Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health (NISO)

Aim of Course:   The primary objective of this course is to equip participants with the knowledge to work safely in a variety of workplaces. The course seeks to furnish participants with a good basic knowledge of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), outlining what is required to provide a safe place of work and hence comply with the statutory requirements. Risk assessment concepts and techniques are developed. Risk management, as an integral part of good safety management, is a recurring theme in each and every module. The management of specific hazards is explored and the control checks, occupational health and accident investigation are introduced. Two high risk sectors, Construction and Agriculture are used to bring the themes together. The course comprises of a series of twelve modules illustrated with examples and case studies, each of two hours duration. The course may be delivered in either single or multiple modular formats. The course assessment includes a project to be submitted during the course and a written final examination comprising of multiple choice questions and an essay. 

Content:

1. Fundamentals of Health and Safety

Legislation: Modules 1 and 2 provide introduction and overview of how the law works in Ireland. Civil and Criminal Liability is explored. The duties of the employer and employee and associated requirements of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005) and other OHS legislation are explored. The roles of the safety statement, safety officer and safety representative are outlined. The significance of the Safety Statement as a management tool is explored.

Risk and Safety Management: Module 3 introduces the concepts of hazard identification and risk assessment with a view to managing risk as part of a safety management system is explored. Simple Risk Assessment Techniques are demonstrated though a series of simple case studies and supported by a basic risk assessment template.

2. Hazards and Risks

Fire, Emergency and First Aid Procedures: Fire risk management is introduced in this module. The statutory requirements are outlined and the identification of Fire hazards, the assessment of the risks are outlined. Fire prevention and protection is explored:  Means of escape, Emergency Evacuation procedures. Fire evacuation drills and Fire fighting equipment. Fire Register and record keeping. The role of emergency planning in fire risk management serves to introduce emergency planning and first aid requirements. This topic is illustrated with a relevant case study.

Chemical Safety: The management of the risks associated with chemical hazards is explored in the context of compliance with the relevant statutory requirements. Protection and Prevention controls are explored and the relevant emergency planning relating to chemical hazards is outlined with the Requirements of the relevant Regulation. A risk assessment template for chemical risk assessment is provided and illustrated with a relevant case study.

Physical Hazards: Electricity, Machinery, Noise, Vibration and Radiation: The management of the risks associated with the physical hazards is explored in the context of compliance with the relevant statutory requirements for each of the hazards. Protection and Prevention controls are explored and the relevant emergency planning for each of the hazards is outlined within the requirements of the relevant Regulation. This topic is illustrated with a relevant case study.

Ergonomics: The management of the risks associated with ergonomic hazards is explored in the context of compliance with the relevant statutory requirements. The principles of safe lifting are explored. A risk assessment template for a manual handling risk assessment is provided and illustrated with a relevant case study.

Psycho-Social Hazards: Deals with the major psycho social stressors at work that recent research has highlighted as impacting negatively on the well-being and behaviour of workers and ultimately on performance at work, i.e. stress and bullying. What is stress and the identification of the main stressors in work. Management of stress at both organisational and individual level. Coping strategies. Definition of bullying. Organisational measures to prevent bullying in the workplace are explored. Violence or the threat of violence in the workplace is also explored.

3. Checks on Compliance

Occupational Health:  Introduction to Occupational Health, Promotion and maintenance of the physical, mental and social well-being of workers. The prevention of risks resulting from factors adverse to health. The role of occupational health as a monitor of controls of risk in an organization is explored.

Accident Causation and Investigation: The many causes of accidents in the workplace. The accident process and safety culture both at individual and organization level. Methodology of and an NISO designed template for carrying out and recording accident investigations is presented.

4. The Management of Health and Safety in two sectors

Safety in Agriculture: Farm accidents – causes and Prevention. Identification of the common hazards on farms. Tractors and machinery hazards. Safe handling of livestock. Hazards associated with slurry. Working with pesticides. Safe manual handling of loads and avoidance of back injuries. Working at height. A risk assessment template for chemical risk assessment is provided and illustrated with a relevant case study.

Construction Safety: The identification of the main hazards which arise during construction work is undertaken in this module. Duties of the relevant persons throughout the various stages of design and construction of projects. Compliance with the statutory requirements. Working with contractors. Protection and Preventative measures to be used to manage the risks associated with construction work.

Final Examination:

In addition to the project submitted during the course there is a two hour written examination comprising of multiple choice and essay questions.

Note:

Professional Body Fees:  Participants who are members of the professional body NISO are charged a members fee of €495.   For non-members, the cost is €595.   This fee is paid directly to NISO after the course begins and participants are contacted directly by NISO regarding this fee payment.

For further enquiries:

National Irish Safety Organisation (NISO)

11 Calmount Park, Calmount Avenue, Ballymount, Dublin 12.

Tel: 01 – 4659760 Email: info@niso.ie  Web: www.niso.ie 

''I would recommend the certificate course as a comprehensive introduction to the increasingly important area of Health & Safety .The various topics are examined whereby the theory and legal issues are illustrated with practical examples drawn from the various lecturers own practical experience.  The Certificate can be the springboard for further studies in the area of Health & Safety''  -  Michael Gough, Broker Relationship Executive, Zurich Insurance plc

“I found the NISO Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety very beneficial in my current role as a safety advisor for a construction  company. It helped to merge the practical elements of H&S with the corresponding documentation and legislation in an easy to understand format. The interaction between students and lecturer was key to helping the student to understand and apply  the course content to their everyday experiences. Q&A sessions were interesting and the module tutors were very accommodating throughout. Overall I would highly recommend this course either to anyone thinking of entering into the H&S profession as a springboard to a further qualification or simply to anyone who wishes to raise their own awareness of H&S in the workplace” -  2008 Past Student

A consultation evening for intending applicants will take place on Wednesday 8 September 2010 at 7.00pm.

Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health (NISO)

 GMIT fee: €240

  NISO fee: €595

Duration:    One class per week, for 13 weeks from 7.00pm – 9.00pm

Location:  GMIT Dublin Road Campus

Course Director: Colman Shaughnessy

Start date: Tuesday 28th September 2010

For your convenience, a Postal Application can be downloaded

The running of courses is conditional on sufficient enrolments.