What Health and Safety Training Do New Employees Need in the UK?

New employees need a health and safety induction covering their workplace, emergency arrangements and the risks they may encounter. They also need instruction suited to their role before carrying out tasks safely. There is no single course list for every employee. The right employee health and safety training depends on the work, the workplace and the individual’s experience.

A general awareness course can provide a useful starting point. You may also need role-specific learning, workplace demonstrations and supervised practice, particularly where someone uses equipment, handles hazardous substances or works in a higher-risk environment.

What Health and Safety Training Must Employers Provide?

Your risk assessment is the starting point for choosing training. It identifies hazards, who might be harmed and the measures needed to control risks. Use it alongside the new starter’s job description and planned tasks to decide what they need to know and do.

Consider the actual work rather than the job title alone. Two employees in the same office may have different needs if one uses a computer throughout the day while the other also moves deliveries or visits sites alone.

Employer responsibilities in Great Britain and Northern Ireland

In Great Britain, employers have a general duty to provide employees with the information, instruction, training and supervision needed for their health and safety. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations also address training when employees join, change roles or face new risks. Northern Ireland has its own health and safety legislation and regulator, HSENI, so employers there should check the applicable local requirements.

Training needs can change with the person. A new starter may be experienced in the occupation but unfamiliar with your equipment or emergency procedures. A young worker, someone with limited experience or an employee returning after a long absence may need additional instruction and supervision.

What Should a New Employee Health and Safety Induction Cover?

Every new starter should understand the safety arrangements relevant to their workplace before they are exposed to its risks. A general health and safety course can introduce common hazards and responsibilities, but it cannot explain every detail of your site.

A practical induction should cover:

• How to raise a safety concern and report an accident or near miss.

• Who supervises the new starter and how to contact first aiders or emergency contacts.

• How to raise the fire alarm, evacuate and find the assembly point.

• Local rules, restricted areas, vehicle routes and any protective equipment required.

Site-specific instruction and understanding

Walk through relevant work areas and explain the rules in context. An employee who will work across multiple sites may need an additional briefing at each location, rather than relying on the first induction alone.

Check understanding rather than assuming that a presentation has done the job. Ask the employee to explain how they would report a spill or what they would do on hearing the fire alarm. Make information accessible, taking account of language, literacy, disability and any other communication needs.

Which Health and Safety Courses Do New Employees Need?

After induction, add learning for the risks connected to the employee’s duties. The aim is to help them recognise hazards and follow your organisation’s controls, not to assign every available course to everyone.

Manual handling

Manual handling instruction may be relevant when work involves lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling loads. Manual handling training should be supplemented with instruction reflecting the objects, environment and equipment the employee will actually use.

Instruction alone does not remove the need to avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable or reduce the risk where it cannot be avoided.

COSHH and hazardous substances

Hazardous substances may include cleaning products, dusts or substances used in a production process. COSHH, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, covers many such exposures. Employees need to understand the relevant hazards, controls and safe procedures, including how to use protective equipment provided for the task.

A cleaner handling concentrated chemicals needs more specific information about those products and controls than a receptionist who never uses them. Include your own procedures for storage, spills and disposal where relevant.

Display screen equipment

Display screen equipment, or DSE, is a useful focus for employees who regularly use screens as a significant part of their work. Training can help them set up their workstation and recognise discomfort, but it should sit alongside the employer’s relevant workstation assessment and arrangements for addressing risks.

Other role-specific safety instruction

Other work may call for instruction on lone working, food hygiene, infection prevention, electrical hazards or working at height. Choose topics according to the tasks involved and explain the controls your organisation uses.

Before someone carries out a hazardous task, provide the necessary instruction and supervision. A course scheduled for next month is not a substitute for knowing how to work safely today.

How Do Training Requirements Differ Between Roles?

A new office employee might complete general safety awareness, learn the building’s emergency procedures and receive DSE instruction relevant to their regular screen use. If that person also moves archive boxes, add instruction based on the loads and workspace involved.

A warehouse starter may need the same core induction, followed by manual handling instruction, pedestrian and vehicle route information, and training on equipment they are authorised to use. If the work involves operating a forklift, general awareness is not a substitute for the specific operator training and workplace authorisation required.

Care settings can involve moving and assisting people, infection prevention or sharps risks. Training should reflect the tasks the employee will perform and the people they support. An online course may explain principles, while the employer arranges appropriate practical instruction and supervision for the techniques used.

The same approach applies to remote and hybrid workers. Their induction should explain how to report concerns and obtain support when away from the main workplace. A suitable plan may include workstation guidance and lone-working arrangements where relevant.

Extra Safety Responsibilities for New Starters

Some new starters will take on a safety role as well as their normal duties. For them, general employee awareness is unlikely to be enough.

A designated fire warden, for example, needs to understand the responsibilities in your organisation’s emergency plan. The exact instruction will depend on the building and the duties assigned. Similarly, someone asked to carry out risk assessments needs appropriate knowledge of the work, the hazards and how to identify suitable controls. Risk assessment training can support that knowledge.

First aiders and appointed persons

First aid is another area where roles differ. Employees should know how to summon help and who the first aid contacts are. They do not all need to become trained first aiders.

The employer’s first aid needs assessment determines what arrangements are appropriate. An appointed person can take charge of arrangements such as calling emergency services and looking after equipment. They are not a substitute for a trained first aider where the assessment identifies that one is needed. Full Cycle also offers appointed person first aid training.

Online Health and Safety Learning and Practical Instruction

Online learning works well for introducing concepts consistently across a team. It can help employees understand common hazards and give managers a way to monitor completion, including when staff work different shifts or locations.

Its limitation is equally important. An online awareness course cannot, by itself, show that a person can safely use a particular machine. Nor can it confirm that they can fit protective equipment correctly or carry out a physical task in your workplace. Some activities need practical instruction, assessment and supervision, and certain roles may have specific legal or industry requirements.

Checking practical competence

For a new starter handling loads, a useful combination might be online manual handling awareness followed by a workplace demonstration. A supervisor can then observe the employee using the actual load and equipment, correct problems and decide when they can work safely with less supervision.

Keep evidence of both parts. A certificate records course completion; a supervisor’s practical assessment can record what the employee demonstrated. Neither removes the need to maintain safe equipment, suitable controls and ongoing supervision.

Choosing the Right Employee Health and Safety Courses

When comparing health and safety training for employees, check what each course covers and the level of responsibility it is designed for. General awareness may suit a broad induction, while a manager, fire warden or person carrying out risk assessments may need more targeted learning.

Review the course content against your risk assessment. If the main concern is exposure to a particular substance, check that the learning is relevant to the type of hazard. Supplement it with your own product information and procedures. For equipment operation, identify the practical training still needed before selecting an awareness course.

Delivery matters too. Online learning can be easier to schedule across shifts and offers a consistent introduction, but it may not give an instructor the chance to observe a physical skill. Classroom or practical instruction may be more suitable where hands-on assessment is essential. Many roles benefit from a combination.

For larger teams, consider how you will assign courses, see who has completed them and retain records. Full Cycle Training’s learning platform supports course allocation, progress tracking and reporting, helping managers keep induction activity visible.

Timing, Costs and Refresher Training

Give employees the information and instruction they need before they begin work that exposes them to risk. Some learning can happen on the first day. A site-specific demonstration may be needed immediately before an unfamiliar task, with supervision continuing until the person can work safely at the level required.

Employers must not charge employees for health and safety training required for their work. HSE guidance states that health and safety training should take place during working hours and must be free for employees.

Previous experience and refresher intervals

Previous experience is useful. It does not automatically cover your workplace, though. Review existing evidence, ask about the person’s experience and check how well it applies to your procedures and equipment.

There is no single refresher interval for every topic. Review learning when work, equipment or procedures change, when someone moves into a different role, or when an incident or observation suggests knowledge needs updating. Some specific activities or qualifications have their own refresher requirements, so check the relevant rules and guidance.

New Employee Health and Safety Checklist

A practical checklist helps managers plan induction and record what has actually been completed. Use it for each new starter, adapting the detail to their role and the risks they face.

• Induction: Record the date of the workplace briefing, including emergency arrangements, reporting procedures and relevant local rules.

• Risk assessments: Identify the tasks and hazards covered by your assessments, and explain the controls the person must follow.

• Training requirements: List the awareness courses, site instruction and role-specific learning required, with completion dates and any outstanding actions.

• Competence checks: Record questions, practical demonstrations or observations used to check understanding and safe performance. Note who carried out the check and any further supervision required.

• Review: Record changes to duties, equipment or procedures, along with any refresher instruction or follow-up checks planned.

Keeping induction records useful

Managers can use these records to spot gaps during onboarding and plan reviews. For example, a completed manual handling course might be recorded alongside an outstanding workplace demonstration, so the next step is clear. Employees should also know how to raise concerns if they encounter a task they have not been prepared to do.

Records are evidence, not proof that every risk is controlled. Revisit the workplace. Speak to staff about how the work is actually carried out, and update the instruction as well as the document if a procedure has changed since induction.

Plan Your New Starter Training

Full Cycle Training offers online courses covering general health and safety, manual handling, fire safety, COSHH, risk assessment and other workplace topics.

Before choosing, identify the roles involved, the risks each person faces and any practical instruction your workplace must provide. Check individual course details for current content and pricing.

Explore the health and safety training course range to compare options and select the subjects relevant to your new starters.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is health and safety training mandatory for all new employees in the UK?

Yes. Employers must provide appropriate health and safety information and instruction for new employees, with training and supervision suited to the work and risks. There is no universal course that every new starter must complete. Northern Ireland has separate legislation, so employers should check the requirements that apply there.

Do new employees need a health and safety certificate?

Not every new employee needs a health and safety certificate. The priority is appropriate instruction and competence for the work. A certificate can provide evidence of course completion, but it does not replace a workplace induction or demonstrate practical competence on its own. Some roles may have specific qualification or certification requirements.

Can Full Cycle Training’s general health and safety course replace a workplace induction?

No. The course can introduce common hazards and responsibilities, but you still need to explain your workplace’s emergency arrangements, local rules and task-specific risks.

Does Full Cycle Training offer courses for employees who handle loads?

Yes. Its online manual handling course covers handling principles and techniques. Depending on the task, employees may also need workplace demonstrations, practical assessment and supervision.

Can managers track new starters’ course completion with Full Cycle Training?

Yes. The learning platform supports course allocation, progress tracking and reporting. Managers can see which employees have completed their learning and identify courses still outstanding. Workplace demonstrations and competence checks should also be recorded separately where relevant.

Does Full Cycle Training offer a course for an appointed first aid person?

Yes. Full Cycle Training offers appointed person first aid training. Your first aid needs assessment should determine whether an appointed person is sufficient or a trained first aider is also needed.