Skip to content
EDWartens UK

Free course · Safety

Health and Safety Foundations: HSWA 1974, RIDDOR and ISO 45001

The daily work of a site health and safety adviser, set in UK law and built on the ISO 45001 management system: the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, HSE enforcement, RIDDOR, hazard identification and risk matrices, the hierarchy of controls, permits to work, work at height, confined spaces, lifting, fire, incident investigation and safety KPIs.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
14
Video
16 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Explain why accidents happen and what a safety officer does; map ISO 45001 clauses 4 to 10 onto Plan-Do-Check-Act and run worker consultation; identify hazards and score risk on a 5 x 5 matrix; choose controls by the hierarchy and write a JSA; issue and close a permit to work with isolations, gas tests and a fire watch; plan work at height with a fall clearance calculation, a confined space entry with a rescue plan, and a crane lift with sling tensions; assess fire, chemical, heat and noise risks; investigate an incident to its root causes; calculate LTIFR and TRIR; and write an HSE report a manager can act on.

  • Explain why accidents happen with the Swiss cheese and domino models, and what a safety officer does each day
  • Map ISO 45001 clauses 4 to 10 onto Plan-Do-Check-Act and run worker consultation
  • Identify hazards and score risk on a written 5 x 5 matrix, then choose controls in hierarchy order
  • Write a JSA and issue, hand over and close a permit to work with isolations, gas tests and a fire watch
  • Plan work at height with a fall clearance calculation, a confined space entry with rescue, and a crane lift
  • Assess fire, chemical, heat, noise and manual handling risks
  • Investigate an incident to its root causes and write strong corrective actions
  • Calculate LTIFR and TRIR on a stated base, choose leading indicators and write an HSE report

Software

None required. A spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc) helps with the risk register and the KPI report.

Hardware

None.

Syllabus

14 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1The safety officer's job and why accidents happen2 lessons
  2. 2ISO 45001: structure, PDCA and worker participation3 lessons
  3. 3Hazard identification and risk assessment3 lessons
  4. 4Hierarchy of controls, JSA and method statements3 lessons
  5. 5Permit to work, isolation and hot work3 lessonsLab
  6. 6Working at height: ladders, scaffolds and fall arrest3 lessons
  7. 7Confined space entry3 lessons
  8. 8Lifting operations: lift plans, load charts and slings2 lessons
  9. 9Fire safety and emergency response4 lessons
  10. 10Health hazards: chemicals, heat, noise and manual handling3 lessons
  11. 11Incident investigation and root cause analysis3 lessons
  12. 12Inspections, audits and safety performance indicators3 lessons
  13. 13Safety leadership, culture and HSE reporting2 lessons
  14. 14Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Carry out a safe isolation on a motor bucket with lock, tag and a permit, so a permit to work is something you have seen done.

Works alongside Health and Safety Foundations: HSWA 1974, RIDDOR and ISO 45001. The Lab is substation and mcc practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
Substation and MCC: Work a real switchroom.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Health and Safety Foundations: HSWA 1974, RIDDOR and ISO 45001

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

Questions

About this course

Who is this HSE safety officer course for?
It is for engineering graduates, diploma holders, supervisors and technicians moving into site safety roles in construction, oil and gas, utilities and manufacturing, and for engineers who issue permits or supervise contractors. No safety experience is needed.
Is the course free to learn?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the worked problems, the project and the final assessment are free. The certificate is optional.
Does this course give me a NEBOSH or IOSH qualification?
No. It covers the foundation knowledge those qualifications test and prepares you to study for them, but it is not any of them. Those are awarded by their own bodies after their own exams; the EDWartens certificate is a certificate of completion.
What is ISO 45001 and how much of it does the course cover?
ISO 45001:2018 is the international standard for occupational health and safety management systems. The course explains its structure, clauses 4 to 10 on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle and worker participation in plain words, and shows how a safety officer's daily work supplies the evidence an auditor looks for. It does not reproduce the standard's text.
Which calculations does it teach?
Risk scores on a 5 x 5 matrix, fall clearance for a harness and lanyard, ventilation time for a confined space, crane utilisation and sling leg tension, heat stress checks, and injury frequency rates such as LTIFR and TRIR on both the 200,000 and 1,000,000 hour bases.
Do I need any software?
No. A spreadsheet such as Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc helps with the risk register and the KPI report, and the course notes include every calculation worked by hand.
How long does the course take?
About 16 hours of video, notes and practice at your own pace. The optional shutdown HSE project takes about 10 hours more.
Does it cover UK health and safety law?
The practices (permits, confined space, lifting, investigation) are taught as they are used on sites worldwide. For the UK, the legal frame is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, enforced by HSE and local authorities, with RIDDOR 2013 on reporting injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences, and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 on risk assessment. Employers in the UK often ask for a recognised qualification such as NEBOSH or IOSH, which this course helps you prepare for but is not.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module