How often does health and safety training need renewing?

For most health and safety training, there is no single legal expiry date. The law asks employers to provide adequate training and to repeat it "where appropriate", so how often health and safety training needs renewing depends on the risk, changes at work and the guidance for each course. The main exception in practice is first aid at work, where HSE says certificates last three years. This guide covers Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland has separate enforcement, led by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI), so check HSENI guidance if you operate there.

This article is general information, not legal advice. If you are unsure what applies to your workplace, speak to a competent health and safety adviser.

What the law actually says about training

Under section 2(2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must provide "such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary" to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of their employees (legislation.gov.uk).

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 add detail in regulation 13. According to legislation.gov.uk, employers must provide adequate health and safety training when people are recruited and when they are exposed to new or increased risks, for example after a transfer or change of duties, or when new equipment, technology or work systems arrive. The same regulation says the training must:

• be repeated periodically where appropriate;
• be adapted to take account of any new or changed risks; and
• take place during working hours.

Notice what is missing: there is no list of courses and no standard number of months or years. "Where appropriate" is a judgement the employer has to make and be able to justify. HSE also says, in its guidance on providing information, training and supervision, that training should be free for employees and that extra training is needed when you get new equipment or working practices change.

What decides when refresher training is due

Because the law is not prescriptive, employers usually look at four things.

1. Your risk assessment

Higher-risk work generally justifies more frequent refreshers. HSE says that low-risk businesses, such as offices, may only need to provide simple information or instructions, while everyone should understand the hazards, the risks, the control measures and how to follow emergency procedures. If you have not reviewed your assessments recently, our guide to the five steps to risk assessment in the HSE framework is a good place to start.

2. Changes in work, equipment or the law

New machinery, a move to a different site, a changed process or a promotion into a supervisory role can all trigger fresh training, whatever the date on the last certificate. Regulation 13 specifically links training to new or changed risks.

3. Training records

According to HSE, keeping training records will help you decide whether refresher training is needed. Records also show who is overdue and make it easier to demonstrate that you took the duty seriously.

4. Awarding body or course guidance

Where a course has a certificate with a stated life, such as first aid at work, follow it. Where it does not, use the provider's recommendation as a starting point and adjust for your own risks.

Renewal guide by course type

The table below only includes periods and rules that are stated on official or awarding body pages. Where no fixed interval exists, it says so. Anything described as common industry practice is labelled and is not a legal requirement.

First aid at work: the clearest rule

First aid is where employers most often get caught out. According to HSE, certificates for first aid at work last for three years. To keep a first aider in post, they need to take a requalification course before the certificate expires. HSE also strongly recommends annual refresher training so that basic skills stay current, although it is a recommendation.

HSE explains that whether you need trained first aiders, and at what level, depends on your first aid needs assessment. Its guidance describes Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) and First Aid at Work (FAW), with FAW including EFAW-level training plus first aid for a wider range of specific injuries and illnesses. HSE also says it no longer approves first-aid training and qualifications, so employers are responsible for making sure their chosen provider is competent. HSE publishes a guide to selecting a first-aid training provider for this purpose.

Fire safety, manual handling and other role-based training

For fire safety, both the English and Welsh order and the Scottish regulations use the same wording: training must be repeated periodically where appropriate and must take account of the risks identified in your fire risk assessment. In practice, new starters, anyone whose duties change, and people with specific roles such as fire marshals need attention first. Our guide to fire marshal and warden training for UK employers notes that most training providers and responsible persons work to an annual refresher cycle, but that this is good practice rather than a fixed legal requirement.

For manual handling, remember HSE's point that training alone is not enough. Employers should first make manual handling operations as safe as reasonably practicable, then check that workers understand and apply what they have been taught. HSE adds that effective training should suit the work, include practical elements and cover the risk factors involved. If your people lift different loads in different places, a time-based refresher alone may miss the real risk.

Management and supervisory courses

Qualifications such as IOSH Managing Safely or the NEBOSH National General Certificate are not licences that lapse on a set date in the way a first aid certificate does. Our explainer on IOSH Managing Safely covers the course structure and who it suits. As the table shows, IOSH provides a refresher course for those who have completed the full programme, but the IOSH pages we reviewed do not set a mandatory interval. A sensible approach is to schedule a refresher when legislation, your processes or the manager's responsibilities change materially, and to record the reason you chose that timing.

A practical way to set your own refresher schedule

• List every role and the risks it carries. Link each course to the relevant risk assessment.
• Apply any fixed rule first. First aid certificates are the obvious one.
• Choose a default interval for everything else. If you pick a time-based cycle, such as annual or every few years, write down why.
• Add triggers. New equipment, a new site, an incident, a near miss or a change in the law should bring training forward.
• Keep records. Note who was trained, when, by whom and what was covered, then review the record regularly.
• Check it worked. HSE recommends checking that the training has been effective, for example by asking workers whether it was relevant and by observing practice.

Frequently asked questions

Do health and safety certificates expire?

Some do and some do not. HSE states that first aid at work certificates last three years. Many other courses carry no statutory expiry, although an employer can set its own renewal period based on risk.

Is annual refresher training a legal requirement?

Generally not. The law says training should be repeated periodically where appropriate. HSE strongly recommends annual first aid refreshers, and many fire training providers work to an annual cycle, but those are recommendations and industry practice rather than fixed legal periods.

Who decides how often training should be repeated?

The employer, based on risk assessment, changes in work and relevant guidance. You should be able to explain your reasoning if an inspector asks.

Does this apply in Northern Ireland?

This post covers Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own enforcement body, HSENI, which describes itself as the lead body responsible for promoting and enforcing health and safety at work standards there. Check its guidance before relying on anything here.

Do employees have to pay for health and safety training?

Regulation 13 requires training to take place during working hours, and HSE guidance says it must be free for employees.

Bottom line

There is no universal renewal date for health and safety training. Follow the fixed rules where they exist, such as the three-year first aid certificate, and use risk assessments, records and changes in your workplace to set sensible refresher periods for everything else. For wider professional development, you can browse Learnsignal's CPD hub.