We are getting a lot of phone calls from people who need to be trained asap due to them not realising that their qualifications were going to expire. What we are going to look at are the most common courses we deliver and their validation.
3 Day First Aid at Work and Emergency First Aid at Work
Both the 1 day and 3 day courses are valid for 3 years from passing the course. The HSE no longer approve first aid courses but they still make recommendations towards workplace first aid provisions. The first thing the HSE recommend is that you have refresher training every year to maintain your skill set and to update you of any changes in legislation. The HSE recommend that your refresher training is carried out before the qualification expires. If you allow your qualification to expire you are not deemed competent to act as a first aider in the workplace, however as long as you do not go over 28 days of the expiry date then you are able to take part in a refresher training session which last for 2 days and comprises of the same content as a 3 day course.
Example:
Course passed 1/3/10 Qualification expires 1/3/14 refresher training can be taken up to 29/3/14
Paediatric First Aid
Paediatric first aid certificates are valid for 3 years on completion of the course. It is again recommended that you take yearly refresher training to ensure you do not suffer skill fade. You should carry out refresher training before your current certificate expires. Failing to have an in date certificate could mean you are failing to meet the standards laid down by OFSTED, EYFS and your business insurance. A refresher training course is a 2 day paediatric training course which is a repeat of your initial training.
ADR Certification
To carry dangerous goods you must have a valid ADR certificate, this certificate is valid for 5 years. Should your certificate expire you will no longer be able to drive a vehicle carrying dangerous goods. You must ensure that your refresher course does not take place any later than 4 weeks before the expiry date.
Forklift Operator
When a person passes a forklift course they are issued with a training certificate. If they pass an RTITB accredited course they will be placed on the National Operators Registration Scheme. This is a register of trained operators, ITSSAR should have a similar scheme in place later this year. An operator will be removed from this scheme if they fail to carry out refresher training within a 3 year period. The L117 states that refresher training may need to be carried out if an operator:
Has not used trucks for some time;
Is an occasional user;
Appears to have developed unsafe working practices;
Has had an accident or near miss;
Changed their working practices or environment
To be accepted on to a refresher course you must produce a certificate to be able to attend the 1 day taining course. Not having the certificate could mean having to attend a 3 day training course.
RTITB / ITSSAR Instructor Course
Both of these instructor qualifications require refresher training after 5 years. If you are an RTITB instructor and you allow your qualification to expire then you can not train any further until you have sat a 3 – 5 day refresher training course. ITSSAR will normally allow up to a 6 month period for instructors to continue training so they can get themslves on to an ITSSAR refresher course.
Management CPC
As the manager of a fleet of vehicles you have had to pass a management cpc training course. There is no refresher date for this qualification. There is a strong rumour that a 5 yearly refresher will have to be undertaken to maintain your ‘O’ licence. As it is now the traffic commissioner can insist that you attend a compliance course. We would recommend that you do not wait for this to happen and undertake a training course to stop yourself going in front of the traffic commissoner.
Summary
We would strongly recommend that you check yours and your staff’s training records to ensure you do not get caught out. We have only looked at a small section of the courses that we deliver and we understand that keeping track of your staff’s training needs can be a hard task. If you are unsure what training you and your staff requires then please call 01733 237115 or email info@altta.co.uk if needs be one of our highly trained instructors can visit your site to help advise what training is required.
Thank you for taking the time to read this blog.
Colin
