Health and Safety Awareness

What is Health and Safety Awareness Training?

This one-day Health and safety awareness (HSA) course is vital for construction workers. It is a practical course that explains the hazards and risks present on construction sites. It explains the individuals’ role in ensuring their safety and that of others while also providing an overview of environmental issues.

Who is the course for?

If you want to work on a construction site, all professional companies require you to have an industry site card to prove you understand the risks and how to work safely. It is also an alternative way to get the QCF Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment for the CSCS Labourer Card. The qualification is standard in the industry and recognised by Build UK.

How long is the course?

The course lasts for one day.

What will I learn?

The aim of the course is for course attendees to fully understand their health and safety responsibilities. The course is split into five modules:

• Module 1: Legal and management — including accident reporting.
• Module 2: Health and welfare — including learning about first aid procedures, personal protective equipment, manual handling, hazardous substances, noise and vibration, asbestos, and respiratory hazards.
• Module 3: General safety — including learning about safety signs, electrical safety, mobile plant machinery, lifting equipment and fire prevention.
• Module 4: High-risk activities — including understanding the dangers and using safe systems when working at height, in confined spaces, and excavating.
• Module 5: Environment — including understanding your role in reducing pollution, and nuisance, managing waste materials, and preventing environmental damage.

Course Requirements

There are no requirements for the course other than being over 18 years of age and having a competent level of English.

Assessments and Certification

The qualification is assessed by taking a 30-minute test at the end of the course. The test has 20 multiple-choice questions worth one mark and five short-answer questions worth two marks, with the pass mark being 25 out of 30.

Following the exam, the test papers are sent to the CITB (The Construction Industry Training Board) for official marking. The scores are then returned to the trainer and sent to the candidates within 5-7 working days.

All attendees are provided with a copy of the GE707 Construction health and safety awareness booklet, which is theirs to keep for future reference.

Retakes

Exam retakes are possible. If the candidate scores from 19 to 24, they may retake the exam on the same day or within 90 days. However, a score of 18 or lower will mean you have to re-sit the full course. You may retake the test once free of charge.