Safety Passports
Introduction
Safety Passports have been around for a long time in many industries. The Safety Passport concept is simple: To provide a nationally recognised standard of health and safety training and assessment, which is cost-effective, easily accessible, tests knowledge and caters for specific industry sectors.
The need for a single, standard level of safety awareness that can be easily verified is especially useful in an industry that deals with a vast array of contractors and subcontractors on a site at any given time. The aim of ensuring that everyone on a site has at least the same, basic knowledge of site safety can be achieved by the adoption of a ‘Safety Passport’ scheme.
The PSA has teamed up with the Safety Pass Alliance to develop a one day course suitable for the technical event production sector. The course is designed to give a feeling for the principals behind safe working as well as awareness of common hazards, with plenty of sector-specific information included.
The Course
The reason that the PSA is working with the Safety Pass Alliance is simple; they have already developed a course that is relevant to all industries. The added advantage is that when a candidate successfully completes the course and assessments, they receive a card that says so, making the core qualification portable between the growing numbers of different industry sectors that recognise the Passport. The core content of the course is set by experts from over a dozen industry sectors; this forms the basis of the content of the Technical Event Production Safety Passport.
The Sector Content
The PSA has worked with a wide variety of industry experts including event organisers, safety professionals, company owners and production managers to develop the Sector Content. The content deals with issues such as manual handling, workplace transport and slips, trips and falls in more detail and with more industry-specific reference. In short, it deals with those hazards that present themselves more frequently in our sector.
Benefits
Benefits for the whole industry
Yes, the safety passport will cost money but, and industry-standard safety qualification has benefits that outweigh the cost. From a wider perspective, the benefit to the whole industry is a greater emphasis on self-regulation; ma far better alternative to the imposition of standards such as those imposed on the event security and crowd management industries. The Health and Safety Executive are looking to reduce the incidence of accidents in our sector, an industry that introduces its own scheme that raises awareness of and deals with the main causes of injuries can only be seen in a positive light. The PSA will ensure that the relevant authorities are aware of the scheme – this can only be done with an industry standard rather than a mixed bag of independent courses.
Benefits for Companies
There are companies that do it right and companies that don’t. There are companies that say they do it right. In terms of safety training, the Safety Passport is a way to prove that you do it right. The claim that clients are not bothered about the safety policies of suppliers is a false one. The PSA has spoken with venues, event managers and licensing authorities. All are supportive of the scheme with many helping with the development of the sector day. The demand will be there for companies that adopt the scheme, the demand for companies that don’t will weaken.
A company whose workforce is well versed in safe working practices as part of a wider, better safety management policy presents a lower risk. Lower risk can mean lower insurance premiums. The PSA is communicating the benefits of the Passport Scheme to industry insurers.
The one, single and most important benefit is that greater awareness means less chance of your employees being injured or even killed. Accidents do happen but they happen less when everyone is aware of the hazards. For that reason alone, the Safety Passport should be embraced by our industry.
Benefits for Individuals
Again, the support for our scheme means that there is a growing demand for workers that can prove their safety awareness. Individual subcontractors are companies too so the same benefits apply.
The PSA is well aware of the number of self employed people in our sector, a large proportion of our members are individual subcontractors. We are exploring ways of reducing the cost burden of acquiring a Safety.
How do I get one?
The PSA is building a network of Safety Passport trainers. Trainers are able to deliver courses in-house, some are able to host sessions at their premises.
For individuals, we will be arranging sessions in various locations. Contact the PSA giving details of where you are based and how many likely attendees and we will let you know of course availability in your area.
NEW - RENEW YOUR PASSPORT ONLINE
Live Events recently became the first industry sector to offer online SPA Safety Passport Renewals. The online renewal process, hosted on the PSA's online training platform, involves a video presentation and multiple choice exam and was developed in association with the PSA to offer a time and cost efficient renewal course.
Passport holders can use the online system 3 months either side of their renewal date. The option of attending a classroom based course still exists.
For the online course, click here.
To arrange Safety Passport Training, contact the suppliers listed:
Assess All Areas
Contact: Nick Love
0207 617 7377
07710 760166
nick@assessallareas.com
Cobb Associates
Contact: James Cobb
0870 861 2123
mail@caevent.co.uk
www.caevent.co.uk
Diamond PS
Contact: John Diamond
0131 554 6261
hello@diamond-ps.com
www.diamond-ps.com
JR Event Services
Contact: John Radford
01275 545902
info@jreventservices.co.uk
www.jreventservices.co.uk
Production Safety Ltd
Contact: Chris Luscombe
07973 159402
chris@productionsafety.co.uk
www.productionsafety.co.uk
Safety First Solutions
Contact: Gary Lathan
0141 587 7862
gary@safetyfirstsolutions.com
www.safetyfirstsolutions.com
Showstars
Contact: Stuart Milne
020 8215 3333
stuart@showstars.co.uk
www.showstars.co.uk
Stage Hire Ltd
Contact: Stuart Cooper MIET
028 4173 7988
enquiries@thestagetruck.co.uk
www.thestagetruck.co.uk
Stagesafe
Contact: Chris Hannam
01458 445186
info@stagesafe.co.uk
www.stagesafe.co.uk
Sygma Safety
Contact: Brian Cleary
0800 043 6728
brian.cleary@sygmasafety.co.uk
www.sygmasafety.co.uk
The Event Safety Shop
Contact: Tim Roberts, Simon James
0117 904 6204
info@eventsafetyshop.co.uk
www.the-eventsafetyshop.co.uk
The Safety Organisation Limited
Contact: Kevin McLoughlin
0161 763 7020
07812 159 339
kevin@thesafety.org
www.thesafety.org
Toby Short
01752 255 933
office@rockcitycrew.co.uk
www.rockcitycrew.co.uk
Wigwam Hire
Contact: Steve Banks
01706 363800
steve.banks@wigwamhire.co.uk
www.wigwam.co.uk