Health and Safety Training

In any business, large or small, it is vital that employees have the skills to carry out their roles effectively, competently and within the remits of the law.

Health and safety management forms a vital part of this process and should be a straightforward part of managing your business. It involves practical steps that protect people from harm and at the same time protect the future success of your business.

Health and Safety Courses online and in person

What are the benefits?

Health and safety policies and procedures bring numerous advantages, including:

• Demonstrating that your business takes its health and safety obligations seriously.
• Showing that your business is compliant to health and safety principles.
• Clarifying the functions and responsibilities of people in your business.
• Ensuring that safe systems of work are recorded, communicated to staff and implemented consistently and clearly throughout your business.
• Guiding the actions of workers in a formalised way.
• Helping your business to manage staff more effectively by defining acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in the workplace.
• Saving time by allowing health and safety matters to be handled quickly and formally through an existing procedure, rather than staff dealing with problems as they occur or responding differently each time the same issues arise.

It is therefore fundamentally important that any member of staff who accepts responsibility as a first aider, safety representative or health & safety manager receives mandatory training to ensure they are competent and confident that they can put new skills, or renewed skills to good use when called upon. 

Gaining this knowledge and these skills requires a Continuous Professional Development (CPD)-accredited, high-quality health and safety in the workplace training course covering all aspects relevant to your business, including:

• Risk assessment training
• Control of substances hazardous to health
• Health & Safety legislation
• Manual handling
• Working at height
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Electrical, Gas and Fire safety
• Machinery, Plant & Equipment
• Noise protection
• Slips and Trips hazards
• Workplace transport
• Vibration
• Working in confined spaces

Encompass Safety Solutions' training courses are offered at a pace that ensures all candidates are fully involved in all aspects of the learning experience. Effective training is delivered via Q&A sessions, group work, theory and practical sessions along with standard written tests.

We're flexible – Encompass Safety Solutions courses can be venue-based at an occupational health training centre, or accommodated in-house at your business premises.

Why is health and safety training important?

• Ensure you or your employees are not injured or made ill by the work they do;
• Develop a positive health & safety culture where safe & healthy working becomes second nature to everyone;
• Find out how you could manage health and safety better;
• Meet your legal duty to protect the health & safety of your employees.
• Will contribute towards making your employees competent in health & safety;
• Can help your business avoid the distress that accidents and ill health cause;
• Can help you avoid the financial costs of accidents & occupational ill health.
• Ensures your insurance premiums and compensation claims are minimised

Is health and safety training a legal requirement?

Compliance with Health and Safety legislation is a requirement for any business to operate legally.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires you to provide whatever information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of your employees. 

This is expanded by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which identify situations where health and safety training is particularly important, eg when people start work, on exposure to new or increased risks and where existing skills may have become rusty or need updating.

Who needs training?

Everyone who works for you needs to know how to work safely and without risks to health. You must provide clear instructions and information, and adequate training for your employees.

Consider how much training is necessary. A proportionate approach is needed, for example, a low-risk business would not need lengthy technical training. Providing simple information or instructions is likely to be sufficient.

Don’t forget contractors and self-employed people who may be working for you and make sure everyone has the right level of information on:

• hazards and risks they may face, if any;
• measures in place to deal with those hazards and risks, if necessary;
• how to follow any emergency procedures.

Some of your staff may have particular training needs, for example:

• new recruits;
• people changing jobs or taking on extra responsibilities;
• young employees, who are particularly vulnerable to accidents;
• health and safety representatives.

You need to ensure that those that need it receive mandatory training to ensure they are able to perform the necessary risk assessments and carry out their responsibilities competently.

What courses do we offer? 

IOSH Managing Safely course and refresher, First Aid training and also a variety of online training. These include Health and Safety, fire safety, food safety and Safeguarding. 

Which health and safety course does my business need?

The requirements of each business vary, but to ensure you meet health and safety legislation, standards and levels necessary for your needs, Encompass Safety Solutions are on hand to advise and deliver the ideal courses for your business.