New training venue in Manchester

We have a new training venue at the offices of our sister company, ISOQAR, in Manchester and will be holding our COSHH assessor training course there in October and November.

We already run successful COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) assessor training courses at our other venues in Milton Keynes, Belfast and Dunfermline.

The two-day course is being held on 4/5 October and 8/9 November, and is designed to provide delegates with an introduction to COSHH, as well as equipping them with the knowledge needed to identify hazards, control risk and implement a management system within their own workplace.

It is aimed at health and safety managers, advisers, occupational health advisers, safety representatives and risk assessors.

Linda Williams, Head of Academy, said: “By making this course available in other parts of the country, we are helping ensure that more workplaces than ever before are able to provide a safe environment for their employees.”

For further information and booking go to the COSHH assessor course on our website.

New e-learning courses

We are pleased to announce the launch of our range of health and safety e-learning training courses – a powerful and efficient way of training your staff in the essentials of health and safety.

It can help your business achieve compliance by providing training 24/7 through the internet, enabling your staff to access their courses from any location at any time.

We have a wide range of courses which all include a test and a personalised certificate. The system also includes online employee risk assessment for subjects such as DSE or Driving.

There is a powerful management system behind the software enabling you to run reports, resolve outstanding risk, show risk trend analysis and maintain a complete audit trail of training.

Courses available are:

· Driving safely
· DSE (Display Screen Equipment)
· Electrical safety
· Fire safety
· Hazardous substances (COSHH)
· Health and safety for managers
· Health and safety induction
· Manual handling
· New and expectant mothers
· Risk assessment for managers
· Slips, trips and falls

All courses are fully editable by you so that you can tailor courses to suit your business policies and procedures.

Get more information on the health and safety e-learning page of our website.

NEBOSH course dates set for Belfast

Dates for the NEBOSH National General Certificate have now been set for the 7 September to 9 December course in Belfast. This is a 13 day release course, with dates being as follows:

Weds 7 Sept
Weds 14 Sept
Weds 21 Sept
Weds 5 Oct
Thurs 6 Oct
Weds 12 Oct
Weds 19 Oct
Weds 16 Nov
Thurs 17 Nov
Weds 23 Nov
Weds 30 Nov

5 Dec Practical and Revision
9 Dec Exam

For more details and booking go to http://www.sypol.com/academy/health-safety-training/nebosh-national-general-certificate/

2011 course dates now available

Check out our website for details of our 2011 courses, including COSHH training, DSE, Accident Investigation, Asbestos, CDM, EMS, IOSH Managing Safely, Manual Handling, NEBOSH and Risk Assessment.

All of our courses can be run inhouse, contact us for a quote.

www.sypol.com

Meet the Academy Tutor Team!

Over the coming weeks we will be introducing our Academy trainers to you. First off the blocks is Stuart Mutch who, with over 30 years in the field of health and safety, is well versed in delivering bespoke consultancy and training. We asked Stuart a series of questions to find out what lies behind his self-motivated and pragmatic style.......he said:

When not training I am most likely to be found.....banging out 60’s and 70’s music in social clubs up and down the country and have been doing for more years than I care to remember. Over the years have rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names of that era including: The Move, The Fortunes, Sailor, Wayne Fontana and Status Quo. When I’m not doing music you may see me pushing a lawn mower.

If I hadn’t become a tutor I would have had a career.....as a professional rock star or at least part of a well known group.

The most challenging delegate I have ever taught said to me......(after the session) "I didn’t really want to be here, my gaffer sent me, but you made it so easy on the ear and so very interesting, thanks a lot.”

At another course a supervisor from a well known edge of town retailer arrived on a manual handling course wearing open toe sandals and no socks. When I invited the delegates to write what they liked to be called on their name-cards, he wrote “Boutros Boutros-Ghali” who was the erstwhile Secretary General of United Nations. In addition, for the first half hour, he sat with his legs crossed, arms folded looking down at the desk (among the best body language signs of disinterest ). That was his little way of telling me he didn’t want to be there. Using my skills and experience he came round and went on to enjoy his inclusion and passed the exam at the end.

My ideal training location/venue would be.... delivering training on the peak of Scafell Pike overlooking the most beautiful mountain range in Europe. I used to be an Outward Bound Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor in my mis-spent youth at Eskdale, and know of over 50 peaks in excess of 2,000 feet each which is something you won’t find in the tourist guide. There may some difficulty getting electricity for the PowerPoint unless I could plug into a nearby currant bush!

The most bizarre health and safety myth I have heard is.... we all have heard so many including “It’s all common sense”, “I’m insured anyway”, “It doesn’t make me profit so why should I bother”. The most memorable myth was socially, when I was introduced to the MD of a company employing 300 people when he raised health and safety as a talking point and exclaimed “I ain’t that bothered because the Government tell us the prisons are all full anyway."

I keep delegates engaged by....a good balance of knowledge and skills tempered with some humour. Health and safety can be very dry but using my entertaining skills and memorable anecdotes I bring it alive. I always make a point of reading every feedback form to make sure I keep my own standards up to scratch.

In five years time I want to be....firstly alive and still bashing out my music, probably creeping into the 80’s by then. In addition I have a great deal of knowledge and experience which I will always be pleased to pass on to other people if it improves their existence.

Meet Stuart and other members of our Academy tutor team by registering for one of our courses, or by calling Linda Williams, Head of Academy, to discuss your in-house training requirement. Call on 01296 415715 or click www.sypol.com/academy

NEBOSH Course offer

With our short lived participation in the World Cup, our offer of £10 for every England goal scored will not have been the most inviting offer to have landed on your desk this summer!

However, our generosity knows no bounds so join us in September or November and benefit from a 20% discount – just quote code SYP43 when booking to reduce the cost of your NEBOSH course to £1400 (+ VAT).

Dates for our September and November courses are:

· 13th September to 24th September
· 15th November to 26th November

We run the NEBOSH NGC in two one-week blocks so you can split the NGC1 and NGC2 to fit in with your existing commitments. The NGC3 practical application will then be undertaken in your own workplace.

Further details on dates and course structure can be found on our website: www.sypol.com/course-neboshcertificate.htm or by calling 01296 415715.

On the move...and the heat is on

We’re embarking on an internal office move and true to form, being a health and safety consultancy, the necessary work has been undertaken beforehand to ensure that the internal move around is completed safely.

So, the budget has been agreed, we’ve nominated a ‘move champion’, the office fit-out company has been appointed (subject to rigorous checks on their method statements of course) but who could have accounted for the weather!

Fact: It’s day two of the move and its already hotting up in here.
Fact: Not having the luxury of a climate-controlled environment means the annual argument has begun as to whether the windows are opened or the air conditioning switched on.
Fact: If one person is hot, you can bet the person at the next desk is cold!
Fact: There is no upper temperature limit. Regulation 7 of the Workplace (HSW) Regs quotes ‘During working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable’ but remember application of the regulation depends on the nature of the workplace.
Fact: There are some reasonable low cost remedies
· Either keep the windows open or have the aircon operating, but not both!
· Provide fans to circulate the air
· Ensure there are supplies of cold drinks available
· Keep copiers, fax machines etc on standby or switched off if possible to reduce heat build up
· Ice lollies help too!
· Close the window blinds if they are installed
· Or if you have good natural daylight then turn off the lights
· Relax the dress code if appropriate but, gents, sandals and socks are never going to catch on

So, if you can’t stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen, sorry workplace and join us on a health and safety course (we can promise a cool environment). Give me, Linda Williams, a call on 01296 415715 or visit www.sypol.com/academy for course information.

Rolling out the barrel at Bushmills

In 2008 Bushmills toasted 400 years of local distilling heritage with a special, limited edition Irish whiskey, Bushmills 1608. Given the latest results from the recent NEBOSH NGC course then I’m rather hoping they’ve also broken out the champagne.

The good news has rolled in from our tutor team confirming that the NEBOSH NGC course delivered for Bushmills has delivered a 100% pass rate.

Now, I’ve had the pleasure of advising delegates of their exam results but it was a first for me to deliver the news to someone who was, quite literally, on the golf course in Spain. Suffice to say he headed straight for the 19th to celebrate his success.

My congratulations go to everyone on the course and also to John Morgan, our course tutor and, in addition, the tutor team of Lawrence and Chris, who have been achieving similar results elsewhere. It all proves, yet again, that our innovative and interactive approach to learning delivers results.

Football fever

We’ll be getting into the spirit of the World Cup over the summer and we’re offering you an opportunity to save money if you register for our NEBOSH NGC in September. For every goal England score during the tournament, we’ll knock £10 off your course fee.

If you want to sign up or need further information, then give the Academy team a call on 01296 415715 or click www.sypol.com/academy See our website for more details

Landscaping a future with distinction!

If you don’t know your Bellis Perennis from your Betula Pendula, then our candidates from The Royal Botanic Gardens are the experts to ask. From identifying threatened species and regions, to assisting global conservation programmes, the staff at Kew are making an enormous contribution to increasing our understanding of the delicate plant kingdom.

I was delighted to receive news this week that with 4 distinctions, 7 credits and 1 pass, the candidates from Kew and Wakehurst Place are the latest to join the roll of honour on our NEBOSH NGC programme.



Now, alongside their horticultural and botanical knowledge, sits their understanding of the main legal requirements for health, safety and risk management, an appreciation of workplace hazards they may encounter and their methods of control.


If your darling buds of May need to expand their knowledge of all things occupational health and safety related, then give the Academy team a call on 01296 415715 or visit www.sypol.com/academy.