Free guidance – Assessing compliance training needs UPDATE
Nicky Slavid
This month Safer Food Scores has updated its free guidance focuses on assessing your compliance training needs. UK laws are typically littered with words such as ‘suitable’ ‘when necessary’ and ‘to a competent level’. This summary of the legal requirements and official industry guides should help you meet your training plans.
Click here to access this free guidance.
Key sections in the Compliance Training Needs guidance include:
- Food safety training
- Health and safety training
- Fire safety training
- First aid training
We are regularly asked what training is legally required. Unfortunately the answer is not straightforward. To retain flexibility for business, UK laws are typically littered with words such as ‘suitable’ ‘when necessary’ and ‘to a competent level’. Very often, it takes an incident such as an accident or food poisoning outbreak to discover that training given was inadequate.
To help you, we have summarised the legal requirements and official industry guides and made suggestions of how you can ensure these are met by your food hygiene, health and safety, fire safety and first aid training plans. However, to be able to claim due diligence in Court, you will need to be able to prove that any training given was effective, so testing of knowledge and understanding during and after the training must be robust. This is why it is considered better due diligence to use OFQUAL regulated courses.
Safer Food Scores provide a full range of training and e-learning to help companies comply with compliance training requirements. Please contact us if you would like to find out more.
Food safety training
Legal requirement
Retained Reg (EC) No. 852/2004 Ch.12
• Food handlers must be supervised and instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters in line with their work activity.
• Those responsible for the development and maintenance of a food safety management system (FSMS) must have adequate training in the application of the HACCP principles.
Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice: Catering
A food handler is any person involved in a food business who handles or prepares food whether open (unwrapped) or packaged. Food includes drink and ice.
All team members should:
• receive training in the ‘essentials of food hygiene’ prior to starting work for the first time
• receive ‘hygiene awareness instruction’ before handling food unsupervised
Team members who prepare open, high-risk foods:
• receive training equivalent to a Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering before handling food unsupervised
Managers or supervisors who handle food or are responsible for food safety management:
• receive training equivalent to a Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering
Suggestions for compliance
All team members:
• read and sign an ‘Essentials of Food Hygiene Form’ prior to starting work for the first time.
• receive a ‘Food Safety Induction Handbook’ which includes a test that they complete within 4 weeks. The test is marked and kept on their HR file.
• receive on the job training covering the food safety controls relevant to their job role within 4 weeks. In the meantime they should be closely supervised.
Team members who prepare open, high-risk foods or have a supervisory role:
• Highfield Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering (1 day or e-learning course) before handling food unsupervised
Those responsible for the development and maintenance of your food safety management system (including provision of training materials and development of recipes):
• Highfield Level 3 Award in Supervising Food Safety in Catering (3 day or e-learning course) within 6 months
Refresher training should take place regularly and at least every 3 years.
Health & safety training
Legal requirement
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
• Employers must provide whatever information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of their
employees.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Health and safety training is particularly important in certain situations eg when people start work, on exposure to new or increased risks and where existing skills may have become rusty
or need updating.
HSE: Health and safety training pays in the catering industry
All team members should:
• receive short and simple health and safety training prior to starting work for the first time
• receive a general introduction to health and safety, explanation of key areas and safe working practices
Managers and supervisors should:
• receive training so that they can ensure staff are properly trained, any equipment and the building is safe, and products are being correctly handled
Suggestions for compliance
All team members:
• read and sign an ‘Essentials of Health and Safety Form’ prior to starting work for the first time.
• receive a Health and Safety Induction Handbook which includes a test that they complete within 4 weeks. The test is marked and kept on their HR file.
• receive on the job training covering the health and safety controls relevant to their job role within 4 weeks. In the meantime they should be closely supervised.
Managers and supervisors:
• Highfield Level 2 Award in Health and Safety at Work (one day or e-learning course)
Those responsible for reviewing health and safety risk assessments:
• Highfield Level 3 Award in Supervising Health and Safety (three day or e-learning course) within 6 months
Refresher training should take place regularly and at least every 3 years.
Fire safety training
Legal requirement
Fire Safety (Employees’ Capabilities) (England) Regulations 2010
• Training should be provided for the ‘competent’ persons required to undertake co-ordination activities, relating to evacuation.
Suggestions for compliance
All team members:
• read and sign an ‘Essentials of Health and Safety Form’ prior to starting work for the first time. This includes escape routes, how to raise the fire alarm and what to do on hearing the fire alarm.
• receive a Health and Safety Induction Handbook which includes a test that they complete within 4 weeks. This includes fire safety awareness. The test is marked and kept on their HR file.
• receive on the job training covering the fire safety controls relevant to their job role e.g. the safe use of heat-generating kitchen appliances
Managers, supervisors, and fire marshalls:
• Highfield Level 2 Award in Managing Fire Safety (one day or e-learning course)
Refresher training should take place regularly and at least every 3 years.
First aid training
Legal requirement
The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981
• Adequate and appropriate personnel must be provided to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work. A first aid needs assessment should
be carried out.
HSE: First aid at work, your questions answered
All team members should:
• Be given details of first aid arrangements prior to starting work for the first time
Appointed persons should:
• take charge of first-aid arrangements
• provide first aid when required if the first aid needs assessment requires this.
Suggestions for compliance
All team members:
• read and sign an ‘Essentials of Health and Safety Form’ prior to starting work for the first time. This includes details of first aid arrangements
• receive a Health and Safety Induction Handbook which includes a test that they complete within 4 weeks. This includes first aid information. The test is marked and kept on their HR file.
Managers and supervisors:
• Emergency First Aid at Work (one day course)
• First Aider Course (three-day course)
Because of the practical nature of first aid, the Health and Safety Executive do not consider first aid e-learning courses to be a suitable substitute.
Refresher training should take place regularly and at least every 3 years.
Safer Food Scores provide a full range of training and e-learning to help companies comply with compliance training requirements. Please contact us if you would like to find out more.
Any guidance given in our articles is not official and Safer Food Scores can take no responsibility if the information is used to form part of any legal or regulatory compliance for your business. However, please do get in touch if you are interested in our support services and would like to benefit from official guidance relating to your particular circumstances, email [javascript protected email address]
