Construction sites are extremely dangerous places and it’s important that workers are fully trained. If you have responsibility for sites, what qualifications do you need to cover? Here we look at the best courses for health and safety within the construction industry.
Health and safety is an important feature of the construction industry and it’s vitally important that all workers on your sites are fully trained. In 2011/12, 49 construction workers were killed as a result of accidents on sites and a further 2,884 suffered major injuries. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be cracking down on sites that don’t implement training policies.
The NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety is specifically targeted at workers within the industry. It teaches trainees how to manage risks effectively, as well as the basic health and safety policies and legislation. There are also elements of planning, measuring and reviewing health and safety procedures.
For those who have already completed this unit, there is the NEBOSH National General Certificate to Construction Certificate Conversion. This is aimed at managers, supervisors, designers and CDM co-ordinators who have responsibility for health and safety. It covers the type of hazards you might find on a site and how to manage them. Specific topics include appropriate laws and legislation, the risks and management of vehicles, work equipment, electrical and fire safety, chemical and biological hazards and working at height.
Both of these courses are part of the key competences in the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007.
There are a range of Construction Skills Site Safety Plus Courses which are targeted at those with health and safety responsibilities:
– Site Management Safety Training Scheme
– Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme
Within the training courses they’ll cover what their roles are, how to conduct risk assessments and potential hazards on site. The certificates are valid for five years, but it’s recommended that workers take a fresher course within three years.
The IOSH Managing Safely in Construction course gives a good grounding in general health and safety, as well as more industry specific guidance. It covers the risks and issues those workers need to be aware of and how to control them. The course looks at a range of areas, including relevant legislation, risk assessments, fire prevention, on site health and safety and environmental management.
Workers who carry out specific tasks or are looking to specialise in a certain area can attend different training courses depending on their requirements. Across the industry training can include:
– Working at height
– Vehicle and plant banksman
– Vehicle marshaller
– Mobile tower and ladder
Working within such a dangerous industry means that employees have to take additional precautions to maintain their safety. In order to cover your responsibilities as an employer, you need to ensure that all your site workers are fully up to date with their training. The HSE can impose significant penalties on sites that do not comply with the regulations.
AUTHOR BIO: Diyana Edwards writes regularly on health and safety for a range of construction websites and blogs. Se works extensively with training providers to keep up to date with the latest developments, including how the National General Certificate to Construction Certificate Conversion benefits workers.