HSE, Fire Safety, and Environmental Safety Training in Strict Compliance with Legal Requirements

HSE Training: From Theory to Practice

Training personnel in occupational health and safety, industrial, fire, and environmental safety is not just a formality, but the foundation of safe production. In the context of constantly changing legislation, Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) specialists have to navigate a multitude of regulations to avoid fines and, most importantly, prevent accidents. Vadim Popov, Head of the HSE and Environmental Safety Department at NPK Precision Instrument Systems (Roscosmos State Corporation), details the nuances of organizing training for various categories of workers.

The speaker emphasizes that HSE specialists are often tasked with responsibilities across a range of areas: from classic occupational safety to civil defense and laser safety. Understanding who, how, and where to train is critically important for building an effective HSE management system at an enterprise.

Who to Train in a Training Center and Who Internally?

One of the most frequent questions specialists face is: can office employees (accountants, lawyers) be trained internally, or must everyone be sent to a training center? The speaker demonstrates, using his organization as an example, how to properly divide the streams of trainees.

• Managers and specialists responsible for organizing work: According to Resolution 1/29, this category (shop managers, foremen) must undergo training and knowledge assessment in a training center with the participation of a labor inspector. This guarantees an independent assessment of their competencies.
• Office employees and other personnel: Can undergo knowledge assessment by the enterprise's internal commission (which itself is trained in a training center). The main condition is the presence of an approved personnel training procedure within the HSE Management System Regulations, which clearly spells out which positions are trained internally and which externally. This resolves questions from inspecting authorities.

First Aid Training: Formality or Vital Necessity?

First aid training is a mandatory requirement of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. For managers and specialists, it is included in the standard 40-hour program. However, for blue-collar professions, where the risk of injury is significantly higher, annual training is required.

The presentation details a practical approach to this issue. Instead of formal lectures, the speaker recommends preparing internal mass training instructors (according to the clarifications of the Ministry of Labor). These instructors conduct practical classes directly at production sites. Why is this important? In the event of a real emergency (for example, a worker being pulled into a machine), an ambulance will not be able to extract the victim. Coordinated work of repair services and eyewitnesses is required to eliminate the traumatic factor before medics arrive. Practical on-site training increases the team's readiness for emergency situations.

Specifics of Training in Other Safety Areas

In addition to basic occupational safety, Vadim Popov analyzes the training requirements for related areas that often fall on the shoulders of the HSE specialist.

• Work at height: Training must be conducted only in educational organizations (initial and periodic). An internal commission can only conduct an annual knowledge check, provided that its members have a 3rd clearance group. The speaker pays special attention to the need to appoint a person responsible for the inspection of PPE against falls from a height, since missing inspection deadlines makes the equipment unfit for use.
• Fire safety: Fire-technical minimum (PTM) training off-the-job is mandatory for managers, persons responsible for fire safety, and those who conduct fire safety briefings.
• Environmental safety: Heads of organizations and specialists making decisions that have a negative impact on the environment are required to undergo appropriate training. This requirement of Rosprirodnadzor applies to all companies, regardless of their profile.

What You Will Learn from This Webinar:

• How to legally train office employees in occupational safety internally and avoid claims from the inspectorate?
• How to organize effective practical first aid training for workers in production?
• In what cases is a certificate for work at height issued without an expiration date?
• Who at the enterprise is obliged to undergo fire-technical minimum training in a training center?
• How to properly formalize personnel training procedures in the HSE Management System Regulations?