As one of Ireland's premier suppliers of quality health and safety courses, our expert instructors often field questions on the importance of safety training. While the importance of maintaining health and keeping employees safe as they work may seem self-evident, there are still questions surrounding the training. It's no surprise that employers are curious. This, of course, what to protect their team while also ensuring they are getting the best training possible. We have compiled some general health and safety training questions in this article and added detailed answers.
In Ireland, what is health and safety training?
In Ireland, health and safety training is a type of education provided to employees to help them understand the importance of workplace safety, identify potential hazards, and learn how to prevent accidents and injuries.
Health and safety training aims to ensure that employees have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to perform their work safely and comply with relevant health and safety legislation.
The type of health and safety training required may vary depending on the industry and the specific risks associated with the workplace. Some common examples of health and safety training that we offer include:
Appointed Person (Lifting Operations)
Crane Awareness Programme
Slinger Signaller Training
Advanced Slinger Signaller Training
Appointed Person - Lifting Operations Refresher
Employers are obligated to provide health and safety training to their employees, and employees are responsible for attending and actively participating in the training.
Why is health and safety training important?
Health and safety training is essential for several reasons, including:
Preventing accidents and injuries: Health and safety training helps employees identify potential hazards in the workplace and teaches them how to take steps to avoid accidents and injuries. By understanding the risks and how to control them, employees are better equipped to work safely and avoid accidents.
Complying with legal requirements: Employers must provide their employees a safe and healthy workplace. Health and safety training is key to meeting these obligations and complying with relevant legislation.
Increasing productivity: By reducing the number of accidents and injuries in the workplace, health and safety training can help to minimise downtime and increase productivity.
Improving employee morale: When employees feel safe and supported in their workplace, they are more likely to be satisfied and engaged in their work.
Demonstrating commitment to safety: Providing health and safety training reflects an employer's commitment to creating a safe and healthy workplace. This helps build trust and improve relationships with employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
Overall, health and safety training is vital for creating a culture of safety in the workplace, protecting employees from harm, and ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
How often should health and safety training be refreshed?
The frequency with which health and safety training should be refreshed or updated will depend on several factors, including the nature of the work being done, the risks associated with the job, and any changes to relevant legislation or best practices.
In general, it is recommended that health and safety training be refreshed periodically to ensure that employees have up-to-date knowledge and skills. Some standard intervals for refreshing health and safety training include:
Annually: Some types of training, such as fire safety or first aid, may need to be refreshed annually to ensure that employees are familiar with procedures and have up-to-date knowledge.
Bi-annually: Some training, such as manual handling or chemical safety, may need to be refreshed every two years to ensure that employees are using safe techniques and are up-to-date with changes to legislation or best practices.
When changes occur,: Health and safety training should be refreshed whenever there are changes to the workplace, work processes, equipment, or legislation that could impact the safety of employees.
It is also important to note that some health and safety training types may require more frequent refreshers or updates. For example, employees who work at heights may need more frequent training to ensure that they are up-to-date with best practices and safety requirements.
We offer many refresher training courses.
If you have any more health and safety training questions, please see our courses page or contact our offices today.