MarkA74 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 So, has anyone been asked for their's yet? Does anyone know what they are? I only heard about it from a link via Facebook. Is this just another bit of H&S paperwork? Thoughts? Idea's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tolley1466 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I heard about it in the news. Thats all I've heard.I expect its just another silly idea by the Govorment trying to control our lives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffa Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Have a read HSE Publications and Info They might help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Lee Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 http://letmegooglethatforyou.com/?q=saftey+passport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 We've had topics on the for a while, and they get mention in many others - start here for a read using the search box at the top of each page, which searches the Blue Room archives.here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dave Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 The info for the Safety Passport for our industry is Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Siddons Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I got mine at clicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxopholist Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I have mine, its valid for 2 years, and I have only been asked for it once when going into a Pharma plant, all it meant was I didnt have to do half the H&S induction, as it is alread covered by the core element of the SPA Passport, other than that no one in the live events side of things has even mentioned it outside of a PSA AGM, let alone asked for it.. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjbvision Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Hi, Well this was briefly mentioned today at the Freelancers day at Rada. At the moment the main safety passports are for the construction industry, you will need one the CSCS (I think) to work on construction sites. It basically proves that you have basic health and safety knowledge. There is also a ECS for the electricans amongst us who need to work on construction sites. Plasa mentioned that they are looking at developing a safety passport for our industry that would then allow freelancers and employees to prove that they have basic H&S knowledge. Hopefully with their backing it would also be accepted on construction sites, so no need to have multiple passports for different sites. They also mentioned developing NVQs specific for job roles, ie Audoi Visual so keep a watch out and see what develops. HTH Sorry for any spellers spellcheck having a mare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toxopholist Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 As I understand it at the moment the PSA are backing the SPA Passport, with a view to splitting it away eventually and setting up an industry specific version, still backed by the Safety Pass Alliance, and I had heard, that it would be able to carry things like MEWP competence, H&S, etc etc.... Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hannam Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 In response to the above and to put the record straight, you may find this of use: What is a Safety Passport?A Safety Passport is like any other Passport; it identifies the holder as having undertaken basic health and safety awareness training and allows the holder access to “passport controlled” workplaces. Many industries insist that all workers hold a Safety Passport before they can gain access to the workplace or even obtain work. All Safety Passport holders attend a basic 1 day course after which they are provided with course booklets and a robust credit card size plastic ID card (the Passport itself) made using a “holocote” finish to ensure the passport is tamper proof. The Passport contains a photo and personal information of the holder, emblems to indicate what training has been undertaken and various security features including a tailored signature strip, a custom designed foil hologram and a printing process that embeds the dye into the card – rather like the new style driving license. All Safety Passport holders are registered with the SPA on a central database so verification is an easy process as clients can interrogate this database. Passports are issued by the SPA, normally within fifteen days of completing a course. Why do we need such a scheme?The Heath and Safety at Work Act requires employers to ensure adequate training is given to employees and that self employed persons (freelancers) also obtain adequate training even if this means they have to pay for the training themselves. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations requires employers to train their employees adequately at the recruitment/induction stage, before exposure to any new or increased risk, or when transferring them to work using different equipment or processes, the self-employed must also obtain this kind of training. Those who use the services of contractors (including self-employed freelancers) have a legal duty to ensure the appoint contracts who "competent" and aware of their health and safety duties and responsibilities, safety passports are of great value and assistance in helping with this process. As well as the Health and Safety at Work Act, many of the specific regulations that fall under the Act require training to be provided (or obtained) as a means of controlling safety, they include:• The Manual Handling Regulations • The Noise at Work Regulations • The Display Screen Equipment Regulations • The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations • The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations • The Personal Protective Equipment Regulations • The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations • The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations • The Work at Height Regulations Training is a means of achieving COMPETENCE as well as a means of increasing SAFETY and PRODUCTIVITY.Converting information into safe working practices helps to establish a SAFETY CULTURE in the workplace (as opposed to a RISK CULTURE).Many companies with a high turnover of casual or part time staff, such as crewing or stewarding companies don’t see the value of training because they feel that staff are not with them very long and the costs would be prohibitive. These companies should consider offering training that is of real value as it is very likely that there would be a better retention of staff and that staff turnover would be reduced, the staff remaining would also be safer and of a better quality. • Safety Passports are a very simple way for workers (including the self-employed) who move from one contract or company to another to show employers they have received basic training. • Safety Passports save time and money because workers need less induction training. • They reduce accidents and ill health at work. • They can have significant impact in reducing pollution incidents, minimising waste and contributing to a cleaner environment for everyone. • Companies know that workers have been trained to a common, recognised and validated standard. • They show a companies commitment to having safe and healthy workers. • They help promote good practice in the supply chain between contractors and companies. • Insurance and liability premiums may be reduced if a company can show that all workers have basic health and safety training. • Employers can demonstrate legal compliance in providing health and safety training to employees and the self-employed also demonstrate legal compliance if they undertake such training. • Several attempts have been made at introducing formal training and qualifications into our industry with varying degrees of success, including the BTEC scheme run by the PSA. An important area sadly neglected in training programmes are the local crew, stage hands and those entering the industry, a Safety Passport scheme would be ideal for not only them but all who work in our line of work. It has long been agreed that training holds many benefits but unfortunately in our industry not many people bother to undergo any kind of formal training and therefore do not reap these benefits. No matter how well trained individual staff may be they cannot operate safely unless the whole working environment has a suitable safety management system in place. This is a fantastic opportunity for the industry to take charge of its own destiny; we can regulate ourselves or eventually be regulated by others who have no idea of our methodology or what we do. What is the SPA and why the SPA scheme? SPA is the Safety Pass Alliance, the leading health and safety passport body with a strong reputation for delivering health and safety awareness courses.SPA quality control procedures – tried and tested methods of designing effective practical training programmes – are an important component in providing peace of mind about the scheme’s security.This scheme is the leading multi-industry safety passport training scheme. A significant proportion of key industry sectors are already in partnership with the SPA developing tailored industry-specific training packs.This industry-led, nationally recognised scheme reflects Health and Safety Executive (HSE) syllabus guidance. Who is the course aimed at and who should obtain a Passport? Everyone! — Employees, self-employed (freelancers) and employers. This particular training courses has been designed specifically for Event Technical Production Services: Production, Tour and Stage Managers, Stage Hands, Lighting and Sound Crew, Stage and Set Builders, Backline Technicians, Electricians, Caterers, Safety Stewards, Drivers, Riggers, Laser, Pryo and Firework Technicians, Video and Projection Crew. What are the costs?Course costs are approximately £100 per person; this includes SPA administration charges, course booklets and the passport itself. All course fees are Tax deductible and may also be eligible to grant aid. Prices are by quotation according to location. How long is the course? One day starting at 09.00 and finishing at 17.00, this includes a tea/coffee break in the morning and afternoon and one hour for lunch. What is the content of the course? The content of the course is set and produced by the SPA with additional information gathered by the PSA during the industry mapping exercise carried out during the development of BTEC qualifications and other training initiatives. An industry working party formally decide upon the final content. The content is as follows: • Module 1 – Organising for Safety • Module 2 – Workplace Safety • Module 3 – Plant and Machinery • Module 4 – Health • Module 5 – Procedures • Module 6 – The Environment How is the course delivered? The course is a mixture of spoken word, videos, power point presentation. Assessment tests will be included at the end of each course module. Candidates need only bring note pad, pen and a digital passport type photo (for Passport I.D. card) and their National Insurance numbers, no previous experience is required. The maximum group size for any course is 15 persons. Instructors can deliver courses on company premises if facilities are available, in addition courses are arranged in various parts of the country for individuals, the self-employed and small companies who do not have sufficient numbers of staff to warrant an exclusive course or facilities to host a course.Facilities that are required to host a course are quite simple, a suitable room (that must be conducive to learning e.g. comfortable temperature, no disturbances and toilet facilities near by) equipped with tables and chairs for the comfortable accommodation of 18 persons and that can be darkened to show videos/PowerPoint/OHPs. Tea and coffee making facilities are most welcome. We also require a vehicle parking place close to the door of the venue for the duration of the course to facilitate access for our equipment. How long does a passport last? Other industries have requested that passports are valid for three years. An emblem on the Passport clearly indicates what training the holder has undertaken. Health and Safety regulations often change and are updated and so after three years a one day refresher course is required. How is the scheme promoted?For the scheme to be as widely accepted as possible we need the help and assistance of everyone to help in the promotion. Freelancers can spread the word verbally, companies, venues and promoters can help by making the scheme conditional, already some major venues and organisations are supporting the scheme and more are expected to follow very soon. The industry trade press have also made some generous offers of publicity that will be graciously accepted and all relevant trade associations and interested parties are invited to be proactive by publicising and promoting the scheme. What is important to remember is that this is a continuous long term project for the benefit of whole industry. Who are the trainers? All trainers hold an approved NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) or British Safety Council (or equivalent) qualification, have proven experience as a teacher/trainer or instructor of health and safety, have attended the Passport training course covering the sections they wish to train and have proven long term practical industry knowledge and experience. When should venues, service companies, managers, tour managers, production managers and those responsible for hiring crew and production services start asking for Safety Passports? Courses have been running for some time now so we have about 1500 passport holders. If your company intends to operate the scheme you should advise staff (including freelance staff and suppliers) that you will be introducing the Safety Passport scheme and that they have (say for instance 1 year) to obtain a Passport. Safety Passport course availability and booking STAGESAFE are a company that run safety passport courses. Check out the web site at www.stagesafe.co.uk and drop them a line by email and they will inform you of courses. Safety Passport courses subject to demand; this is in addition to any courses requested by clients to be run at premises or venues provided by clients. Chris Hannam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete McCrea Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 And there ends the Infomercial by Chris who happens to work for STAGESAFE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Perhaps it would be useful to know which companies that cover our market sector are actually requiring the passport. In real terms, £100 for a days training is good value. If, however, the training is just a package of material provided to demonstrate awareness of the various bits of legislation, then I'd question if this really counts as training. These individual pieces of legislation seem to cover a lot of ground, and if the instructor/trainer is to actually assess each delegates competence by the end of a single day, I would suggest that they must have really developed a new system that allows this to happen. A group of mixed ability, different background people with no doubt varying levels of pre-existing skills would make any assessor cringe, I'd have thought. I for one, would like to be assured that:1. I had been trained suitably2. I had been assessed accurately to some set standard. The training providers are many, it seems. How do their customers tell if the training is good? What I suggest is that we ask people who have got one, to tell us where from, who trained them and recommend a training provider. Horses mouth stuff. A safety system based on paperwork tick boxes doesn't sound good to me, but I'm probably wrong, and during the day everyone does demonstrate they can DO things, not KNOW about them. That, we could do on-line, at our convenience and at lower cost. Chris's company obviously train people with equipment, as he needs access to the vehicles throughout the day, but I bet many do it with a classroom, powerpoint and flipchart stands and bore people to death. Then at home time, hand out the "you've passed" forms they printed up in advance. Last thing would be failure rate - how many people fail. Based on mixed ability groups, and compressed timescale with no opportunity for repitition, it should be (using standard educational theory) around 20% (or perhaps more) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lightnix Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 And there ends the Infomercial by Chris who happens to work for STAGESAFE.Although FWIW I'm happy to back that up with a word-of-mouth recommendation, having known the man for over a decade. Chris is a top bloke, who remains one of the main movers in the drive to improve H&S standards backstage :up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indyld Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Perhaps it would be useful to know which companies that cover our market sector are actually requiring the passport. I did SPA training last year, at PRG who warned all their freelancers that they would soon be requiring all staff to hold the safety passport. There was also talk about different venues making it a requirement for working on their site - but I haven't looked into it or had anyone quiz me about it yet. The good thing was, PRG were providing staff training at a discounted rate for freelancers. Never pass up any opportunity for training, I say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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