A very knowledgeable tutor giving relevant examples to back up the key messages delivered. G.Hanglin - Apatura

CITB Director's Role for Health and Safety - Paul Simmonds

A very knowledgeable tutor. 

At SSG we want to make each of our courses as accessible as possible, and ensure we set the correct expectations for delegates looking to undertake a new course.We sat down with our Head of Services Delivery Adam Worth to discuss what NEBOSH courses are really like, from his perspective as a trainer.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h3 id="3adbf955-3d04-459d-b6d2-7c79fa56ef4a" data-toc-id="3adbf955-3d04-459d-b6d2-7c79fa56ef4a">How could a NEBOSH course benefit your career?&nbsp;</h3>NEBOSH is an internationally recognised organisation. It's well established, being founded in 1979 and providing a high standard of health and safety training and accreditation since then.That means people associate NEBOSH qualifications with these high standards; the qualifications are widely recognised and seen as a strong foundation for those in or moving into safety focused careers. Higher level qualifications such as the diploma can be essential to those looking to progress a health and safety focused career. Many employers will identify NEBOSH courses as a mark of continuous professional development.<h3 id="e5d735bc-c873-405f-a5f5-f75e741319d5" data-toc-id="e5d735bc-c873-405f-a5f5-f75e741319d5">In your experience, what's one thing that surprises people once they start a course?&nbsp;</h3>People are often shocked to realise health and safety isn't just about putting up signs and wearing a high vis jacket: it involves elements of law, culture, psychology and other human factors too. I find a lot of people's experiences of health and safety have been general inductions with a focus on rules, which is where people might switch off.What’s great about NEBOSH is it allows people to get a handle on health and safety culture. It's about people, systems, and processes - and continually reviewing these factors in a way that's good for your business.<h3 id="63c12b58-0a88-498e-9e0b-0c7abd364d0e" data-toc-id="63c12b58-0a88-498e-9e0b-0c7abd364d0e">What does NEBOSH mean for businesses and employers?&nbsp;</h3>The courses themselves offer a good grounding in applying occupational health and safety in a business sense. The diploma teaches you to understand business as well as safety, and how a strong health and safety culture mirrors strong business leadership and management.This may sound counterintuitive, but when people talk about what is the most important thing in their business, lots of people are inclined to say health and safety. It is fantastic when people say that, because that is key, but I think if people were completely objective they’d probably say the most important thing is running a good, effective business that makes profit and benefits the people around it. Or for a non-profit, they might say it’s about making sure you raise more funds than you spend.I think people fail to recognise health and safety is what helps businesses to achieve these things. An effective health and safety culture and an effective business model go hand in hand. NEBOSH courses are designed to enable businesses to be run efficiently and to achieve their goals, safely, with minimised disruption and with a clear structure.<h3 id="9499e982-3b3b-4e9a-bb00-b120ec29a6e4" data-toc-id="9499e982-3b3b-4e9a-bb00-b120ec29a6e4">How flexible is NEBOSH study for someone who works full time or who has other commitments?&nbsp;</h3>We try to be as flexible as possible. I would say our delivery methods certainly help - with hybrid delivery, delegates can attend the course both via the classroom or remotely. We're also growing our NEBOSH e-learning offerings, which will open barriers to entry as people can very much learn at their own pace.People obviously need to be able to dedicate enough time in their lives to enter and complete the courses. It can be tough, but the assessments do provide some flexibility. Open book exams for the certificate level courses are completed in a window between 24 and 48 hours for example. For the diploma course, this is two weeks for units DN2 and DN3 and four weeks for DN1, so there is a sense of flexibility there.<h3 id="cb8da38d-4243-4340-bd2a-e1da7acca085" data-toc-id="cb8da38d-4243-4340-bd2a-e1da7acca085">How do we support our delegates throughout their NEBOSH qualification? How are people encouraged to seek advice and support?&nbsp;</h3>We make sure we've got tutor contact and tutor support so that students feel they've got the means to ask for help. Particularly at diploma level, we do regular check-ins individually with delegates to see how they're doing, and tailor support accordingly. We also try and use formative assessment techniques to judge how delegates are doing and identify if we need to step in and provide support.We actively encourage this environment where people can admit if they need support, because we know how hard it can be to stand up and say you need help.<h3 id="23d682fd-45c6-4c99-98ed-34e8020e87ef" data-toc-id="23d682fd-45c6-4c99-98ed-34e8020e87ef">Why should people undertake NEBOSH courses?</h3>NEBOSH opens so many doors for individuals and for the businesses they work with, all for good reason. The courses are widely respected because they do require that commitment and effort. We don't want people entering it naively, because it is a commitment and the courses can be a challenge. That's why we do what we can to provide support – screening our diploma applicants for example and having these conversations before the person has even gotten into the classroom. We work hard to ensure our students are supported, and we can overcome many of these challenges.Our goal is to make sure people can get the qualifications they need to open doors for themselves and for their organisations, and that they feel supported in doing so.

At SSG we want to make each of our courses as accessible as possible, and ensure we set the correct expectations for delegates looking to undertake a new course. We sat down with our Head of Services Delivery Adam Worth to discuss what NEBOSH courses are really like, from his perspective as a traine

NEBOSH courses: A Trainer’s Perspective  

We’re excited to announce we have recently launched the NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety course. This globally recognised qualification is a pivotal stepping stone for anyone looking to step into the world of health and safety, with people worldwide already benefiting from its value.Whether you're just starting out in health and safety or looking to strengthen your professional credentials, this NEBOSH International General Certificate provides a comprehensive understanding of key workplace health and safety issues. Its flexibility makes it applicable across a wide range of sectors, meaning you can apply the knowledge learnt within any industry.<h3 id="a956ed65-80a5-407d-a854-6f73c0dc5d0d" data-toc-id="a956ed65-80a5-407d-a854-6f73c0dc5d0d">Why choose SSG?</h3>When you choose SSG, you’re not just getting a qualification, you’re gaining access to top-tier training, comprehensive support and direct communication with expert tutors and fellow learners, all ensuring your success. We’re here to help you achieve your health and safety goals - however you choose to learn.<h3 id="cebabf41-e15a-429e-8a60-122cf2036345" data-toc-id="cebabf41-e15a-429e-8a60-122cf2036345">Course options</h3>The course is currently available as a private booking, offering a cost-effective training solution for teams, departments and groups wishing to train together.If you are interested in attending an open course, please complete <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=Hi-XsOuLb0yncRGhOxnSX1zFnYnUGIZAvCMSt4bTqTlUNlpJRUMxOU5aTkpTSkZINFk3TURHSTVZRC4u">this form</a> or contact one of our team on 01752 201616.We also offer a wide variety of other NEBOSH courses to suit different levels and areas of expertise. Explore our options and take the next step in your health and safety journey with SSG.

We’re excited to announce we have recently launched the NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety course.

SSG have gone international with NEBOSH!

In the UK the cost of poor mental health is estimated to be a staggering £42 to £45 billion each year. Sickness absence, reduced productivity and staff turnover are all contributory factors. Whereas good mental health can play an essential role in the wider success, happiness and productivity of a workforce.Striving to build good mental health amongst the whole workforce clearly needs to be an ongoing focus for employers. A central step to this is mental health awareness training that reduces the stigma linked to poor mental health and empowers employees with the knowledge to build resilience and proactively prevent mental ill health from occurring at all.Here at SSG we run multiple options to assist organisations put in place the skills and methods for supporting employees with poor mental health, such as Mental Health First Aiders, Mental Health Aware, MHFA Champions, MHFAider® Refresher and Mental Health Overview.Employers also have the option to facilitate their own awareness sessions which can be developed around SSG toolbox talks such Mental Health at Work, Mental Health Culture and Stress and Anxiety Guidance.Here is a quick guide to the content to include when running an extended toolbox talk or team awareness session on mental health.<ul><li>Consider the primary mental health challenges for employees</li><li>Share knowledge around the most common mental health conditions experienced by employees in the UK namely anxiety, depression, stress and burnout.</li><li>How to spot the signs in yourself and colleagues</li><li>Consider the signs of anxiety, depression, stress and burnout to prevent the situation deteriorating.</li><li>Discuss ways to prevent mental health deteriorating.</li><li>Encourage employees and managers to have early discussions on the signs and agree steps together to prevent deterioration.</li></ul><h3 id="1d296e4e-703f-4935-ba44-a3dd48b9f75f" data-toc-id="1d296e4e-703f-4935-ba44-a3dd48b9f75f">Factors that impact on mental health</h3><ul><li>Talk through the internal and external factors that can negatively affect mental health such as managing workloads, work life balance, personal situations and workplace culture.</li><li>Talk through what steps individuals can take to maintain their wellbeing.</li></ul><h3 id="577b9776-1150-4d2d-a72f-dfdc56a0724f" data-toc-id="577b9776-1150-4d2d-a72f-dfdc56a0724f">Having positive conversations</h3><ul><li>Promote a positive culture where mental health can be openly discussed.</li><li>Discuss how the stigma of mental health can be reduced.</li><li>Remind employees that it is ok to talk about their individual challenges and difficulties if they feel like they can and want to.</li><li>Make everyone aware that we each have different experiences and no two individuals will feel the same way when dealing with the same situation, issue or challenge in our lives.</li><li>Discuss the importance of self-care and building time into individual routines to achieve this.</li></ul><h3 id="eacb5e7e-b726-4263-9d01-2ae21a839ce4" data-toc-id="eacb5e7e-b726-4263-9d01-2ae21a839ce4">Signposting</h3><ul><li>Remind employees of the mental health resources and support services available to them in your organisation (e.g. Mental Health First Aiders if applicable).</li><li>Provide details of your Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) if you have one.</li><li>Share details of local charities and national support services. Examples include:<ul><li>Talk Works Devon (NHS counselling self-referral service) - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://www.talkworks.dpt.nhs.uk/">TALKWORKS | Devon's NHS Talking Therapies Service</a></li><li>Andy’s Man Club - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://andysmanclub.co.uk/">ANDYSMANCLUB - It's Okay To Talk</a></li><li>Man Down - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://www.mandownprogramme.com/">HOME | Man Down Programme</a></li><li>Lighthouse (for workers in the construction sector) - <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="link" href="https://lighthousecharity.com/support/self-referral">I need help for myself | Lighthouse</a></li></ul></li></ul>

In the UK the cost of poor mental health is estimated to be a staggering £42 to £45 billion each year. 