Hi all Would appreciate any advice or hearing your experiences on online health and safety training. The problem I have is it doesnt quite fit or feel right. log on read a bit of blurb maybe watch a video or go through a powerpoint presentation then take a test . . . and once you have passed you can download a certificate! Is there some kind of accreditation or standard acknowledged by the HSE as suitable and sufficient that companies offering online health and safety training are required to work to. From a personal point of view I would much prefer sitting in an environment where I am actually being TAUGHT something by a proffessional who has a form of formal training , who I can interact with ask questions and so on. I have in my time had numerous calls from companies offering "online health and safety" training and have never really given them much tought. . . however today I have been instructed to look at a specific company , for work at height training, review it for ease of use etc and back brief a senior member of the company I work for. Im just hoping I can keep my brief impartial BUT WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE any and all advice or hear of your experiences As with all threads thanksin advance to anyone who replies

I agree with SNS but in this instance, i would dig the heels in and insist on formal training. There are so many different aspects to W@H that whichever way your company decides to go with the training, you make sure it is bespoke to the type of work your company undertakes.

The comments are all good, but there are also some pretty poor online courses, which are little more than electronic page-turners. I have used a GOOD online system but only as a base-line and to cover the low risk areas. The higher risk areas benefit enormously from interaction (and clips from the online can be used to support & integrate). It's a case of best value and what works. I think online (a GOOD one) has it's place. For work at height - hmm.

I agree with the general points made by others. OLT is OK for covering the basics or refresher training for low risk activities/environments/induction. Even then you generally get what you pay for. I think where the worker will be needing to make important safety decisions in changing circumstances (as may happen with work at height) you need face to face training with scenarios and/or practice. You don't mention what type of work at height is involved but many specific types of access have widely recognised schemes such as PASMA (scaffolds) and IPAF (MEWPS) and all of these are (I think) classroom & practical.

Lojikglos - we use both OLT and in person training. We only use the OLT for persons who need a baseline knowledge though in order to protect both them and us at work. Any employees who would rely on that training in order to avoid an injury, or any area or task which is high risk and would need the training to be robust in order to reduce the risk is automatically included in our 'in person training'. They both have a place and it seems to work well for us.