Health and Safety Courses

Health and Safety Courses

Admittedly, becoming one of those po-faced individuals with a clipboard who tries to stop people doing fun things like playing the with the office fire extinguisher, or seeing if they can balance a mug of hot coffee on their head, is not exactly a burning ambition for many of us. But health and safety is a vital issue in every workplace and a good responsibility to have on your CV. It is also a viable career path with the industry having grown in tandem with the reams of new legislation that are regularly rolled out in this area.

The advances made in this industry are represented by the fact that 2009 witnessed the lowest amount of workplace fatalities (43) in twenty years. Of course, every single death is one too many and the constant improvement of standards and vigilance is the overriding aim. A qualification in health and safety will enable you to contribute toward this worthy goal.

Whether your position as a manager (e.g. human resources, personnel, production) obliges you to be qualified in health and safety, or you simply want to get involved in your workplace safety committee, there are numerous courses catering for every requirement to choose from. It is worth remembering these days that every additional skill set you posses makes you more valuable to your employer.

Financially, the costs of workplace accidents are also significant. 2008 saw €31.4 being paid out in compensation to employees injured in a workplace accident. Employers and owner/managers of small or medium sized businesses in particular, should ensure that either they, or an employee in the organisation, are equipped with the latest health and safety skills and knowledge. The costs of not doing so – injury to a member of staff, financial compensation, damage to brand name, etc – are simply too high to ignore.

So what can you expect to learn? Typical introductory health and safety programmes tackle subjects such as meeting legislative requirements, identifying hazards and risk management, manual handling (i.e. lifting stuff), first aid, health promotion and fire prevention. Nightcourses.com also lists specialised programmes such as industry specific programmes in construction, healthcare and hotels and courses with a focus on health and safety law, as well as courses that will start you on your way to becoming a health and safety professional and distance learning programmes.

Indeed, there are so many part time health and safety courses that it is worth spending a bit of time perusing the options, rather than simply enrolling in the nearest course provider. Ask yourself what you are looking for, and speak to someone in the college to see if the course fits your aims. A particularly important question to bear in mind is whether the course content complies with the latest legislation.

So why not get involved in keeping your colleagues safe and furthering your career? Your nifty fluorescent jacket awaits!

Browse the latest health and safety courses on Nightcourses.com.