for their own safety, but the safety of their fellow employees. It is not fair that someone could be at risk due to someone else's ignorance, so everyone must be fully knowledgeable on risks that can affect both them and others around them.


Financial Reasons for Providing Health and Safety Training

From a financial perspective, not having any sort of health and safety training could be incredibly costly to the owner of a business. Depending upon the severity of an accident, great amounts of working hours can be lost. A factory could be shut down for the day or the workforce decreased due to an accident, which can all lead to a drop in productivity.

This means that your company could be losing money before it makes any. Many days will be lost over the years due to accidents or illness caused by a lack of suitable health and safety training. From a management or owner's perspective, incorporating a safety culture with the business and providing suitable levels of training, as well as taking all reasonably practical steps to prevent accidents, means that you are doing the best you can to ensure that financial losses as a result of occupational accidents or illnesses are kept to a minimum.

If any business hopes to be successful in the long term they will need to take health and safety seriously and ensure that training is provided, even in times of economic struggles and reductions in budgets. People will not be attracted to company with a reputation for having regular accidents or injuries in the workplace. A good reputation will precede itself, attracting high quality staff members and enabling possible expansion.

Having health and safety training does not just make sense financially, but morally too. There is a social responsibility to provide a safe working environment. Accidents will happen, but the frequency and severity in which they do can be managed with the application of health and safety training for both managers and workers alike.



Measuring Effectiveness of Health and Safety Training

Aside from complying with relevant laws and legislation, the main purpose for management in an organisation to provide health and safety training to their workers is to minimise the probability of a person being killed, becoming injured or made ill as a result of their activities or working environment. This can result in numerous benefits for the business in terms of employees taking fewer days off through sickness absence, less potential for expensive compensation claims from workers who suffer a preventable injury or illness (not to mention fines that may be imposed for health and safety breaches) and increased productivity due to more motivated workers who feel that the company values their wellbeing.

The cost of health and safety training can initially seem intimidating, especially with qualifications like the NEBOSH General Certificate or NEBOSH Diploma courses often costing a four figure sum, but should instead be viewed as an investment as the financial benefits to the business mentioned in the paragraph above will usually offset the initial cost many times over in time.

Just as with any investment the return obtained will be an important issue, with health and safety training being no exception. This means that measuring the effectiveness of the training provided will need to be done, whether this is putting one or two employees on a NEBOSH General Certificate course or providing a bespoke training programme to the entire workforce on a topic such as sharps training or COSHH/hazardous substances training.


How Can the Effectiveness of Health and Safety Training be Measured?

How an organisation goes about measuring the effectiveness of the health and safety training provided will vary not only between companies in different industries and what they want to get out of the training, but also in the type of training provided and the topics which it covered. Typically though, the effectiveness of the majority of safety training courses will be measured through monitoring the performance of workers after the training and comparing it with measurements taken beforehand. These measures can be issues arising over a certain period of time such as the number of accidents, employee sickness absence and evaluation forms which record the thoughts and feelings of the workforce. Subsequent refresher training should be provided to continue and maintain the positive health and safety culture created.



Information & FAQs About Health and Safety Training


Why is There Such a Need for Health and Safety Training?

There are health and safety risks involved in every little thing we do. From walking the dog to cooking the supper, there is always something that could injure us. It is up to the individual in the aforementioned cases to ensure their own safety and that of those around them, but when it comes to work, clubs and public places it primarily becomes the responsibility of those in charge. Receiving training in health and safety issues is therefore imperative in order to provide workers with the knowledge necessary to be aware of the potential risks and to work in a manner which avoids encountering them.


What is Health and Safety Training?

Health and safety training at work is the education of people on how to be safe at work. Whether this be hand washing, lifting, hazards or something else entirely it is up to the employer to ensure that the employee receives the correct training. Employers must follow the rules of the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974. They have a duty of care for employees and visitors to their work premises.


What are Some of the Benefits of Health and Safety Training?

The benefits of health and safety training are many, but the primary reason for its provision is to reduce the chances of an accident and injury to your employees. With appropriate training, your employees will understand what you require of them when it comes to safe working practices. When employees have the knowledge and training to work safely and with a lower risk to their own health or that of others, improvements to the workplace's health and safety performance will be made in terms of reducing the number and severity of accidents. You will save costs to the business such as accident claims by lowering the risk of accident or injury.


Are Employees Also Responsible for Health and Safety?

It is important to encourage feedback from employees over health and safety issues so that these concerns can be dealt with. Whilst managers are responsible to carrying out risk assessments, identifying hazards and putting remedies into place, employees should not be afraid to bring potential dangers to the attention of managers as it may be something which has been missed and is posing a danger to the health and wellbeing of those nearby.

Before any health and safety training commences, an employer must carry out a full risk assessment, which is recorded along with any actions that need to be taken. The actions that result from this must be dealt with in a timely manner. Risk assessments should be carried out on a regular basis as health and safety risks can and do change frequently.

The best time to provide health and safety training is at an employee's induction on their first day of work. This training should be repeated after every risk assessment you do as there may be new risks you need to make your employees aware of. After this, regular refresher sessions should be provided, not just to make certain that they are aware of any changes that have taken place, but also to ensure to jog their memories regarding information which they may have forgotten since it was last taught to them.

Contemplating health and safety training for your employees can seem a quite daunting prospect, with many questions needing to be answered like:

  • How to identify health and safety training needs
  • Different training methods
  • How to set up in house training
  • How to evaluate your training
  • How to find a training provider

Our expert advisors can help you to answer these questions and determine the right training for you or your employees' particular needs. To get in touch, please call 0844 800 3295 or visit the "Contact" section by clicking in the top right corner of the page. Additionally, our website contains a multitude of information regarding the different health and safety courses which are available, the requirements of each, the most suitable teaching format and whether they are more effective as a programme which is tailored to your specific industry.



The Need to Adapt Regular Health and Safety Training


Health and Safety Training for New Starters

Large companies who have many members of staff leaving and joining the business all of the time will find that there is also a constant need for health and safety training on a regular basis. New starters will require an initial safety training course which will not only make them aware of vital information such as the location of emergency exits and assembly areas, but will also require training that concentrates specifically upon the health and safety aspects of the job they are about to be doing.

A large number of incidents and accidents in the workplace come about because of a lack of appropriate health and safety training. Workers are often thrown into a task which requires the use of dangerous machinery or working with hazardous substances. Sometimes managers have been with the company so long and have gotten so used to the risks associated with the business they forget that somebody brand new to the business may have no idea about what can cause harm and what cannot. Even job roles which may not put the worker at risk from harmful substances or dangerous machinery may still involve them lifting and moving heavy or awkwardly-sized loads which can cause a manual handling injury if they do not receive manual handling training prior to commencement of their new duties.

With so many new starters on a continuous basis, these large companies will often provide the same health and safety training courses at regular intervals. The content will be identical to the previous ones as it is simply a case of teaching the new starters the information that was given to the previous incumbents of their position. However, providing this automatically with no thought can ultimately be a mistake.


Adapting and Changing Training Course Syllabuses

This is because the workplace is a constantly changing environment. Processes change, equipment is updated, new people coming in will have different ways of working etc. All of this means that the training courses which were provided in the past may need to be modified and adapted to take into consideration the new demands and dangers of the present-day workplace. Without modification, it may be the case that the information being taught is at best no longer relevant, and at worst is actually dangerous as following the advice taught can now lead to greater danger. An example would be an alteration to the layout of the workplace and the moving of the location of an emergency door, but the training course still informs workers that the door is located in the old position. This could cause workers to go the wrong way in the event of an emergency, placing them in danger.

It is therefore necessary to adapt those health and safety training courses which are provided on a regular basis to ensure that the information being taught is completely up-to-date. This ensures that not only will employees be provided with knowledge to keep them safe in the workplace, but will not be receiving misleading or out-of-date facts which will put them at risk.



Workers Must Be Trained in the "Why" When it Comes to Health and Safety Training

One of the first things people think about when hearing the words health and safety training is a whole host of rules and regulations. Many workers, especially those who have been doing the job for many years, resent being told that they must have a certain health and safety qualification, follow a certain way of working, or wear specific protective items which they consider to be unnecessary and over the top.

An example of this comes from workers in the construction industry who have been getting by on construction sites for many years, sometimes decades, without suffering a major accident or injuring themselves too badly, only to be told that they need to go on a training course such as sssts courses and show the certificate in order to be allowed on site.

Effective health and safety training courses should not only provide the rules and regulations, and the correct working methods, but should also really focus on the "why"; explaining to course delegates why they are on the course, why it is important that certificates and qualifications need to be obtained and shown to prevent those who do not have the same experience as others being allowed straight onto a site or place of work, as well as explaining how health and safety issues have changed over the last few years and why, as well as highlighting the point that things may be a lot different now than before (e.g. new machinery).

Explaining why legislation has changed, and why workers have to go on the course and gain the qualification should help to reduce some of the animosity and resentment towards being forced to attend. Even if they have had decades of working in a particular industry, nobody knows everything there is to know, and there is still likely to be much to learn. Also, bad habits may have crept into their way of working, which not only puts themselves at risk, but also other people. Just because you may be willing to take a risk does not mean that others should have to share that risk as well.

The main purpose of legislation forcing delegates to achieve certain qualifications is to ensure that everybody who works in that industry is qualified to a minimum standard in health and safety awareness and working safely. Companies, particularly large ones, often do not have time to discuss and check every employee or subcontractor's background and references regarding previous experience. Having a standard qualification which a person has either achieved or has not allows them to quickly and easily check who is qualified to work safely, without relying on what the potential employee tells them, which could simply be made up. Those who have not learnt how to work safely are much more likely to present a danger to themselves (for which they may be willing to take that risk), but also to colleagues and the public, who do not wish to be injured in an incident or accident caused by somebody else. Having to go on a course and achieve a qualification should not be seen as a personal attack on your own working practices, but rather should be viewed as a check of everybody else to ensure that they are able to work as safely as you whilst in close proximity.

Article Index

Please click on the link below to browse through a selection of articles regarding health and safety training, workplace safety, accident prevention and employee welfare:





Stick With Health and Safety Courses

In the current economic climate, many companies and organisations who are facing a tough time financially have a need to cut costs. Unfortunately, in this situation, spending on health and safety training and courses is often an area which faces the axe. Whilst it may reduce costs, this can also have the adverse effect of putting workers lives at risk, and may even be counter-productive as the cost of fines for breaches of safety regulations, compensation claims for negligence and lost days due to worker absence can all end up costing the company more than it would be by putting your employees on the health and safety courses in the first place.

Not only can gaining qualifications like the NEBOSH General Certificate or specific training on subjects such as permit to work systems, help your employees work safely to reduce the risks of accidents and injuries which force them to take time off work, but workers who feel like the company takes their safety and welfare seriously are often more highly motivated, which in turn increases their productivity and loyalty to the company. They are less likely to demand higher wages to cover the high level of risk they face, or want to find alternative employment elsewhere which is safer.

Putting off that health and safety training can result in serious negative consequences for both you personally as an owner/manager and for your company itself. If you are found to be in breach of health and safety law and legislation, you could face criminal charges such as manslaughter if you could and should have prevented a death from occurring, not to mention having to live with the guilt for the rest of your life. Even if things don't become as serious as that, you or your company could still find itself having to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation to somebody who was injured or made ill whilst at work as a result of inadequate safety provisions or lack of suitable training.

So whilst health and safety training can be expensive, and it is tempting to view it as "non-essential" expenditure, it is vitally important to ensure your employees are well-trained and fully aware of their health and safety responsibilities. Not only are there moral reasons for managers to ensure the safety of those working for them, but there are also many regulatory requirements which need to be satisfied and complied with no matter how tough the finances are for a company.


Skimping on Health and Safety Training Can Often End Up Costing More

Time and again there are cases where one or more people have been killed, injured or made ill due to insufficient health and safety measures in their workplace, brought about because the managers of the company are trying to spend as little money as possible. Typically this will take the form of:

1) Spending too little, if any, money on health and safety training to make workers aware of the dangers that they may encounter in the workplace. This can come from hazardous substances or dangerous machinery which they use in their job role for instance, or risks which are present in the workplace from other factors related to the workplace environment itself such as the potential for a fire to start somewhere in the building.


Or

2) Trying to increase revenue and/or keeping expenditure low by deliberately cutting corners with regards to health and safety. Not only can this include not providing sufficient health and safety training, but can also mean:

  • Not paying money on purchasing and maintaining necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Telling workers to avoid using safety items such as harnesses that take time to set-up, or not insisting that written procedures are followed and duly completed, all for the sake of speeding up the job and therefore increasing output.

The Difficulty in Determining Value From Health and Safety Training

Most managers dislike paying out money for anything, even supplies and wages, but many resent having to pay out money on something for which they cannot see immediate tangible benefits. They believe that health and safety is virtually all common sense, and that paying money out on safety training will be a waste as everybody should know what is dangerous.

The value of money spent on a pile of raw materials can easily be measured against the monetary amount of the known quantity of finished goods that that amount of raw materials will create. Managers can work out that x amount of raw material will result in y amount of finished products, which are sold for z and bring in an exact amount of revenue. With health and safety training however - and to a large extent money spent on protective equipment and safety features - a financial return on the initial spend will be impossible to calculate. Combine this with a misconception held by many managers that health and safety is all common sense and therefore training is unnecessary, and it provides all the justification that is being looked for by managers who do not wish to spend any money on health and safety for their staff members.


What Value Does Health and Safety Training Create?
Direct Financial Implications

The exact specifics will depend upon the health and safety legislation of the particular country in which it takes place, but generally speaking a person who is injured or made-ill from their workplace tasks or environment and was not suitably trained or provided with necessary safety equipment can often sue for compensation. Additionally, companies found to be in breach of applicable health and safety regulations in that jurisdiction can be fined large amounts of money. All of this means that there is the potential for an incredibly large bill, far in excess of the cost of providing health and safety training or suitable protective measures in the first place. This makes not providing training just to save costs a gamble that rarely pays of in the long term.

It can also be costlier to take out insurance after a significant financial claim, or if the insurance company is not satisfied that suitable safeguards to prevent an accident are not already in place.


Indirect Financial Implications

Providing health and safety training is not all about avoiding fines and compensation claims however. Workers who feel that managers care about their well-being will often feel happier and be more motivated. This will typically result in higher productivity and lower absenteeism levels, which will filter through to the bottom line eventually in the form of higher profits for the company.

So health and safety training should not only be viewed as a mechanism for avoiding fines and compensation claims, but also as a positive tool for increasing the motivation and productiveness of employees. In this case, workers and management alike benefit from a safe and pleasant workplace.




Health and Safety Training is Not Just Common Sense

There is no denying that a lot of accidents can be prevented through the application of common sense. The basic instinct of survival gives people an awareness of what is likely to be dangerous, and the wherewithal to avoid it. But it is not acceptable for managers to let employees rely solely upon common sense to keep them safe in the workplace and stop them causing harm to themselves or to other people.

The primary reason for this is that a lot of knowledge needed to stay safe in the workplace has to actually be learnt. Whilst obvious dangers can be identified using common sense, other information needs to be taught as the danger will not be immediately obvious. For example, an employee may not know that a particular substance is dangerous as it will not be immediately obviously, but would be told during a health and safety course which covered all of the substances which they are likely to encounter at work. Only through this training would they be aware of the dangers that the particular substance poses to their health and well-being.


Sometimes a Little Knowledge is a Bad Thing

Another key reason is that relying solely upon common sense without any accurate educational information being taught means that it is highly likely that the worker has picked up some incorrect or incomplete knowledge about the level of danger involved. Sometimes a little knowledge can be even worse than not knowing anything about an issue, as instead of avoiding it completely and seeking further clarification, the person incorrectly believes the situation is completely safe from things they have heard when in actual fact there is a possible risk to their health and safety.

There is simply no substitute for detailed and complete training in health and safety when it comes to making individuals aware of the potential dangers which they may come into contact with in the workplace. Just as it is the case when learning a new skill, picking up bad habits can actually hinder a person's development and improvement. It is far better to teach employees the correct information from the outset, providing them with everything they need to know about avoiding danger and using substances or objects safely and allowing the opportunity for questions in order to answer any details in which they are unsure. There should also be regular refresher training sessions scheduled to ensure that this vital knowledge has not been forgotten or distorted through misinformation.




Health and Safety Acronyms

The world of health and safety is full of acronyms and abbreviations, which can often be confusing for those unfamiliar with the terms. Below are some of the most common words that are likely to be encountered when looking for health and safety training or searching for health and safety information:


Official Bodies:
  • BSC - British Safety Council
  • CITB - Construction Industry Training Board, also known as ConstructionSkills (sometimes abbreviated as CSkills)
  • HSE - Health and Safety Executive
  • IOSH - Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
  • IRM - Institute of Risk Management
  • IRSM - International Institute of Risk and Safety Management
  • NEBOSH - The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health
  • ROSPA - Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
  • WHO - World Health Organization


Other:
  • CDM - Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
  • CHIP - Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging) Regulations
  • COSHH - Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
  • DSE - Display Screen Equipment
  • HACCP - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
  • HSG - Health and Safety Guidance Booklet
  • HSW Act - Health and Safety at Work Act
  • LOLER - Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations
  • MHOR - Manual Handling Operations Regulations
  • NAWR - Control of Noise at Work Regulations
  • NVQ - National Vocational Qualification
  • OSH - Occupational Safety and Health
  • PPE - Personal Protective Equipment
  • PUWER - The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
  • REACH - Registration Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals
  • RIDDOR - The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations
  • RPE - Respiratory Protective Equipment
  • VAWR - Vibration at Work Regulations
  • WAHR - Work at Height Regulations
  • WEL - Workplace Exposure Limit

Do you need some advice?

Discuss your training requirements today with one of our expert advisers.