Employer Benefits of NEBOSH Trained Staff

Why professional training could transform your workplace

Much is made of the benefits NEBOSH SHE Qualifications offer to employees and the individuals; however this is omitting the mutual – and substantial – employer benefits of NEBOSH trained staff within the workplace.

To help redress the balance a little, the following offers an overview of why professional training could transform your workplace and help to protect your staff.

NEBOSH

NEBOSH was established in 1979 and is now a globally recognised leader in qualifications for Health, Safety and Environmental Management.

They have course providers in over 132 countries who provide training for all levels of the workforce from level 2 up to Diploma level qualifications. For those who wish to go further still, they have collaborated with Universities for providing post-graduate Master of Science (MSc) qualifications.

Because of this worldwide network, NEBOSH has become one of the most respected and recognised awarding bodies and received “Approved Awarding Body” status from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) in 2009.

Qualifications for all business types

A NEBOSH qualification is often associated with Health and Safety, but the qualifications that are now included go further. Students can now study a variety of topics and specialise in specific areas such as:

• Construction.
• Fire.
• Health and Well-Being.
• Environment.
• Oil and Gas.
• Process safety (in collaboration with the HSE).

As the above summary list should demonstrate, there are effectively qualifications for all business types with broad applications.

Many of the qualifications are available as a National (UK based) or International qualification. This means that studying with NEBOSH can be versatile for students and businesses that are aiming to expand globally. The style and content of qualifications are updated regularly to reflect changes in practice and new developments.

Reasons to train employees to a NEBOSH standard

There are three main reasons to train employees to a NEBOSH standard. Following the ethos of the Health and Safety qualifications the key benefits are:

• Legal – It is a legal requirement to ensure that workers have the required knowledge, skills and experience to complete their day-to-day tasks safely and without risk to others and the environment. Through NEBOSH qualifications, workers will become aware of the organisational statutory requirements as well as the obligations for each employee.
• Moral – There is a duty of care that all employers owe to their workers and anyone who can be affected by their actions. By educating workers in areas such as risk management and control, employers demonstrate their commitment to working safely and with consideration to workers, the public and the environment.
• Economic – It makes good business sense. By using qualified and knowledgeable staff, it can improve recognition with suppliers, consumers and other industry members. This in turn will have a positive impact on the business. Through education, workers will be more aware of the risks and controls involved in their working environment and thus reduce the risk of accidents and incidents which can be costly to investigate and correct.

Competence

One of the key words in environmental, health, safety and management circles is “competence”.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the enforcing authority for Health and Safety in the UK, competence is the “combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge that a person has and their ability to apply them to perform a task safely“.

Dame Judith Hackett, former Chairperson for the HSE, is quoted as saying:

“The essence of competence is relevance to the workplace. What matters is that there is a proper focus on both the risks that occur most often and those with serious consequences.

Competence is the ability for every director, manager and worker to recognise the risks in operational activities and then apply the right measures to control and manage those risks“.

Staff development through NEBOSH qualifications can be for workers from the shop floor up to the leaders and senior management team. With the specialist qualifications as mentioned earlier, this can lead to improved knowledge, skills and management throughout an organisation.

Staff knowledge will not only look at the practical application of the information provided through NEBOSH courses, it will cover how changes and systems can be effectively implemented using the right techniques and management skills. For employees who are looking to progress through the organisation as a career path in health and safety, these integrated skills can only benefit and strengthen the organisation as a whole.

Increased safety in respect of processes, specialised areas, the environment and between workers is another benefit to providing NEBOSH training to staff.

With use of the same awarding body throughout the different areas, the training will be standardised, promoting synergy throughout the different departments and management levels of an organisation. This can be especially useful if an organisation wishes to become accredited for specific management systems such as ISO 9001 (quality assurance), ISO 45001 (Health and Safety) or ISO 14001 (environmental).

Rewards

Having focussed on the business benefits of providing NEBOSH training to staff, there are other softer, but essential elements that will be improved. These rewards will likely include:

• Happier staff – Staff who feel that their employer has invested in them feel valued. When staff feel that they are valued, they are likely to become more loyal, enthusiastic and happy in their work.
• Confident workers – Their increased knowledge and achievements will also boost their own self confidence and belief in themselves. Having a knowledgeable understanding of their tasks and the health, safety and environment around them will promote positive work ethics and a belief in what they are doing.
• Increased morale – The underpinning competence of workers together with the improved confidence will raise the workforce morale. A good morale will ensure a positive work ethic and outlook on the health, safety and environment in which the organisation operates.
• Commitment – Having been trained, encouraged to progress and feeling happy at work will encourage workers to feel more commitment to their job role along with organisational aims and objectives. Workers will become much more loyal when they feel that they are valued and that the organisation invests in them.

To sum up

To sum up; a NEBOSH training course is good for the organisation and the worker.

When considering the cost of the training, it should be balanced against the benefits that can be achieved by having a well-trained workforce with a globally renowned awarding body, not only for the organisation but for each individual worker.

Want to find out more about NEBOSH courses which can be studied online?

Find them HERE in the SHEilds e-Learning Library

Victoria Hughes

BSc(Hons.), DipNEBOSH, EnvDipNEBOSH, MCMI, CertIOSH

Student Support Tutor, SHEilds Ltd.