A Complete Guide To The IOSH Managing Safely Refresher Course

Once you’ve done your IOSH Managing Safely training course, you’re not lawfully required to do any extra training to refresh your skills.

But allowing your knowledge to dull is a dangerous idea – the chance of accidents increase if your health and safety isn’t under control. 

⏰Key points: 

• Without the training you need to do your job well, your organisation and people are put in physical and financial jeopardy.
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires you to keep your health and safety skills up to date with regular training.
• You can refresh your training with an IOSH Managing Safely Refresher course, by repeating the IOSH Managing Safely course, taking an unaccredited course, or moving onto the NEBOSH General Certificate in Health and Safety.

Why should you do a refresher course?

Sitting a refresher course is as much for your self-preservation as it is for your organisation. 

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 says you must provide “information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of your employees.” 

If you do IOSH Managing Safely, you tick that box, but your responsibilities don’t end there.  

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 says you must “identify situations where health and safety training is particularly important” for instance “when your existing skills may have become rusty or need updating.” 

You can’t prove you were doing your job to best-practice standards if you’re referring to an IOSH standard that’s more than three years out of date.

Who is IOSH Managing Safely Refresher for? 

Anyone who has successfully completed the IOSH Managing Safely course. It’s for workers with a compliance obligation to fulfil – if you’re looking for a course to help you advance your career, or get an in-depth reminder of Managing Safely, you could be left wanting. 

How long does it take? 

It’s just a one-day course that refreshes your knowledge of top-level information from IOSH Managing Safely. 

Is it the only choice?

No, you have two other options to explore.

You can maintain your skills by periodically retaking the Managing Safely course instead. You’ll get a deeper level of training to sharpen your skills, but you won’t get an advance qualification. It’s still a level two qualification, no matter how many times you take it.

To further your career – and to get a level three qualification – take the NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety. It’s equivalent to an A-Level in health and safety.

NEBOSH is a more challenging and expensive course than the IOSH Managing Safely, running over ten days with an exam at the end. NEBOSH is widely recognised and respected, so it’s an investment that’ll benefit you in the long run.

IOSH and NEBOSH have different educational frameworks, but it’s perfectly acceptable to mix and match qualifications that you want to advance.

Further reading:

• Find out more about the differences between IOSH and NEBOSH

*Before you book IOSH refresher training, reflect on and choose the course that’s right for you, your organisation and your career.

Five reasons refresher training will help your business 

It doesn’t have to be the IOSH Managing Safely Refresher, but by keeping your skills polished with some form of health and safety top-up training will help protect your business and its workforce. 

1. Continue to reduce injury-related sick leave
2. Adapt your safety awareness culture to reflect new developments in health and safety
3. Discover how to actively involve your people in well being in the workplace
4. Proof of the in-house knowledge and experience with renewed certificates
5. You have a strong health and safety track record and a great reputation as a result