E-Learning is becoming more and more popular thanks to the spread of the Internet in homes and workplaces throughout the UK. There is no need to attend training centres or to request tutors to attend your place of work as the course materials are able to be delivered online. This is known as e-learning and distance learning and many of the health and safety training courses are able to be taken using this use of technology.

One excellent course that is available via online learning is the IOSH Managing Safely e-learning course. The course is aimed at supervisors and managers within any organisation who have responsibilities to help manage the health and safety of the company. The course gives a wide amount of knowledge and excellent skills which can be transferred into the workplace immediately.

Prepare to Manage Health and Safety in Your Own Time

The course content is delivered online and the assessment is also completed online so there is no need for any travel to be undertaken. If you are giving the course to your employees you can assign time within the working day for your employees to take the training. Those who would prefer to learn from home are also able to, avoiding the need to take time away from work. The course can be taken at the candidates own time, in the evening, at weekends, any time that suits the individual. With up to six months to complete the training there is no need to panic over deadlines.

The content of the IOSH Managing Safely course covers plenty of important topics including:

• How to work while protecting the environment
• How to identify the hazards and risks in the workplace
• Knowing the responsibilities of the managers and supervisors regarding health and safety
• How to assess the risks and control them using various strategies, systems and techniques
• How to investigate accidents and incidents at work
• How to measure performance

Anyone taking the e-learning IOSH Managing Safely course will need to have access to a PC that is connected to the Internet.  To learn more about the PC requirements visit the course page or contact our team by calling: 0844 567 6750.

Warwickshire County Council has been fined a total of £30,000 after being found guilty of health and safety breaches which led to a huge warehouse fire which killed four fire fighters. The fire fighters died as they were fighting the blaze as the roof of the warehouse collapsed on top of them.

This was the biggest death toll for British fire fighters at work ever since seven fire fighting personnel were killed while battling a blaze in Glasgow in 1972. The warehouse fire raged on for over five hours and at its peak the flames were reaching hundreds of feet high.

According to the sentencing remarks of Mr. Justice MacDuff at the Stafford Crown Court, the council had been deficient in their record-keeping and the information that they had provided to fire crews during the tragedy which took place in November of 2007. The judge called the deaths a dreadful accident which were a result of a series of failures on the part of the Warwickshire council. The council had pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act by failing to ensure that health and safety of its employees, the fire fighters of the county.

It was found that the County Council fire authority was guilty of failing to provide adequate building risk information and details regarding the location of water supplies to the crews. It also was found that there had been serious deficiencies in record-keeping in regards to health and safety training of fire personnel. These failures in health and safety resulted in the dangerous decision to send the fire fighters into the blaze, even though the situation was too dangerous.

According to Richard Matthews, the prosecution barrister, the men had been sent into the evacuated warehouse needlessly. He said that if the blaze had been properly assessed it would have been apparent that sending in the fire fighters without the proper resources was dangerous and unnecessary. The council was found guilty of breaches in health and safety which led to the death of these fire fighters, as well as a devastating loss to their family and to the community.

The NEBOSH Fire Certificate is a recognised fire safety qualification which will help you to prevent fires in your workplace.

Serious health and safety failures on the part of a plumbing company have possibly caused two workers to become exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos fibres while working on a refurbishment project in a set of flats in Aberystwyth, Wales.

The workers, who were a subcontractor and a site manager, were not provided with the necessary information about the presence of asbestos before they started work on the flats between the months of November 2010 and February 2011.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the contractors had been carrying out the work on the property without any knowledge or regard for the fact that asbestos might have been present in the building materials. The workers had removed 82 metres of cement board, breaking it with a hammer and shovelling it into a wheelbarrow before depositing it into a waste skip. A survey identified the material as likely to contain asbestos. The contractors were also scheduled to perform the same work on two other properties, one of which had been confirmed to contain asbestos in its building materials.

Superior Plumbing, the supervising company, has been found guilty by the Health and Safety Executive of failing to obtain asbestos surveys for the properties to ascertain whether or not this dangerous material was present within the building. They had done nothing to assess the risk or to follow appropriate working procedures in the presence of asbestos. They should have hired a site manager for the project who had been given health and safety awareness training in regards to the proper handling of asbestos.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral which is used in commercial construction for its desirable physical properties. It was used in a number of buildings throughout the UK until its detrimental effects on health were realised and it was banned in the 1970s. When inhaled, the tiny asbestos fibres become lodged in the lungs and result in a type of cancer known as mesothelioma. When construction workers are exposed to asbestos on the job their risk of developing the disease increases dramatically.

Approximately 4,000 people per year in the UK die as a result of asbestos exposure, making it the leading cause of work related death.

When looking for a recognised qualification in health and safety the NEBOSH General Certificate would make an excellent choice. Many construction companies in the UK and further afield consider this course to be excellent and immediately recognise it. NEBOSH courses and qualifications are ideal for employers to send their managers and supervisors on as well as individuals to attend that want to make themselves more employable or suitable for an upcoming promotion.

Excellent Learning Outcomes to Benefit Any Business

The NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety is split into sections. They all focus on ensuring the delegate has a wide amount of knowledge that will prepare them for their role as a supervisor or manager within your organisation. Any successful delegate that gains the qualification will be prepared for real life working situations and will be able to competently manage the health and safety responsibilities that come with their role. The outcomes of the course include:

• Understanding the legal framework of health and safety within the organisation
• How to build on communication to help promote a positive health and safety culture
• Learn how proactive and reactive health and safety is important and necessary for monitoring and reviewing safety measures
• Learn multiple strategies that can be used to reduce the risks at work, how to apply safe working methods and controlling hazards
• How to conduct a risk assessment, review procedures and record any findings that are made and use them to further reduce risks within the organisation
• How to report any incidents and accidents that occur
• Learn how the working environment can cause ill health and how to avoid problems for employees health
• Learn about the hazards and risks that come from fire
• Create fire procedures for the workplace

The course content is tested at the end of the training in the form of two exams and a written assessment. The assessment is practical and will need to be completed in the workplace and handed in on time in order to complete the course.

The NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety can be booked with Envico. You can also learn more about the training by calling our team on 0808 1966 830.

Other Health and Safety Courses to Consider

• NEBOSH Construction Certificate
• NEBOSH Fire Certificate
• NEBOSH Environmental Certificate
• NEBOSH Diploma
• NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation
• NEBOSH Award in Health & Safety at Work
• IOSH Managing Safely

A recent court case has highlighted the importance of making sure all hazards are identified and safe working measures are put in place. The case saw a steel company in the West Midlands fined more than £146,000 after an employee was crushed to death at work by a 15 tonne crane.

Wilfred Williams was working on an overhead crane, performing some maintenance. While working more than six metres off the floor he stepped off a gantry and sat down on a rail of a crane that was next to the one he was working on. The crane he was sat on was then moved by the operator who hadn’t noticed Mr Williams sitting down, crushing him against an upright stanchion.

Lack of Safety Equipment and No Safe System of Work in Place

The inspectors from the HSE investigated the accident and found there was no fall protection in place and a lack of safety harnesses. There was also a lack of safe system of work that could have prevented crush injuries or falls while working at height.

Training is often required to ensure that work on sites or when working at height is managed with the health and safety of workers in mind. You can find such information on a number of courses that have been designed for the construction industry. One such course is the NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety.

The Construction Certificate is suitable for anyone who must make day to day decisions while working in the construction industry. The course content includes many excellent elements such as the importance of controlling risks, the production of risk assessments and how to monitor, review and audit current health and safety issues. It gives information on the foundations of health and safety and raises awareness of the hazards that are commonly found, including:

• Fires
• Movement of people
• Movement of vehicles
• Work equipment hazards
• Chemicals
• Working at heights
• Demolition
• Excavation
• Electrical
• Hazards on construction sites

Failing to manage the health and safety on a site can result in the loss of lives. Avoid accidents and incidents by ensuring your employees are properly trained. Book places on the NEBOSH Construction Certificate by calling 0844 576 6750.

The SSSTS is a popular course for anyone working as a supervisor in the construction industry. This is because it’s an industry recognised qualification, providing the successful candidates with a qualification that can benefit them greatly.

The course lasts for 2 days and is strongly regarded as one of the best courses out there. If you are looking to become a site manager in the future, a supervisor or find yourself in roles of responsibility on site this could be the course for you to choose.

One of the reasons why it is taken by approximately ten thousand people each year is because of the excellent topics and skills taught by the expert tutors. The site management skills are not the only topics that are included; the course materials also cover legal aspects. This allows all candidates to become aware of their legal responsibilities, showing what consequences may be faced if the health and safety on the site is not managed effectively or in line with the law.

Everyone Benefits from the Training Scheme

Being provided with the skills on how to manage health and safety on the site gives confidence to the delegates attending the course. The skills can be easily transferred into a genuine working environment. The benefits are huge for everyone. The employers of the company can show they have provided adequate training to their supervisors. The supervisors are aware of the law and how to work within it, and all workers under the supervisor have their health and safety managed to reduce the risks to them.

Over five days there are core exercises to complete to show understanding. In addition to the exercises each candidate will need to pass an exam before they are awarded with the qualification. The qualification lasts for five years and therefore it is necessary to top up the qualification by attending a refresher course.

Construction Health and Safety Courses

• SMSTS – Site Management Safety Training Scheme
• SSSTS – Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme
• CITB Health and Safety Awareness
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate

All site supervisors have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. Not only is there all the logistics of the job to control there is a huge weight to balance due to health and safety responsibilities. Supervisors and managers risk being prosecuted by the HSE if they are discovered to be in breach of the Health and Safety legislation, and therefore training is essential to avoid legal problems, let alone moral ones.

The CCNSG Leading a Team Safely provides supervisors with excellent skills and understanding of their duties. This course is a step on from the Safety Passport which is open to anyone working on site. The supervisor passport is an excellent qualification to have and will help to ensure the management on site understand how to reduce risks and keep the workers safe.

Excellent Training Delivered in one Day

The one day course is popular as it is able to provide a lot if information and a qualification in a short period of time. In order to attend the supervisor training all delegates have to hold a valid CCNSG Safety Passport, if the passport has expired it will need to be refreshed before applying for the supervisor option.

The course will give the supervisors the legal knowledge they need when taking on such a level of responsibility. Supervisors can be prosecuted if they are not following the law when it comes to health and safety, and business owners need to make sure the supervisors are competent to help prevent the company and directors from being prosecuted too.

Learn Valuable Management Skills

On the course the management functions of the supervisors is examined. You will learn what your role involves and be made aware of your legal and moral responsibilities. There are some excellent management skills that are taught too such as planning and time management. Communication plays an important role in health and safety. You must learn how to communicate with everyone on the site from workers to contractors, sub-contractors and even the clients. Further training covered on the course includes: risk assessments, spotting hazards, monitoring the workplace and behaviour aspects.

Construction Health and Safety Courses

• SMSTS – Site Management Safety Training Scheme
• SSSTS – Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme
• CITB Health and Safety Awareness
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate

All workplace are required to go through process fire precautions. The precautions must be put in place to reduce the chances of a fire breaking out. That’s not all, they are also needed to help reduce the spread and intensity of a fire should one breakout. The precautions are a requirement that are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive as well as local authorities, and you can learn more about them by attending the NEBOSH Fire Certificate training course.

There are various precautions, they can include:

• Ensuring there is suitable ventilation systems surrounding flammable gases and vapours
• Extraction systems that will allow you to safely remove materials that are combustible
• Choosing equipment that will not become a source of ignition, raising the risks of a fire starting
• Suitable storage and management for flammable liquids and materials

There are several Acts that the process fire precautions are included:

• Health and Safety at Work Act
• Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations
• Management of Health and Safety at Work

The NEBOSH Fire Certificate is a course that is provided all year round. It is suitable for managers, supervisors and all personnel that must take fire safety into consideration under their role at work. In order to help control fire risks it is necessary to conduct fire risk assessments, learn how to prevent fires and use protective measures. All of these topics and more are covered on the training course with the content being split into three units.

All those attending the course will be tested to ensure they have an excellent understanding of the course content. The learning outcomes include:

• Understanding the legal framework
• Understanding the procedures and principles of investigating fires
• Learning the causes of fires, understanding ignition and the risk of fire and explosions
• Fire risk assessments
• Fire evacuation procedures
• Fire protection and preventing fires

There is a practical assignment which is an excellent way of putting the fire risk assessment skills into practice. This is part of the assessment process and will contribute to the candidates passing the course, so it has to be completed within two weeks of the course coming to an end.

Learn more about fire prevention techniques and risks by attending the NEBOSH Fire Certificate.

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There are some training sessions that will give you essential skills in first aid training in just a few hours. One of these is the appointed person update. If you have appointed persons within your organisation who hold a First Aid Certificate this is an excellent training course to consider. It is important to make sure that your first aiders are up to speed on how to cope in an emergency and in just four hours they can have their skills renewed and reinforced with up to date training methods.

Rather than renewing the First Aid Certificate this course is designed to simply give an update on the latest procedures. Those who attend will not have their First Aid Certificate renewed, it will still be necessary to go on the renewal training once the certificate expires.

What Do You Learn on the Four Hour First Aid Course?

During the face to face training session all of the candidates will be taught a number of skills. These include how to assess the situation if an emergency situation occurs. They will go over how the deal with an unconscious person correctly using the approved procedures as well as providing cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Other topics include:

• First aid kits
• Cross infection
• Blood loss
• Shock

By attending the course your employees will receive a skills session voucher for their records and to show they have attended the training. Once the First Aid Certificate is due to expire you will need to book them on the refresher course as usual.  You may also wish to consider enrolling your first aiders on other courses such as the:

• HSE Emergency First Aid at Work for Appointed Persons
• First Aid at Work – HSE
• The First Aid at Work Refresher
• Automated External Defibrillator
• Child Carer First Aid Training

By ensuring your appointed persons are up to date with their training you can be sure that the first aid facilities are managed by competent people. If you are not sure whether you need an appointed person conduct a first aid risk assessment. To book places on any of our first aid courses call us on: 0844 576 6750

There are two qualifications in environmental management training that are provided by NEBOSH. Environmental management has become far more important for businesses to concentrate on in recent years, and compliance with legislation and regulations is necessary to avoid the risk of prosecution. There are further advantages too such as improving your organisation, reducing costs and working on improving the well-being of your employees.

Managers, supervisors and employees can benefit from attending this course provided by NEBOSH. It is an excellent option for anyone who has to manage the environmental responsibilities of your company. The NEBOSH course is based upon the UK Environmental laws and the International Management systems and will give a wide amount of information on such issues such as:

• Impact assessments and EMS
• Controlling pollution
• Energy sources and efficiency
• Environmental emergency planning

At the end of the course the delegates will sit a short assessment which includes one long answer question and ten short answer questions.

What are the Pre-requisites to attend the IEMA certificate?

In order to attend this course it is necessary to have successfully passed the IEMA Certificate in General Management. The diploma will build upon the elements covered in the IEMA such as:

• Waste water treatment
• Noise control and monitoring
• Air abatement technology
• Cost benefit
• Risk assessments for environmental issues
• Hazardous substances
• Landfill design and management
• Transporting dangerous goods
• COMAH

The learning outcome for the diploma includes the ability to outline the techniques used in environmental issue risk assessments. What causes environmental noise and how to control the noise as well as:

• Defining the various methods of treating hazardous risks
• Understanding the issues that arise from environmental pressure groups
• Environmental Impact Assessments
• Environmental Planning Laws
• Legal requirements surrounding noise
• Monitoring and analysis methods

At the end of the course all delegates have to sit a three hour examination. In addition to the exam an environmental report needs to be submitted for assessment.

If you are looking to provide training to your employees or embark on training for you own benefit contact our team for more information regarding environmental management training. Fill in our online form or call us on 0808 9166 830.

Other Environmental Awareness & Management Training Courses

• IEMA Environmental Awareness
• IEMA Foundation Certificate in Environmental Management
• IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities
• NEBOSH Environmental Certificate
• CITB SEATS – Site Environmental Awareness Training Scheme

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