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SPA Passport – Mineral Products Renewal Course

The SPA Mineral Products Renewal is a one-day refresher for people who already hold an in-date SPA Mineral Products passport. It provides updated information and areas of responsibility for health, safety and environment, concentrating on risks found specifically in the mineral extraction and products industry.

The course helps delegates understand the implications of hazard recognition and risk assessment, the effects on both the individual and the employer, and how individual behaviour can help reduce accidents. Successful completion revalidates the passport for a further three years without repeating the full two-day course.

Course Details

  • Duration: 1 day
  • Format: Classroom training
  • Awarding bodies: Safety Pass Alliance (SPA) with MPQC
  • Assessment: Multiple-choice paper at the end of each module
  • Suitable for: Existing SPA Mineral Products passport holders within 6 months of expiry
  • Prerequisites: A current, in-date SPA Mineral Products passport
  • Cost: From £174 + VAT
  • Passport: Renewed for a further 3 years

Prices vary by provider, location and delivery format. Use the course search below to compare dates and fees.

View Classroom Course Dates

 

Am I eligible for the renewal course?

You are eligible if you hold a current SPA Mineral Products passport that has not yet expired. The card carries an ‘MP’ icon.

The renewal can be taken at any point during the six months before the expiry date printed on your card. There is no grace period after that date — the Safety Pass Alliance withdrew the three-month grace period for Mineral Products in March 2013, so the expiry date is now the definitive point at which the passport ceases to be valid.

Renewing early costs you nothing. SPA keeps your original anniversary date — only the year of expiry changes — so a passport renewed three months early still expires on its original date, three years on. There is no time gained or lost.

SPA’s own advice is to book early within the window rather than leave it late. If a course is cancelled at short notice and the next available date falls outside your six-month window, you lose the renewal option and face the full two-day course.

If your passport has already expired, you are no longer eligible for the renewal and must sit the full two-day SPA Mineral Products Passport again. Booking ahead of your expiry date rather than after it saves both a day out and the difference in fee.

SPA Mineral Products Renewal course objectives

On completion of the course delegates will have the knowledge to:

  • Demonstrate their understanding of the subjects by successfully completing each module assessment paper
  • Appreciate how they personally can influence good standards within health safety and environment
  • Understand the value of risk assessment and have the knowledge to recognise when change to a generic assessment is required
  • Understand the common hazards associated with working in this sector

SPA Mineral Products Renewal course content

The one-day programme condenses the full syllabus into a refresher across the following areas.

Legislation and safe systems

  • Review of H&S legislation and responsibilities, including risk assessment
  • Safe place of work, safe behaviours

Health issues

Danger areas and mobile plant

  • Danger areas, unprotected edges, quicksand, lagoons, blasting, bitumen and cement
  • Mobile plant, reversing vehicles, heavy mobile plant, crane operations and slinging

Access, height and excavations

  • Access and work at height, scaffolds, mobile elevated work equipment, ladders and harnesses
  • Excavations and confined spaces, hazards and control measures, emergency procedures

Health risks, PPE and environment

  • Health risks, dusts, diseases, noise and vibration
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE)
  • Environmental considerations, public perception, air, land and water pollution waste control

Programme may be subject to change without prior notification.

Safety passport issue

Successfully completing all assessment papers will result in a renewed SPA Mineral Products safety passport being issued. The passport is valid for 3 years and can be refreshed by attending a one day course anytime during the 6 months before the expiry date.

Successful delegates are registered on the national SPA database and issued a passport photocard carrying their name, photograph, personalised ID number and revised expiry date. Employers and site operators can verify a passport directly with SPA.

Resit arrangements for a failed module paper are set by the individual training provider rather than by SPA, so ask the provider what their policy is when you book.

Renewal or full course — which do I need?

It depends entirely on whether your current passport has expired.

Your situation Course required Duration
Passport expires within 6 months Renewal 1 day
Passport expires in more than 6 months Wait until inside the 6-month window —
Passport has already expired Full Mineral Products Passport 2 days
Never held a Mineral Products passport Full Mineral Products Passport 2 days

Exemptions are not accepted on MPQC courses, so holding another health and safety qualification does not change which of these applies to you.

Related training and progression
Find a SPA Mineral Products Renewal course near me

Classroom renewal courses run at venues across England. If you are looking for a course near you, find dates in your area:

Or compare all SPA Mineral Products Renewal courses in the UK across every format.

SPA Passport – Mineral Products Renewal Online Instructor-Led Course

The SPA Mineral Products Renewal online instructor-led course is a live, tutor-led version of the one-day refresher delivered remotely by video conference. It follows the same Safety Pass Alliance and MPQC syllabus as classroom training and revalidates the same SPA passport for a further three years.

This is not self-paced e-learning. It is live, interactive training with a qualified tutor, where delegates ask questions and sit the module assessments in real time. Renewing online suits people who would otherwise lose a day to travel for a single-day course. If you would rather attend in person, see the classroom courses.

Course Details

  • Duration: 1 day
  • Format: Live online instructor-led training
  • Awarding bodies: Safety Pass Alliance (SPA) with MPQC
  • Platform: Zoom or Microsoft Teams, depending on provider
  • Assessment: Multiple-choice paper at the end of each module
  • Suitable for: Existing SPA Mineral Products passport holders within 6 months of expiry
  • Prerequisites: A current, in-date SPA Mineral Products passport
  • Cost: From £174 + VAT
  • Equipment needed: PC or laptop with webcam, microphone and stable internet
  • Passport: Renewed for a further 3 years

Prices vary by provider and delivery format. Use the course search below to compare dates and fees.

View Online Course Dates & Fees

 

Am I eligible for the renewal course?

You are eligible if you hold a current SPA Mineral Products passport that has not yet expired. The card carries an ‘MP’ icon.

The renewal can be taken at any point during the six months before the expiry date printed on your card. There is no grace period after that date — the Safety Pass Alliance withdrew the three-month grace period for Mineral Products in March 2013, so the expiry date is now the definitive point at which the passport ceases to be valid.

Renewing early costs you nothing. SPA keeps your original anniversary date — only the year of expiry changes — so a passport renewed three months early still expires on its original date, three years on. There is no time gained or lost.

SPA’s own advice is to book early within the window rather than leave it late. If a course is cancelled at short notice and the next available date falls outside your six-month window, you lose the renewal option and face the full two-day course.

If your passport has already expired, you are no longer eligible for the renewal and must sit the full two-day SPA Mineral Products Passport again. Booking ahead of your expiry date rather than after it saves both a day out and the difference in fee.

Is the online renewal the same as the classroom renewal?

Yes in every respect that matters. The syllabus, the assessments and the passport are set by SPA and MPQC, not by where the course is held. A delegate renewing online receives exactly the same SPA passport as one who attends in person, and site operators make no distinction between them.

Remote delivery is permitted by the Safety Pass Alliance for this scheme. SPA accredited providers deliver both classroom and remote courses across the UK and Ireland using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The one notable exception in the SPA range is Core Construction (CSCS), which remains classroom-only — Mineral Products is not affected by that restriction.

The differences are practical rather than substantive: no travel, no venue, and assessments completed on screen under webcam supervision. The full course content is listed on the classroom tab.

SPA Mineral Products Renewal course objectives

On completion of the course delegates will have the knowledge to:

  • Demonstrate their understanding of the subjects by successfully completing each module assessment paper
  • Appreciate how they personally can influence good standards within health safety and environment
  • Understand the value of risk assessment and have the knowledge to recognise when change to a generic assessment is required
  • Understand the common hazards associated with working in this sector
Why renew online?
  • Revalidate without losing a day to travel — worth more on a one-day course than a two-day one
  • Learn from a live qualified tutor in real time, not a recorded module
  • No travel, accommodation or overnight costs
  • Ask questions and interact with the tutor throughout
  • Same renewed SPA passport as classroom training
  • Suits teams spread across several sites whose cards expire at different times
  • Usually a wider choice of dates than classroom, since courses are not tied to a venue
How is the online renewal assessed?
  • Module papers: A multiple-choice paper at the end of each module, completed on screen during the course
  • ID verification: Delegates must verify their identity and remain visible on webcam during assessments
  • Passport: Successful delegates are registered on the national SPA database and issued a renewed passport photocard valid for three years

There is no post-course project and no external examination. Resit arrangements for a failed module paper are set by the individual training provider rather than by SPA, so ask the provider what their policy is when you book.

Equipment and technical requirements
  • A PC or laptop with a working webcam and microphone — mobile phones are not suitable and most providers will not accept them
  • A camera position that shows your face, upper body and desk area during assessments
  • A stable broadband connection. Connection quality is the delegate’s responsibility
  • Zoom or Microsoft Teams installed and tested before the course starts
  • A quiet, private space for the day
  • Your current passport or card details to hand

You do not usually need your own Zoom or Teams account — providers send a joining link by email. Joining instructions, including setup guidance, are issued in advance of the course start date.

Renewal or full course — which do I need?

It depends entirely on whether your current passport has expired.

Your situation Course required Duration
Passport expires within 6 months Renewal 1 day
Passport expires in more than 6 months Wait until inside the 6-month window —
Passport has already expired Full Mineral Products Passport 2 days
Never held a Mineral Products passport Full Mineral Products Passport 2 days

Exemptions are not accepted on MPQC courses, so holding another health and safety qualification does not change which of these applies to you.

Related training and progression

Training more than one person on this course?

If you have a group to put through this course, it can be delivered at your own premises or a venue near you, on a date that suits your shift patterns. No travel, no overnight stays, and priced for the group rather than per person — which usually works out cheaper per head than booking individual places.

Tell us the numbers and roughly where you are, and we will come back with a written quote. Purchase orders and invoicing welcome.

Get a group quote