New health and safety tests to be taken online

Electronic health and safety courses for manual industries such as the construction sector are to see a major overhaul with the inclusion of new topics to bring them up to date with industry practices.

CITB-ConstructionSkills has announced that tests for employees and businesses will now include respiratory hazards and environmental issues, which will form a new and improved syllabus.

Product delivery manager for CITB-ConstructionSkills Chris Little said: "Consulting with industry we have refreshed the question bank and the test structure to include new sections and questions addressing the changing needs of the whole construction industry both locally and nationally."

He added that all tests will be taken electronically in the same format regardless of where the exam is taken, making it accessible to the whole industry at a flexible and user-friendly level. 

The newly named health, safety and environment exam aims to improve the knowledge base of companies which must conduct regular audits to ensure that their business practices are in line with safety laws and regulations as set out by the Health and Safety Executive.

Mr Little commented: "[We are] working on behalf of the industry to improve the test, which should be seen as a stepping stone to encourage employers and their workforce to go on and develop their knowledge."

The updated online test is said to include new features such as questions on respiratory risks, environmental challenges and a revised bank of questions which will incorporate the newly-introduced hazard symbols used throughout industrial businesses.

According to an online courses specialist at St Thomas Aquinas High School in Ontario, Canada, the use of technologies such as online learning to support traditional methods of training is effective.

E-learning contact at the school Teresa Stevenson suggested that updated teaching methods using the internet are convenient and successful.