Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in the Workplace Course

The Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in the workplace course is designed to provide employees and contractors with appropriate induction or refresher training, necessary to maintain a safe working environment within any organisation. This includes an understanding of legal responsibilities, accident prevention and an overview of some of the key areas of workplace health and safety.

Health and Safety law, states that employees and contractors of all industries should possess a basic knowledge of health and safety to ensure that workplace risks are recognised and managed effectively.

The estimated duration of the Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in the workplace course is 3.5 hours. Candidates may log in and out of the system and therefore do not need to complete the course in a single sitting. Learner course progress is automatically saved, so that they may return to the course whenever they wish and as a result course completion is entirely in the hands of the learner.

Learners receive 90 days of access to the Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in the workplace course materials from the date of registration, therefore the course can be completed straightaway or at one’s leisure.  Learners receive individual login details and can access the course using any device, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  This provides learners with the flexibility to train on the go, whenever and wherever they wish and as a result provides a more economical training option for businesses small and large.

Everyone in the workplace, no matter the industry, is required to take sufficient and appropriate health and safety training. The Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in the workplace course is suitable for workers of all abilities and is intended as a ‘foundation’ level course, designed to maintain learners’ health and safety knowledge.

The Level 1 Health and Safety in the Workplace course is recommended for new employees who have never undertaken training in health and safety before and is also ideal as an induction programme.

The Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in the workplace course consists of 5 core units, concluded by a final exam:

By the end of the Level 2 Award in Health and Safety in the workplace course, learners should.

• State the consequences of poor health and safety standards and the benefits of good standards.
• Give common types and causes of work-related accidents and ill health.
• Give examples of occupational, environmental and human factors that can affect health and safety.
• Understand the importance of risk assessment in maintaining a healthy safe environment.
• Outline the legal responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, 1974, of employers, employees and the self-employed.
• Give examples of specific safety issues covered by regulations including risk assessments, competent persons, and employee consultation.
• Briefly describes how the law is enforced, the enforcement agencies and the powers and actions available to their officers.
• State the possible consequences of non-compliance
• State the types of health hazards concerning the occupations with which they are commonly associated.
• Understand that health hazards should be risk assessed and give examples of effective control measures.
• Describe the roles of specific occupational health specialists and understand that specialised risk assessments may be required in certain circumstances.
• Appreciate the need to follow procedures and instructions, and report early signs of possible problems.
• Define the term ‘accident’ and state the reasons why accidents are recorded and the legal requirements for
  accident reporting.
• Describe the factors that contribute to slips, trips and falls in the workplace and methods to prevent them.
• Give examples of methods for improving electrical safety including portable appliance testing and visual inspection.
• State the key aspects of dealing with an electric shock.
• Describe common causes of fire and give examples of preventative measures.
• State the action to be taken in case of fire, including evacuation procedures and the safe use of extinguishers.
• Outline the welfare facilities, drinking water and rest facilities.
• State how smoking, alcohol and drugs can affect the health, safety and welfare of those at work and how
  risks can be minimised.
• State the main effects of stress and give examples of how it can be reduced.
• State that incidents of violence, harassment and bullying must be reported and give examples of how
  the likelihood can be reduced.
• Explain the requirement for first aid provision including an understanding of the role of an ‘appointed person’ and a ‘first aider’.