Ground Investigation staff will be required to complete this training day early on within their employment and prior to them undertaking other accredited courses, such as the Site Management Safety Training Scheme and/or Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme. Every new recruit will be required to participate, even if they have completed health and safety training in a previous role.

During this training, employees can expect to cover a variety of subject matter, including how to complete permits; how to conduct risk assessments; what to look for on drill rigs and the fitted safety devices; as well as how to comply with the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment (LOLER) and Provision and Use of Work Equipment (PUWER) regulations.

Customised to meet the individual roles and responsibilities of each new recruit, Socotec's health and safety training day is highly interactive, offering employees plenty of opportunities to ask questions in an engaging environment. They are also encouraged to spend more time on areas of the course that they feel require more attention or explanation.

Once employees have completed their training day, they will not be required to participate in any refresher training, as this will be strictly monitored via follow-up audits and engagement tours by their supervisor and health and safety management. Updates to any taught processes or procedural change will also be provided through further communications and toolbox talks. 

"In order to equip our employees with the skills required to excel, we are pleased to have developed a bespoke health and safety training day for all new starters within Socotec's Ground Investigation division," said Clare Chapman, operations director, Ground Investigation, Socotec UK.

"Not only will this prepare new employees for the variety of site environments they will encounter on the job, but it also equips them with the confidence required to carry out their role and responsibilities to the best of their ability. We look forward to seeing all of our new recruits participate in this training day, which serves as the beginning of an exciting new chapter with Socotec."