Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

4.8 
Health and safety training
Health and safety training is a very important part of the 
health and safety culture and it is also a legal require-
ment, under the Management of Health and Safety at 
Work Regulations and other regulations, for an employer 
to provide such training. Training is required on recruit-
ment, at induction or on being exposed to new or 
increased risks due to:
➤
being transferred to another job or given a change in 
responsibilities
➤
the introduction of new work equipment or a change 
of use in existing work equipment
➤
the introduction of new technology

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Promoting a positive health and safety culture
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➤
the introduction of a new system of work or the revi-
sion of an existing system of work
➤
an increase in the employment of more vulnerable 
employees (young or disabled persons)
➤
particular training required by the organization’s 
insurance company (e.g. specifi c fi re and emergency 
training).
Additional training may well be needed following a single 
or series of accidents or near misses, the introduction of 
new legislation, the issuing of an enforcement notice or 
as a result of a risk assessment or safety audit.
It is important during the development of a training 
course that the target audience is taken into account. 
If the audience are young persons, the chosen approach 
must be capable of retaining their interest and any illustra-
tive examples used must be within their experience. 
The trainer must also be aware of external infl uences, 
such as peer pressures, and use them to advantage. 
For example, if everybody wears personal protective 
equipment then it will be seen as the thing to do. Levels 
of literacy and numeracy are other important factors.
The way in which the training session is presented 
by the use of videos, power point slides, case studies, 
lectures or small discussion groups needs to be related 
to the material to be covered and the backgrounds of 
the trainees. Supplementary information in the form of 
copies of slides and additional background reading 
is often useful. The environment used for the training 
sessions is also important in terms of room layout and 
size, lighting and heating.
Attempts should be made to measure the effective-
ness of the training by course evaluation forms issued at 
the time of the session, by a subsequent refresher session 
and by checking for improvements in health and safety 
performance (such as a reduction in specifi c accidents).
There are several different types of training, these 
include induction, job specifi c, supervisory and manage-
ment, and specialist. Informal sessions held at the place 
of work are known as ‘toolbox talks’. Such sessions 
should only be used to cover a limited number of 
issues. They can become a useful route for employee 
consultation.