New Health and Safety Qualification
Last year 47 people were killed in farm-related accidents, and many more suffered serious injury or ill health. In the last five years 231 people have died, including nine children under the age of sixteen. To tackle this tragedy, a new vocational qualifications (VQ) has been introduced to focus attention on health and safety and reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by accidents on farms.
These VQs are aimed at anyone working in the industry, from farm workers to supervisors and managers. Qualifications available under the scheme are pitched at three different levels:
- Level 2 Certificate, Working Safely (in Agriculture/Horticulture), is designed for anyone working in the industry or about to join it;
- Level 3 Certificate, Controlling Risks to Health and Safety, is aimed at supervisors, unit managers, and worker safety representatives
- Level 4 Certificate, Managing Risks to Health and Safety, is for senior managers and owners of large agricultural or horticultural businesses
All three programmes will have a strong practical bias, and the content will be geared broadly to the type of farming with which the candidate is familiar. Level 2 will focus on the identification of farm hazards, and Level 3 will require candidates to undertake risk assessments. At Level 4, management issues such as producing health and safety policies will be covered. At the end of the training period each candidate will be assessed to check that they have reached the required standard before the qualification is awarded.
For further information on training courses for the VQs, contact Lantra Awards on 024 7641 9703
Visit http://www.lantra-awards.co.uk/ or The National Proficiency Test Council (NPTC) on 024 7685 7300
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