Health and SafetyTraining
Empowering Safe Practices Through Expert Training
Handsam’s health and safety training empowers school staff at every level to create safer learning environments. Covering essential responsibilities with clear, practical guidance, our expert-led courses build confidence, support compliance, and promote a proactive approach to safety across the whole school community.
Recording and Reporting Accidents
Course delivery: eTraining
Course duration: 25-30 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: This course covers what your legal duties are in reporting and keeping records about accidents, incidents and near misses of staff, pupils and visitors. The course is suitable for all staff who will be involved in any aspect of this process. The module covers all aspects of the law in terms of both RIDDOR reportable and non- RIDDOR accidents and near misses, with practical and clearly detailed examples.
Key topics covered:
- What is an accident? / What is a near miss?
- What is a dangerous occurrence? / What is an occupational disease?
- What records must we keep and how?
- How do I analyse records?
- What is RIDDOR and what must be reported to the HSE?
- When must I report to the HSE? / How do I report to the HSE?
- What counts as a ‘work-related’ accident in an educational setting?
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Accident Investigation Training
​Course delivery: Instructor led
Course duration: 1/2 day
Number of delegates: Up to 20
About this course: This course is suitable for anyone who may need to investigate an accident and any senior staff who will have duties in law under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Key topics covered:
- Why we should Investigate Accidents
- Which Accidents or Incidents should we Investigate?
- How to Decide what Level of Investigation is Appropriate
- Selecting an Investigator
- What to Look For
- Conclusions: Causes and Root Causes
- How to Record
- Control Measures
- You are the Judge
- Useful Documents
- Question and Answer Session
Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
Course delivery: eTraining
Course duration: 15 - 20 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: This course helps all members of staff who work with computers learn how to set up their own workstation so that they do not suffer detrimental health effects.
Key topics covered: -
- Ergonomic assessment of chair and workstation
- Posture, neck, back, arm and wrist safety
- Mouse and keyboard safety
- Working with screens
- Importance of taking screen breaks
- Alternative work equipment
Higher Duty of Care Training
Course delivery: Instructor Led
Course duration: The course lasts 1/2 day (with a full-day option which covers specific topics at the client's request in fine detail)
Number of delegates: Up to 50
About this course: This course is suitable for trustees, governors, trust executives and all senior school/academy staff who have duties in law under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in educational establishments.
Key topics covered:
- Law and Guidance
- HSE ACOPS
- Liability, including Personal liability
- New and forthcoming legislation and recent case updates
- Organisation, Personnel and training
- Staff and student issues
- Managing Contractors and the CDM Regulations
- Risk Assessment and Management
- Safeguarding and Security
- First Aid and Medicines
- Fire and Premises Issues
- Curriculum Safety
- Transport
- School Trips
- Accident Reporting and Investigation
- Emergency Planning Cases
- You are the Judge! & practical examples including a Q and A
IOSH Managing Safely
Course delivery: Instructor led
Course duration: 2 days
Number of delegates: Up to 12
About this course: The IOSH Managing Safely Course is a formal, national qualification for managers and supervisors. It is designed to ensure managers understand the actions they need to take to handle health and safety in their organisation.
​ Managing Safely won’t turn delegates into safety experts but it will give them the knowledge and tools to tackle the health and safety issues they are responsible for. Importantly, it emphasises why health and safety is such an essential part of their job.
​ Handsam’s delivery of this two-day course is tailored specifically to the education sector.
Key topics covered:
- Introducing Managing Safely - some managers may see Health and Safety as an add-on to their roles. The first module makes it clear that managers are accountable for their teams, as well as making a persuasive case for managing safel.y
​ - Assessing risk - this module defines and demystifies the phrases ‘risk’, ‘hazard’ and ‘risk assessment’. Delegates also carry out a series of mock risk assessments.
​ - Controlling risks - this module covers how to reduce risks through the use of suitable and sufficient control measures.
​ - Understanding your responsibilities - this module looks at the demands of the law and how the legal system works. It also introduces the concept of a health and safety management system
​ - Identifying hazards - this includes physical & verbal abuse, stress, noise, slips, trips & falls, working at height, use of computers and manual handling.
​ - Investigating accidents and incidents - this session starts with why accidents should be investigated, why things go wrong, and how to carry out an investigation when they do.
​ - Measuring performance - this module explains how checking performance can help to improve health and safety
- Nationally recognised and respected certificated training for their managers​​
Lone Working
Course delivery: eTraining
Course duration: 40 - 45 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: This module covers how to identify lone working and the various circumstances in which it may occur in education. It explores the different risks generated by lone working and looks at how they can be managed and reduced.
Key topics covered: -
- Define what lone working is and the various circumstances in which it may occur in education
- Identify the different risks generated by lone working and look at how they can be managed and reduced
- Detail what employers must put in place to control the risks of lone working on their site
- Discuss the importance of staff behaviour in the context of lone working
Risk Assessment Training
Course delivery: Instructor Led
Course duration: 1/2 day
Number of delegates: Up to 20
About this course: This course is suitable for all staff who have to produce risk assessments or manage teams or departments in which risks display themselves, so risk measures need to be put in place. The course content can be tailored to suit the School /Trust.
Key topics covered:
- Law and Guidance
- HSE ACOPS
- What is a risk?
- What is a hazard?
- Risk Management Principles
- What is a risk assessment?
- Control measures and their hierarchy
- The format of risk assessments
- Dynamic Risk Assessments
- Competency and Training
- Curriculum Safety
- Premises Safety
- School Trips
- Cases - You are the judge!
- Practical examples for your school/Trust
- Q&A
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Working at Height
Course delivery: eLearning
Course duration: 15 - 20 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: All school staff are tempted to 'work at height'. Whether that be standing on a chair to open a window, on a desk to adjust a projector, or on a work surface to put up a display. ​ This module explains why failing to take working at height seriously could result in serious injury and how all staff can take simple steps in order to avoid this and work safely. ​ For those who need to know more details about using ladders, there is a full description of using ladders, stepladders and other suitable equipment.
Key topics covered: -
- What does working at height mean?
- Working at height legislation
- Working at height in schools
- Who should work at height?
- Why working at height is dangerous
- Avoiding working at height
- Common misconceptions
- Working with ladders - practical demonstration
Investigating Accidents
Course delivery: eTraining
Course duration: 35-40 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: Investigating accidents and near misses on site forms an important part of health and safety management. This module is applicable to any staff member tasked with elements of accident investigation and covers the right and wrong questions to ask, interviewing victims and witnesses, gathering evidence, identifying root causes and creating SMART action plans.​
Key topics covered:
- The legal duty to investigate
- When to investigate and in what depth
- Lessons to learn from investigations
- Selecting an appropriate investigator or investigating team
- Investigation procedure
- Analysing investigation findings
- Implementing a SMART action plan
Curriculum Contractors
Course delivery: eTraining
Course duration: 15 - 20 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: This course outlines everything you need to know about curriculum contractors for staff who manage or book non- employee staff to deliver activities that are non-construction based. It is most likely that your school already contracts multiple external experts who are not actually staff members, for example music tutors, minibus drivers and school nurses. The course provides information about the employment, management and ongoing evaluation of contracted staff like this.
Key topics covered: -
- Who contractors are
- How to select suitable contractors for your school
- The importance of DBS and other checks
- What information you should and should not provide to contractors
- What information contractors should supply to you before delivering their sessions
- The ongoing management of contractors
Health and Safety Induction for Staff
Course delivery: eTraining
Course duration: 25 - 30 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: Inducting staff in health and safety has never been so straightforward. Introduce them to the key points so that they can begin life in your school or Academy well-versed in a wide range of key topics in a way which allows you to measure their understanding through Handsam's E-Training Centre. Taking this course will the ensure that your staff need just a straightforward local orientation session in order to complete their induction process.
Key topics covered: -
- Responsibilities for health and safety in law
- Managing health and safety
- Loco parentis
- Risk assessment
- Display screen equipment (DSE)
- Manual handling
- COSHH / hazardous substances - Fire safety
- Asbestos
- First aid and medicines - Voice care, stress and pregnancy
- Working at height
ICT Safety
Course delivery: eTraining
Course duration: 15 - 20 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: This module is relevant to all members of staff as every staff member will need to know how about the safe use of electricity or electrical items, such sockets, power cables, extension cables, projectors and machinery.
Key topics covered: -
- Why ICT safety is important
- Using IT correctly
- Display screens, projectors, ICT suites etc
- Fixed wiring testing ad PAT testing regimes
- What to look for in an ageing piece of IT equipment that spells danger
- Associated dangers such as overfilling extension cables and working at height temptations
IOSH Working Safely
Course delivery: Instructor led
Course duration: 1 day
Number of delegates: Up to 12
About this course: ​ The IOSH Working Safely Course is a formal, national qualification designed for staff at any level who need a grounding in the basic essentials of health and safety.
​ The course focuses on why health and safety is important, and how individuals can make a real difference to their own wellbeing as well as their colleagues'. It also improves their awareness of health and safety and enables them to positively influence the behaviour of others within the school.​ Handsam’s delivery of this one-day course is tailored specifically to the education sector.
Key topics covered:
- The course is divided into four modules:
1. Introducing working safely
2. Defining hazard and risk
3. Identifying common hazards
4. Improving safety performance.
Manual Handling
Course delivery: eTraining
Course duration: 15 - 20 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: This module is for all staff as anyone may need to pick up or move heavy items such as books and photocopier paper or perform straightforward tasks such as setting out tables.
Key topics covered: -
- The safe lifting zone
- Recommended lifting weights for males and females
- Safe lifting techniques
- LITE
- Reducing the risk of injury
- Team lifts
- Risk assessing vulnerable people
Slips, Trips and Falls
Course delivery: eLearning
Course duration: 15 - 20 minutes
Number of delegates: 1+
About this course: Slips and trips are the most common cause of injuries in schools and lead to millions of staff and students days off per year, affecting student achievement. This module covers avoiding slips and trips, typical hazards in school to watch out for and ensures all staff are vigilant in eradicating problems before they occur.
Key topics covered:
- What are slips and trips?
- Impacts on staff, students and others
- Slip hazards and control measures
- Trip hazards and control measures
- Recent cases and outcomes
"Handsam have been a huge part of supporting our school to become excellent in health and safety“
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Louise - Headteacher