How often should staff do health & safety training?

Providing health & safety training once is simply not enough. With regular updates to legislation and changes within your business, refreshers are certainly important to keep your employee’s knowledge and understanding up to date.  

While there is no legal requirement to update your staff’s health & safety training, you should be aware of current and upcoming changes to regulations which apply to your industry and ensure that every individual is aware of current guidelines.  

When do employees require health & safety training?  

There are certain times throughout their employment when employees will require health & safety training. This includes:  

On the first day  

When employees start a new job, or at least within the first few weeks of employment, they must complete the basic health & safety training required for their role. This will ensure that from day one they are aware of simple health & safety rules.  

Such as: 

• Fire safety procedures 

• Who to speak to in case of an emergency 

• Accident reporting procedures

• First aid arrangements  

After an incident at work 

If an incident has occurred and you feel it has not been handled correctly, it may be best to review your health & safety training processes. Giving your current employees a refresher and ensuring new employees understand your company’s procedures.  

Not only this but training after an incident may help employees identify what they missed or where they went wrong so that this doesn’t happen again.  

Ongoing training  

Providing ongoing health & safety training throughout an employee’s time with your business is important to mitigate risks and prevent safety incidents from occurring.  

Overtime it can be easy to forget what was mentioned on the first day of a new job, so checking in every now and then helps to guarantee that every member of staff is up-to-date and understands their role’s responsibilities in keeping your workplace a safe environment.  Changes within a business to work practices, for example, may mean staff need to be updated on latest procedures.

The HSE recommends that health & safety training be refreshed annually, giving everyone a chance to renew their knowledge and understanding.  

What health and safety training is required?  

Basic health & safety training is legally required for all employees. Other, more detailed, and industry-specific training may be required depending on the job role of the employee.  

More information can be found in our article, Legal requirements for health & safety training in the UK.  

Costs and time required  

The HSE recommends that health & safety training for employees should be free and accessible during work hours. As an employer it is therefore your responsibility to source suitable training courses or to find a qualified training provider. 

For employers H&S training should be considered a valuable investment that not only works to protect staff but also keeps the business legally compliant with health & safety legislation.  

There’s a range of options when it comes to choosing the right health & safety training courses for your staff. From considering costs to relevancy and quality of training provided. You can choose to work with an external training provider or assign this job role to a competent and qualified member of staff.  

With BrightSafe software you will gain free access to our range of health & safety e-learning courses, in addition to 24/7 health & safety advice, near-miss reporting, and our exclusive health & safety app.  

Do health & safety certifications expire?  

While first aid training certificates require renewal every three years, not every health & safety certificate has an expiration date. However, some courses may require or recommend renewal every few years.  

It’s important to manage your training by date, keeping track of who has completed training and when, so you can ensure everyone is provided with refresher training as needed.  

E-learning offers one of the best ways to provide quick, simple, and accessible training that your staff can complete anytime from any device. The benefits of health & safety e-learning therefore, make it a popular choice for many types of businesses.  

Manage and keep track of health & safety training with BrightSafe 

The BrightSafe health & safety software allows you to keep all your health & safety records and documentation in one easy-to-access platform.  With online access, via a desktop or mobile device, you can assign important documents and courses to staff, making sure that everyone has signed, accessed and completed all essential and mandatory health & safety training and documentation.  

Our health & safety learning management system provides you with free access to a wide range of e-learning courses. Suitable for a variety of industries, roles, and legal requirements. CPD-accredited and RoSPA assured, these online courses will help to protect your staff from workplace hazards and ensure your business stays compliant.  

Only a phone call away, BrightHR are here to support you, so you can be confident that your business is safe, and staff are protected. Book a free demo today to see BrightHR and BrightSafe in action.