Safety Training Courses

Safety Training: Overview

Safety is the state of being "safe" the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be considered non–desirable. It is a requirement of any type of business to protect the health and safety and others affected by work. This can take the form of being protected from the event or from exposure to something that causes health or economical losses. It can include protection of people or of possessions.

There are many paths in Safety that you may be interested. Many of the popular title are; Health and Safety, 1st Aid, Accident Investigation, Fire Safety, Manual Handling, Waste Management and Etc.

Many of the above titles can be gained as additional qualification which will enhance your opportunities.

Expected Salary

Salary levels are influenced by professional experience and qualifications. Professionals with less than five years' experience earn approximately £18,000 – £24,500.

At senior level with approximately ten years' experience, the average is £36,000.

Salaries vary according to the sector you work in and companies are increasingly outsourcing their health and safety provision, so market forces are coming into play. A large industrial company can pay over £50,000, although consultants working for the same organisation may often be paid much less. Other benefits may include medical insurance, bonuses, and a company car.

Average Starting Salaries by Location:

£16,000 to £22,000 for jobs outside London;

£18,000 to £25,000 in London

£25,000 – 50,000+ once further experience and training has been acquired.

Training

Training is generally on the job with additional, short, in-house or external training courses which may be run by training departments, local colleges or universities, or health and safety consultants. The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) also run a comprehensive training programme to enable health and safety practitioners to enhance their professional competence and skills.

Most safety advisors are required to aim to become corporate members of IOSH as it is Europe's leading body representing individuals with a professional involvement in health and safety. Corporate membership is increasingly used by employers as a criterion for recruitment and remuneration, and is often specified in recruitment advertisements. In order to meet requirements for corporate membership, individuals should hold one of the following qualifications:

• An MSc or postgraduate diploma in occupational safety and health. Programmes leading to these qualifications last between one and two years, depending on the mode of attendance, and cover occupational health, industrial relations, management and law. The entry requirement is usually a good honours degree in a relevant discipline and courses can be studied full-time, part-time or by distance learning;
• An accredited degree or diploma in occupational safety and health or a related discipline
• A National Examination Board for Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH) diploma
• An NVQ level 4 in OSH Practice.

Furthermore two years of professional experience are required before it is possible to become a corporate member of IOSH. Graduates from a relevant discipline can join at non-corporate level while they accumulate the necessary experience to upgrade to full corporate status.

Many of the above mentioned courses and training are listed in our Safety Training Courses section.

Underoak lists many short courses to aid you in your career progression. These may be funded individually or through your company (please check the prices with the trainer, as sometimes they often offer a lower price for self funded training). To search these courses, simply type the relevant key words and click on 'request further information' to send your enquiry direct to the trainer.

Other soft skills may be useful, such as assertiveness or customer service, first aid and health and safety.

Related Careers

There are many areas in Safety Sector. Further career options include:

• 1st Aid
• Fire Safety
• Health and Safety
• Manual Handling
• Occupational Health
• Waste Management

Useful Links

British Red Cross

Health and Safety Executive

British Safety Council

Approved Health & Safety Training

Core Skills

Specific skills which you may develop from doing Safety Training Courses include:

• A high standard of written and spoken communication skills in order to explain health and safety processes to a wide range of people and to give presentations to groups.
• Negotiating skills, to convince managers of the need to implement and maintain safety standards that may compromise speed or efficiency in the organisation.
• Patience and diplomacy because the profession increasingly requires a collaborative approach
• The ability to understand and analyse complex information and present it simply and accurately
• Attention to detail.
• An interest in the law and the ability to understand regulations is required as is an investigative mind.
• Knowledge of computer applications is important for preparing reports and recording and analysing statistics, which is the basis for analysing trends.
• Physical fitness is sometimes essential, especially for working in large-scale plants or on outdoor sites.

Job Sites

Principal People

Health and Safety Recruitment

Average working hours per week

Job Description and Activities

Health and Safety

The Role

A health and safety adviser offers expert knowledge and skills in order to generate and promote a positive health and safety culture.his represents a key role in helping control occupational risk.

Based in a range of organisations from multinationals to small consultancies, advisers work in partnership with employers, employees, directors and trade unions.

They are responsible for ensuring that all safety legislation is adhered to and policies and practices are adopted, and help to plan, implement, monitor and review the protective and preventative measures that companies are required or choose to follow. They work to minimise operational losses, occupational health problems, accidents and injuries.

Work activities vary across the profession and depend on the employer or employment sector. However, tasks typically involve:

• Preparing health and safety strategies and developing internal policy
• Carrying out risk assessments and considering how risks could be reduced
• Outlining safe operational procedures which identify and take account of all relevant hazards
• Carrying out regular site inspections to check policies and procedures are being properly implemented
• Planning practical and effective methods, both preventative and remedial, of promoting health and safety and safe working practices
• Attending safety committee meetings
• Negotiating with managers and operators to try to eliminate conflict between production and safety considerations
• Making changes to working practices that are safe and comply with legislation
• Leading in-house training with managers and employees about health and safety issues and risks
• Keeping records of inspections findings and producing reports suggesting improvements
• Keeping records of incidents and accidents and producing statistics for managers
• Keeping up to date with new legislation
• Attending Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) seminars and reading professional journals
• Liaising with officials from the regulatory authorities to ensure the organisation is compliant with mandatory regulations
• Producing management reports, newsletters and bulletins
• Carrying out accident investigations on site and producing subsequent reports and recommendations
• Carrying out fire drills
• Ensuring the safe installation of equipment
• Managing hazardous substances and the disposal of chemicals, e.g. asbestos
• Advising on a range of specialist areas, e.g. fire regulations, hazardous substances, noise, safeguarding machinery and occupational diseases.

Salary:

£20,000 - £35,000 dependent upon sector and location

Experience:

Most of the work in this sector involves an appreciation of operational processes and also the use of instruments and electronic monitoring, especially of hazardous conditions. An accredited degree/HND in the following subjects will be beneficial.

• Occupational safety
• Life science
• Engineering
• Health studies

Although entry is possible for non-graduates, there is a move towards increasing the percentage of graduates in the profession. This will lead to Diplomats facing more competition from graduates when trying to secure employment.

Some experience of working in scientific and technical fields at an operational level and gaining an understanding of industrial processes would be extremely valuable. Using such experience to develop an interest in health and safety before moving into an advisory role is still a recommended route into the profession.

Career Development

In order to progress in this sector and achieve enhanced status and reward, you need to be willing to change employers. Internal moves within the profession account for less than a quarter of promotions. Higher positions in safety sector can be developed by moving into management at regional and group level. Some organisations also recruit at director level and such posts may attract salaries of £100,000. A Diploma in Management Studies or MBA as well as a safety training and qualification would be likely requirements for these posts.

You can also develop your career by moving to a larger organisation with more opportunities, by specialising in a particular industrial sector, e.g. nuclear safety, offshore oil and gas, or by gaining expertise in particular areas, such as hazardous substances, security or terrorism.

There are also opportunities in universities, colleges and training organisations for lecturing and research, e.g. in higher education as a lecturer for BSc and MSc courses, or in further education as a lecturer for NEBOSH and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) courses.

Some safety advisers become consultants specialising in supporting small organisations or giving specialist advice. There are also opportunities to work overseas.