Legal Compliance
Meet your duties under the SHWW Act 2005 and reduce the risk of HSA enforcement notices and prosecution.
Safety that becomes second nature
Health & safety training your team will actually use
A genuinely safe workplace starts with a competent team. Effective health and safety training is both a legal requirement under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and a sound investment in your people. PurpleTree delivers practical, certified H&S training tailored for Irish SMEs, so your employees work safely and your business stays on the right side of HSA requirements.
Most workplace accidents can be prevented.
Why Health and Safety Training Is Essential
Workplace accidents and ill-health carry a real human and financial cost, and most of them are preventable with competent people who know how to work safely. Proper H&S training equips your staff to identify hazards, follow safe procedures and react effectively in an emergency. It also gives you the documented evidence of a fair, diligent employer that matters if an incident is ever investigated, as our guide to the obligations behind one Irish workplace prosecution sets out in detail.
Risk Reduction
Fewer accidents and injuries means fewer claims, fewer lost days and lower insurance exposure.
Improved Productivity
Confident staff who understand the safe way to work focus better and waste less time.
Enhanced Employee Morale
People feel valued when their safety is taken seriously, which supports retention.
Stronger Reputation
A visible safety culture reassures clients, insurers and the people you want to hire.
An ongoing commitment, not a single sign-off.
Your Training Duty Under Irish Law
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 places a general duty on every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare of employees. Section 10 makes training a specific obligation: instruction, training and supervision provided in a form and language the employee understands, during working hours where practicable, and at no cost to them.
It is not a one-off induction box to tick either, because the duty is triggered again on a change of role and whenever new equipment, systems or risks are introduced. The General Application Regulations 2007 then layer on course-specific duties for manual handling, display screen equipment and first aid.
PurpleTree helps you read those duties against your own risks using your Safety Statement and risk assessments, so your training plan reflects the law and your workplace rather than a generic checklist.
- Instruction, training and supervision required under Section 10 of the 2005 Act
- Provided during working hours where practicable and at no cost to the employee
- Triggered again on a change of role and when new equipment or risks arrive
- Course-specific duties under the General Application Regulations 2007
The right skills for every role you run.
Our Health and Safety Training Courses
PurpleTree offers practical H&S courses built around the hazards Irish SMEs actually face, from new-starter inductions to specialist upskilling. The core programmes most workplaces need are below, and for high-risk activities and a wider catalogue, our occupational health and safety training covers manual handling, working at height, confined spaces and industry-specific courses in depth.
- Certified Manual HandlingRequired for staff who lift or move loads, covering safe technique and T.I.L.E.O. risk assessment under the General Application Regulations 2007.
- Fire Safety Awareness and Fire Warden TrainingPreparing staff for fire emergencies, evacuation procedures and extinguisher use, with fire warden cover for each site.
- PHECC First Aid Response (FAR)Nationally recognised certification for your designated workplace first aiders, valid for two years before a refresher.
- Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment AwarenessHelping every employee recognise, report and reduce hazards before they cause harm.
- DSE / VDU Assessor and User TrainingErgonomic workstation training for office and hybrid staff, as the display screen regulations require.
Learning that fits around your working day.
Flexible Training Delivery
SMEs cannot stop work for a day to send everyone on a course, so we deliver training in the way that causes the least disruption while still meeting the standard. For most practical courses, on-site delivery is the most effective option because the session is built around your own equipment and environment.
- On-Site TrainingDelivered at your premises and tailored to your tasks and equipment for maximum relevance and retention.
- Virtual (Online) TrainingInteractive, trainer-led sessions for theory-based content and dispersed or remote teams.
- Blended LearningOnline theory paired with a short in-person practical session, keeping people away from work for the minimum time.
Put your budget where the risk really sits.
Identifying Your Training Needs
Accurately identifying what training each role needs is the first step, and it stops you paying for courses you do not need while leaving real gaps uncovered. PurpleTree reviews your risk assessments, your Safety Statement and your incident records to pinpoint the training that is legally required and the training that is simply sensible for each role. The result is a prioritised plan that puts your budget where the risk is. A health and safety audit is a good way to surface those gaps if you are not sure where you stand.
- Reviewing the H&S training your sector and roles are legally required to hold
- Analysing risk assessments to spot the gaps a generic plan would miss
- Building a prioritised, cost-effective training schedule for your team
Proof of competence, ready when it's asked for.
Training Records and Refresher Periods
Accurate training records are vital for compliance, and they are among the first documents a HSA inspector asks to see. PurpleTree provides attendance registers and certificates for every course completed, and advises on refresher cycles so nothing lapses unnoticed. A First Aid Response certificate lasts two years before a refresher is due, manual handling is commonly refreshed around every three years as good practice, and fire warden cover is typically renewed annually in line with your fire risk assessment. We keep the whole picture in view so your records stay audit-ready.
- Clear attendance registers and certificates for every course completed
- Advice on refresher intervals, including the two-year First Aid Response cycle
- Secure, auditable records ready for a HSA inspection
Sessions shaped around your workplace, not a slideshow.
Certified Trainers, Irish Law, Longford Based
Good H&S training is engaging, practical and grounded in the law that actually applies. Our trainers are certified H&S professionals with real industry experience, and they tailor content to your sector, your risks and the way your people work rather than reading from a generic deck.
We are a Longford-based team serving Irish employers directly, so the legislation, the HSA guidance and the certification standards we work to are Irish, not adapted from a UK playbook. Training is scoped and quoted in advance, so you see the cost before anything is booked and you are never billed open-ended hours.
For businesses that want H&S handled as part of a wider support arrangement, training planning sits naturally within an outsourced HR retainer. See how we price HR and health and safety support before you decide.
- Certified H&S trainers with practical, industry-specific experience
- Content tailored to your sector, your risks and your equipment
- Irish legislation and HSA standards, not an adapted UK approach
- Costs scoped and quoted in advance, with no open-ended hourly billing
Safe habits that outlast the training day.
Embedding a Lasting Safety Culture
Formal training is the foundation, but the safest workplaces treat safety as a daily value rather than an annual event. PurpleTree helps you reinforce learning through toolbox talks, safety champions and visible management commitment, and we equip the people who set the tone day to day. Because line managers shape whether safe practice sticks, our manager training helps supervisors lead on safety, run a fair process and respond well when concerns are raised. The goal is a workforce that reports hazards early and a management team that acts on them.
- Reinforcing training through regular toolbox talks and refreshers
- Encouraging proactive, blame-free hazard reporting from staff
- Demonstrating visible management commitment to safety
Take the next step
Invest in your employees' safety and your business's compliance in one move. See our health and safety pricing, then talk to PurpleTree about a training plan built around your real risks for a safer, more productive workplace.
Free 5-minute HR Health Check
See where your business stands before the WRC does
Answer 40 straightforward questions on contracts, working time, pay, leave and policies, and get a clear read on where your compliance gaps sit and what to fix first.
Common questions from employers
Yes. Section 10 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires every employer to provide instruction, training and supervision in a form, manner and language the employee understands, and at no cost to the employee. The duty applies from your first hire, not at a headcount threshold, and training must be provided on recruitment, when someone changes role, and when new equipment, systems or risks are introduced. Skipping it is one of the issues a HSA inspector flags fastest.
It depends on the hazards in your workplace, which is why the starting point is your Safety Statement and risk assessments rather than a generic course list. Staff who lift or move loads need certified manual handling, designated first aiders need a PHECC First Aid Response course, every site needs fire safety and warden cover, and office teams need display screen equipment training. We run a short training needs analysis so you pay for the courses your risks require and not a catalogue you do not use.
Different courses have different cycles. A PHECC First Aid Response certificate is valid for two years before a refresher is due. Manual handling does not carry a fixed statutory interval, but HSA guidance and industry practice commonly recommend a refresher around every three years, and sooner where someone's role or equipment changes. Fire warden training is typically refreshed annually in line with your fire risk assessment. We advise on the right interval for each course and keep your records so nothing lapses unnoticed.
Theory-led content works well online with a live trainer, and it suits dispersed or remote teams. Practical courses such as manual handling and first aid need an in-person element so technique can be observed and assessed, which is what makes the certification meaningful. For most employers a blended approach gives the best of both, with online theory followed by a short practical session that keeps people away from work for the minimum time.
Yes, and on-site delivery is our preferred method for most practical courses because it lets us tailor the session to your actual equipment, layout and tasks rather than a generic example. We are a Longford-based team serving employers across Ireland, so we come to your workplace and train your people in the environment they work in every day.
Yes. We provide attendance registers and certificates for every course completed, and we advise on how to store them so they are easy to produce. Training records are among the first documents a HSA inspector asks to see, alongside your Safety Statement and risk assessments, so keeping them current and auditable is part of staying compliant rather than an afterthought.
Training is scoped to the courses you need, the number of people attending, your location and the delivery method, then quoted in advance so you know the cost before anything is booked. You are never billed open-ended hours. See how we price HR and health and safety support, and for employers on an outsourced HR retainer, training planning fits within your ongoing support.
Yes. Under Section 13 of the 2005 Act employees have their own duties to make proper use of training and to cooperate with the employer on safety, so attending is part of the job rather than optional. Your side of the duty is to release them, run the training during working hours where practicable, and provide it at no cost to them. We help you plan delivery so sessions cause the least disruption to operations.