Training for Health and Safety Enforcement

This report is a follow up project to the one conducted by Prince, Nanton & Arroba (1994) into the training of local authority health and safety enforcement officers.

The report considers the background to enforcement functions generally, and health and safety in particular, at national and local levels, and considers the pressures prevailing on enforcement officers.

It also describes general training models drawn from the academic literatures on training.

Using a semi-structured interview method, interviews were conducted in nine separate local authority Environmental Health Departments, or their equivalents, at a regional local authority employer's organization, and at one of the main HSE offices.

Interviews were also conducted with two academic training models, the existing training practices within HSE and the local authority EHDs were evaluated.

The findings suggest that the overall training within EHDs is conducted in a fragmentary manner, lacking co-ordination and integration.