There are millions of people that work in the construction field every day and many of them have no idea how potentially dangerous their work place actually is. There is good money to be made in construction but it is also a very dangerous line of work. The NEBOSH General Certificate is ideal for people that work in health and safety every day. It is given for completing a very important health and safety course. This course gives people a safety foundation that they really could never gain on their own.

Decision Making

Decision making is one of the most important parts of being effective in construction. Time is money for most construction workers and that is why accidents happen. With the NEBOSH Construction Certificate training program behind them construction workers have a better understanding of safety and they also know what hazards to watch out for. When constructions supervisors take these courses they can then pass their knowledge to their workers so that they can keep them safe. There are three different units that are part of the construction course and each unit is important.

Risk Assessment

The first part of the construction certificate safety program deals with teaching risk assessment, health and safety foundations, how to promote a positive health and safety environment and also teaches supervisors how to deal with accidents appropriately. The second unit of the training has to do with how to manage and control hazards in the work place. There is potential hazardous equipment and materials that most construction specialists work with daily and they should be aware of them. The final unit has to do with implementing the safety and health practices that they learn.

Health and Safety Practices

Each unit that is involved in attaining the certificate is important. They each teach health and safety practices that could prevent accidents from happening and that could make the work place a better environment. Construction is dangerous, but by learning about possible hazards construction workers are much more equipped to do their jobs. The construction certificate training that is available is top of the line and perfect for supervisors and managers. Health and training courses aren’t very expensive and the knowledge that is attained is really priceless. If you have a construction businesses then look into the program. This program could easily make your construction business safer and more efficient.

Content Other Students Find Interesting

• CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme
• SMSTS
• SSSTS

If you have a desire to actually make a difference in construction then the NEBOSH Construction Certificate is what you need to make every day decisions concerning health and safety in the construction industry. These training courses are the foundation you will need when it comes to safety management ramifications. This certificate is broken up into 3 units of training, and these are: Unit-NGC 1- Management of Health and Safety, Unit-NCC2 – Managing and Controlling Hazards in Construction Activities, and Unit-NCC3 – Construction Health and Safety Practical Application.

Certificate Units

Unit 1 will cover the foundations of health and safety, policy, getting organised for health and safety, promoting a positive health and safety culture, risk assessment, principles of control, monitoring review and audit, and then incident and accident investigation, recording and reporting. It seems that most employers prefer hiring workers who have the NEBOSH construction certificate. One reason is they are guaranteed efficiency, proficiency and capability of the employee. The second reason is that the chance of mishaps and accidents is reduced or eliminated all together.

Unit 2 will get into construction law and management, the hazards and control of the following: construction site; movement of people and vehicles; manual and mechanical handling; work equipment; electrical; chemical and biological health; physical and psychological health; working at height; excavation work and confined spaces; demolition. With areas of construction life being an accident waiting to happen, this NEBOSH course shows them to you and then how to control them. It covers every possible aspect. That’s why the construction certificate is so important.

Unit 3 is the construction health and safety practical application. You will do your own safety inspection and write your own report. This is where you use your training. The construction certificate along with your health and safety experience leads to bigger and better things. This training class helps you to be aware of the dangers on construction sites with the knowledge to put into practice everything you have learned in the first three units. You will be able to help control every situation that could come up in the construction world.

Content Other Students Find Interesting

• CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme
• SMSTS
• SSSTS

Confined spaces refers to a space which is substantially enclosed. Accidents and injuries can often take place in these high risk areas. Due to the significant levels of risk associated with these types of working conditions and environments, work permits are often required.

Incident & Accident Investigation Training

• NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation

What Is A Confined Space?

A confined space or area is any space which has restricted entry, access or exit. These spaces are large enough for a person to access to perform tasks. Examples of restricted access areas include the inside of boilers, storage tanks and underground electrical vaults etc. Confined spaces are common-place in chemical plants and in the process industry generally.

Confined Spaces Risks

Working in a confined space is far from standard or normal practice. it is usually restricted to activities such as maintenance work, however there are exceptions. The level of hazard means that working in confined spaces should be carefully planned and the first thing to assess is whether or not entering the confined area or space can be avoided in the first place

Typical and common risks within a confined space include hazardous substances and lack of oxygen. Confined spaces which present special hazards to workers include risks of toxic or asphyxiant gas accumulation, fires, falls, flooding, and entrapment.

Work Permits

Some of the afore mentioned are sometimes classified as permit-required confined spaces depending on the nature and severity of the hazard.

Confined Spaces Training Courses

Confined spaces training courses are offered by many UK health and safety training organisations and can often be attended at a scheduled public course in many major towns and cities throughout the UK, however if you have a number of workers requiring training or certification, you may be able to arrange for an instructor to come to your premises to conduct the course.

• City & Guilds Confined Space Rescue 6150-01 (Low Risk)
• City & Guilds Confined Space Rescue 6150-02 (Medium Risk)
• City & Guilds Confined Space Rescue 6150-03 (High Risk)
• SMSTS
• SSSTS

Content Other Students Find Interesting

• Confined Space Risks and Permit To Work
• Construction health and safety courses
• General health and safety courses
• Working at height training
• Workplace first aid and emergency training
• Environmental management & awareness training

Asbestos Awareness – Understanding your responsibilities and how to protect against the health hazards of dealing with Asbestos on site is paramount to the long-term health and safety of construction and site based workers.

It is essential for workers need to learn how to identify asbestos on site and how to remove the hazardous substance safely from site. It can be found in various places, many of which are unexpected and unless you know how to identify it, you may not recognise it and end up handling it without even knowing.

When asbestos fibres are inhaled they can cause serious illnesses. If you work on-site and you are not aware of the types of illnesses caused by the hazardous substance then please read on.

Illnesses include malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma (a formerly rare cancer strongly associated with exposure to asbestos), and asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis).

Training

A basic asbestos training course will prepare you and your workers in the event asbestos is discovered on one or more of your sites. The course is usually only half-day or a full day in duration and can be held at your premises for a group of people, alternatively classroom based public scheduled courses can be located in towns and cities throughout the UK. If you’re looking for a course which is recognised then take a look at UKATA accredited courses, this organisation set standards for asbestos training in the UK

Construction Health and Safety Courses

• SMSTS
• SSSTS
• CITB Health and Safety Awareness
• NEBOSH Construction Certificate

Content Other Students Find Interesting

• CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme

Construction sites today are riddled with potential risks and hazards and require managing safely by professionally trained employees. The standard of site safety varies from one site to the next.

How Do I Create Consistent Levels Of Safety Across Multiple Sites?

If your organisation build, construct or maintain property or other on multiple sites and as a result you deploy responsible site managers and site supervisors on each of them, it would be reasonable to expect that your employees have been trained to an appropriate managerial and supervisory level. If your staff have not been trained appropriately then now is a great time to take a serious look at your company’s health and safety management, systems and policies. You can create consistent levels of safety by sending your site managers on the same standard of health and safety or site safety training course.

Construction Site Managers

Let’s start with your site managers. There are numerous construction safety training courses available in the market, however for organisations which pay levy to the CITB it makes perfect sense to take advantage of the CITB levy scheme by getting something back financially after investing thousands on pounds every year in to the scheme. Company’s which pay levy are entitled to grants after sending delegates on to the SMSTS course. The grant amount changes from time to time so to find out exactly how much you will receive per course attendee you will have to contact the CITB directly to find out.

The 5 day SMSTS course is a perfect fit for site managers, project managers and small construction business owners who take responsibility for health and safety on-site including risk assessments and hazard control.

Construction Site Supervisors

The Site Safety Plus Scheme (CITB) also offer a course suitable for construction site supervisors which is only two days in duration. The course is similarly called the SSSTS his course teaches site supervisors everything they need to know about safety on site at an appropriate level. CITB grants may also be available for those organisations paying into the levy scheme.

The subject of supervisor safety training is high on the agenda for most construction organizations. The major Contractors Group (MCG) now require all site supervisors to be trained to the standard of the CITB accredited Site Safety Plus SSSTS course.

Supervisors Safety Courses

These are available in most towns and cities throughout the UK via hundreds of established, accredited and regularly audited health and safety training organizations.

Supervisors Training

The supervisor course will provide students with the knowledge required to effectively supervise on a construction site in addition to making them aware of their own responsibilities. The supervising course covers health and safety at work acts and legislation, risk assessments in all manner of construction circumstances, statistics and information relating to causes, types and numbers of construction related accidents and injuries, the health and safety legal system.

The site supervisor course will also cover elements of safety which include working at height, demolition, occupational health, fire, electricity, confined spaces and the control of contractors.

Career Progression

With respect to furthering your career and moving on to a position of site manager or project manager, a more senior safety course exists which is within the same site safety scheme and is called the 5 day SMSTS course.

Both the SSSTS and SMSTS courses are available via our website in most towns and cities. Search for a course in your area, compare prices and book online today!

One of the important parts of being responsible in the workplace is by taking health and safety seriously. It does not matter if you are a manager, own the business or are on the lowest rung of the career ladder. Staying safe and protecting others not only helps reduce the risk of accidents occurring, it is often a requirement by law which needs to be followed; which is why the NEBOSH General Certificate courses are so valuable.

Protect Yourself and Others

If you are manager or work in any supervisory role having the correct health and safety training is necessary. These courses provide accurate information which teach you what your legal duties are and how important it is to follow the regulations, both for legal and moral reasons. Being able to gain a grasp on general health and safety legal framework helps you to create a safe working environment based on your responsibilities as someone who is responsible for others.

Skills and Outcomes

A NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational qualification will provide you with many skills to use at work. It can be a useful qualification to expand your horizons and is especially useful to help progress in your management career. Some of the areas which are covered on the course besides learning the legal side are how to develop health and safety techniques and policies and communicate them to the employees successfully. You will learn either online or through your tutor about the importance of reducing the risks and how to conduct a risk assessment to highlight any potential dangers. From this you will be able to work out if the current procedures are satisfactory or whether new procedures need to be introduced to create a safer environment.

Other Key Points to Learn

The other learning outcomes which will benefit your management are:

• Fire hazards and the correct procedures and risk assessment methods
• Learning how to spot risks to the health of employees and how to combat them effectively
• Creating reports and performing an investigation in the workplace after an accident
• Proactive and Reactive monitoring

Find a Course for You

If you wish to go ahead and improve your knowledge on health and safety and achieve a qualification showing that you have a good understanding on keeping a safe workplace you can find several courses which could be suitable. The courses are held at regular intervals both online and through face to face tuition. The flexibility of the courses allows everyone the opportunity to receive a recognised qualification. However you choose to train you will need to pass the assessments in order to be awarded the certificate. This involves sitting an exam and also entering a practical assessment at the end of the course. It is essential that you sit both the exam and hand in the assessment on time else you will not pass and will need to retake the course.

The general NEBOSH General Certificate provides effective and powerful health and safety training ideal for management and employees in a managerial role.

Other Health and Safety Courses

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

Related Posts and Content

• Fire Precautions and Prevention in the Workplace
• Why fire risk assessments are essential
• Preventing fires in the workplace
• How to deal with and prepare for emergencies in the workplace

Using A Health & Safety Consultant

Health and safety consultants can be used in a variety of ways for example writing a safety policy and conducting risk assessment or annual reviews and audits. The size of your organisation in terms of its number of employees and element of risk can contribute toward the decision to use an external health safety consultant.

Am I Held Responsible If I Use An External Consultant?

There is often confusion surrounding this question as common sense may imply that if you are outsourcing your workplace safety to external consultants they should be responsible, however this is not the case. The answer to this is yes you are still responsible for your company’s health and safety even if you outsource it. Outsourcing your health and safety to professionals means that you are taking professional advice in order to ensure your workers are safe. By using the services of a professional safety consultant you can considerably reduce the risk of accidents and injury in the workplace. If an accident or injury occurs in your workplace and you are deemed to have put appropriate measures in place to help prevent such accidents then it is extremely unlikely you will be held responsible.

A Safe Working Environment

A professional safety consultant can assess your workplace environment and what safety requirements are necessary in order to ensure your workers are free from risk of injury or accidents. A safe working environment usually starts with a general safety assessment and a good safety policy. As a result of conducting risk assessments a professional safety consultant can help you to implement safe systems of work and an effective health and safety management system, which are essential to maintaining a safe working environment.

Implementing and Managing Your Own Health & Safety

If you decide not to use the services of professional health and safety consultants it is not impossible to put your own safety measures in place and manage safety within your organisation, however you should consider how much of your time it will take and whether or not you have the skills to manage your company’s health and safety effectively. It is important to note that in the event of an accident or injury by failing to implement correct and appropriate preventative safety measures you may be held responsible.

Appropriate Health & Safety Training

If you decide to take on the role and responsibilities which come with it you will require appropriate training in order to be able to conduct risk assessments, write a health and safety policy and put safety measures and controls in place to prevent accidents from happening etc. There are numerous health and safety training courses available in today’s market. Your really need to attend a course which is designed to educate course attendees to the standard of responsible person for health and safety as named in your company safety policy. It is generally not recommended to embark on a responsible persons health and safety course without any prior knowledge or at least basic safety training as you may find a responsible person course a little out of your depth, however this is not always the case. One of the UK’s most highly regarded occupational health and safety training course is the NEBOSH General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety, however individuals are advised to attend the IOSH Managing Safely course prior in order to give themselves an introduction to risk assessment and general health and safety.

Health & Safety Policy Tip

If your organisation employs five employees or more then it requires a written health and safety policy. It is a requirement for all companies to have a health and safety policy, however those with a minimum of five employees are specifically required to have a written policy which should be made available for all workers to view as and when they feel necessary.

Related Content

• Health and Safety Officer courses
• How to become a health and safety officer
• IOSH courses
• NEBOSH courses
• IEMA courses
• CITB courses
• CCNSG courses
• First Aid training

Manual handling training is one of the most common forms of health and safety training in the workplace. It is basic yet essential health and safety which everyone needs to be aware of and trained appropriately. Some may argue that as an employee their role in the workplace does not include lifting heavy objects or people, this is fair comment however it’s not just about lifting heavy objects or people, it’s about technique and manual handling risk assessment i.e. if the object is not heavy but is large and difficult to manoeuvre it may require more than one person to lift the object in order to reduce risk of injury.

There are numerous factors to take into account when manual handling including distance – how far does the object need carrying, does the object contain liquid or powder, are there any objects in the way which you or your colleague may trip over if it’s not moved out of the way prior to lifting.

Believe it or not, it is possible to injure yourself, especially your back, by lifting a pen or piece of paper off the floor, or by sitting in the wrong position, then moving to carry out a small lifting task. Although these types of injury may be unlikely, the employer needs to take precautions to ensure that employees are aware of the risks associated with manual handling and lifting objects and people at work.

Related Content

• Manual handling risk assessment
• Health and Safety courses