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What training makes a safety officer competent? – With changes taking place in the working environment regularly, companies find it increasingly difficult to determine which training course is the best to keep the health and safety of their employees up to date.

Workplaces have become more vibrant than ever. New technologies are taking over every day, while the market pushes for product improvement every day. The labour force itself is no longer what it used to be. A recent study estimated that Generation Y employees, the generation that is currently moving into the workplace, is likely to move on to another job every five years.

That makes the outlook for health and safety officials pretty challenging. By the time they have acquainted themselves with new trends, technologies or perceptions, their knowledge is already outdated.

For one to be a successful health and safety officer, he or she needs to be well-vexed with the Law, Regulations and enforcements. The person need to further understand the different fraternities of the industry and should be an up to date person in terms of current affairs. The health and safety officer should also have a healthy dose of common sense and an open and approachable personality. The latter is important as to encourage employees to report whatever they see or experience which can assist the health and safety officer to improve the workplace.

While the latter is much part of one's personality, training would establish the knowledge one has and their enthusiasm to the role of being a safety officer.

Most companies tend to look at training course that offer as many important and relevant aspects as possible as they cannot afford to have their health and safety officials going away regularly. But a combination of training in theoretical knowledge and life skills is very difficult to achieve and it cannot be accomplished in a few days as thoroughness is a must.

Instead of sending the health and safety official for a course for several days once a year, it would be much more benefit an employee, as well as the company, when the health and safety official is sent for one day, or even a few hours, once a month.

Companies should also avoid measuring the quality of the training by only looking at the pass-rate. The training is not all about getting good marks or a certificate but it equips one with skills which can be implemented anywhere in the business world. While attending classes the health and safety official will meet and discuss their experiences with employees from other industries and the knowledge exchanged and shared could be useful and could become a practical addition to the theoretical knowledge obtained during training.

It is my advice to consider training programmes holistically before it is decided if it is worth it for the health and safety officials to attend. Questions that should be considered include:

• What exactly is included in the programme?
• Who are the lecturers and what is their background and experience?
• How is the training course content offered; purely theory or does it also offer practical information?
• Who is attending the course?
• Does the course have the blessing or endorsement by official institutions?

Don't forget: training will drill aspiring safety officers to be tomorrow's heroes in saving lives in the workplace.