Overview
Health and safety at the level a supervisor is judged by
When you supervise people, health and safety stops being a set of rules someone else wrote and becomes part of your job. The law expects you to understand the duties your employer holds, turn them into safe working on the ground, and answer for the way your team works when something goes wrong. This Level 3 course gives you that depth. It goes well beyond the awareness training a new starter takes and into the thinking a supervisor needs, so you can assess a risk properly, choose the right control, and put a stop to unsafe work before it hurts someone.
You will cover the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, how to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, the common hazards on most sites and how to control them, hazardous substances and the working environment, safety culture and how to talk to people about it, accidents and emergencies including RIDDOR and investigation, safe systems of work and permits, and how to monitor and review what you have put in place. The focus stays practical throughout. You are learning how to run a safe shift and how to show an inspector you have it under control.
The course is fully online and self paced. Most learners complete it across several sessions in around 6 to 8 hours, and you keep access for twelve months from enrolment. Pass the closing assessment and your CPD certified certificate is generated straight away, dated and named, ready to download and print. If your team also needs the basics, our entry level Health and Safety course covers them.
What you’ll learn
What you’ll be able to do
By the end of this course you will be able to:
Explain the supervisor’s duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management Regulations.
Carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment using the five steps and record it properly.
Apply the hierarchy of control and choose the most effective measure, not just the easiest one.
Recognise and control the common workplace hazards, from slips and manual handling to work at height.
Manage hazardous substances under COSHH and the working environment your team spends the day in.
Lead a positive safety culture, run a useful toolbox talk and correct unsafe behaviour well.
Handle accidents and emergencies, meet RIDDOR reporting duties and investigate to find the real cause.
Build safe systems of work, use permits where needed and monitor and review what you have put in place.
Course content
Eight modules to work through
Each module builds on the last and ends with the material you need for the final assessment. Work at your own pace and return to any module during your twelve month access window.
1The Supervisor’s Role and Health and Safety LawYour legal duties, the people who enforce them and where you fit in.⌄
- The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the general duties it creates
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and risk assessment as a duty
- The HSE and local authorities as enforcers, and improvement and prohibition notices
- Employer and employee duties, and what “so far as is reasonably practicable” means
- Corporate manslaughter and the supervisor as the person who makes the law real day to day
2Risk AssessmentThe five steps, the hierarchy of control and what suitable and sufficient means.⌄
- The difference between a hazard and a risk, in plain terms
- The five steps of risk assessment from identifying hazards to reviewing the assessment
- What makes a risk assessment suitable and sufficient rather than a tick box
- The hierarchy of control from eliminate down to PPE as the last resort
- Assessing risk for young persons and new or expectant mothers
3Common Workplace Hazards and Their ControlThe hazards on most sites and the practical controls a supervisor applies.⌄
- Slips, trips and falls, the most common cause of major injury at work
- Work at height and the duty to avoid it where you can
- Manual handling and the TILE approach to assessing a lift
- Machinery and guarding, and safe isolation for cleaning and clearing
- Electricity and workplace transport, and keeping people and vehicles apart
4Hazardous Substances and the Working EnvironmentCOSHH, exposure control and the physical conditions your team works in.⌄
- COSHH, the safety data sheet and the COSHH assessment
- Controlling exposure to dust, fumes and chemicals, with health surveillance where needed
- Display screen equipment and the workstation assessment
- Noise and hand arm vibration, and the action values that trigger control
- Ventilation, temperature, lighting and the welfare facilities the law requires
5Safety Culture, Behaviour and CommunicationSetting the tone, running toolbox talks and correcting unsafe behaviour.⌄
- Leadership and how a supervisor sets the safety tone for a team
- Toolbox talks and briefings that people actually take in
- Near miss reporting and why the numbers below the line matter
- Why people take shortcuts, and how to supervise and correct unsafe behaviour
- Consulting your team and the difference it makes to buy in
6Accidents, Incidents and EmergenciesRIDDOR, first aid, emergency procedures and getting to the real cause.⌄
- RIDDOR and which injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences must be reported
- First aid provision and how much is enough for your workplace
- Emergency procedures, fire, evacuation and raising the alarm
- Accident investigation and the difference between immediate and underlying causes
- Root cause thinking that stops the same accident happening again
7Safe Systems of Work and PermitsMethod statements, permit to work, contractors and using PPE properly.⌄
- What a safe system of work is and when a written one is needed
- Method statements and how they turn a risk assessment into instructions
- Permit to work systems for high risk tasks such as hot work and confined spaces
- Controlling contractors on your site and checking their competence
- Selecting, using and maintaining PPE so it actually protects
8Monitoring, Review and Continuous ImprovementActive and reactive monitoring, inspections, audits and keeping the records.⌄
- Active and reactive monitoring, and why you need both
- Workplace inspections and audits, and the difference between them
- Leading and lagging indicators, and what each one really tells you
- Records and due diligence, the proof that your system works
- The supervisor’s ongoing role in reviewing and improving safety
Who it’s for
Is this course a good fit?
Level 3 is written for the people who direct others at work. If you carry responsibility for how a team or an area works safely, this is the level the law expects of you.
Supervisors & team leaders
Anyone who directs the work of others and takes charge on shift.
Line & production managers
Managers in manufacturing, warehousing and logistics with hands on teams.
Site & facilities managers
Those responsible for a building, a site and the people working in it.
Office & retail managers
Managers whose duties include DSE, fire safety and everyday hazards.
Charge hands & foremen
People stepping up to their first role with responsibility for others.
Owners & the responsible person
Proprietors who own the health and safety arrangements and the records.
Assessment
How it’s assessed
The course is assessed by a single online multiple choice test taken after the modules. It can be retaken as many times as you need at no extra cost.
End-of-course assessment
Study details
You can pause and resume at any point, and your progress is saved automatically. There is no time limit on the assessment itself.
Certification
Your CPD-certified certificate
Level 3 Health and Safety for Supervisors, CPD Certified
On passing the assessment, your CPD certified digital certificate is available to download and print immediately, with your name, the course title and the completion date. For an employer it is dated, named evidence that your supervisors are trained to the level their role demands, the kind of record that supports your due diligence and helps at inspection. We recommend refresher training every three years, or sooner if the law, the site or the work changes.
FAQs
