A. Your legal requirements are laid down in; Regulation 10 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 which place a duty on employers to provide information, instruction and training on asbestos. The Approved Code of Practice L143 details the various types of training required and paragraphs 126 and 127 detail the specific requirements for asbestos awareness training and states that it should cover topics in appropriate detail, by means of both written and oral presentation, and by demonstration as necessary.

The Asbestos Specialists e-Learning asbestos awareness course does indeed meet the need of Approved Code of Practice L143, as it contains written (presentation) content, the same content as we provide on an in-house face-to-face training courses. The content follows the recommended syllabus as laid down within the ACoPL143. We also include comprehensive oral instructional and presentational narrated voice-overs that are consistent and can be replayed as often as the learner requires and of course we supply visual demonstration in the form of videos, photographs’ and interactive user friendly learning. The course specifically designed to comply with these legal requirements by competent industry experts with many years experience in all aspects of asbestos training. We also ensured that the e-learning format was also designed and constructed by experts within the ‘virtual learning’ sector.

A. The use of the words ‘approved or accredited’ is very much misunderstood by many clients and employers when it comes to asbestos awareness. The HSE never ‘approve or accredit’ any specific course or any training course provider. Indeed if training providers use the words ‘approved or accredited’ by the HSE they could face potential enforcement action. The HSE simply request that any training is carried out in line with the guidance above. It simply is a myth that there are ‘approved or accredited’ asbestos awareness courses, they do not exist.

A. There NO current legal requirements or PLANNED legal requirements for training providers to be a member of ANY trade association such as UKATA or IATP to offer or carry out these training courses. We as a training provider are members of both of these associations, we are audited by these organisations and these audits simply show that we are a ‘competent’ training provider in the delivery and content of various courses we offer. Our e-Learning course is externally audited and verified by independent e-Learning specialists to ensure quality in all aspects of your training course. As for the use of the words ‘approved or accredited’ see the answer above!

A. Definitely not! The course was designed with simplicity in mind, we understand that even today some people find the internet and using computers ‘a little daunting’ so we designed the programme to be user friendly and simple to navigate. The course is compatible with Windows and all other computer systems and formats. You can use either a laptop or desktop PC to complete the training, and the only additional equipment would be a set of speakers, (although most computers will have built in speakers) which will be suitable for the audio content of the training course.

A. It is entirely up to you!.....once you on the course and you are comfortable with the navigation etc, you can spend as long as you want! However we recommend that you allocate approximately 60-90 minutes to comfortably complete the course.

A. It is extremely good e-learning practice to include an ‘assessment’ or ‘test’ on any e-learning training course. You will be asked questions after each section that you complete as you go through the course. You will also need to complete an end of course assessment.

A. You can fail……but it is unlikely, and even if you do we will give you a total of 3 attempts to pass. In the unlikely event that you fail all 3 attempts, we will offer you an alternative way of gaining an asbestos awareness certificate.

A. Once you make your payment by credit, debit or even PayPal, we will send you the information you will require to enter the on-line training portal. So it’s almost an instant process.

A. If you successfully complete the training course you will be able to print off a temporary certificate, which you can use as evidence that you have undertaken the training course. This certificate is only valid for a maximum of 7 days, we will send to you at no extra cost your full validated certificate by either email or post within 48 hours of you passing the course.

A. Many people will tell you that asbestos awareness certificates will and should only last for a maximum period of 12 months…..once again another ‘myth’ misunderstood by many. The HSE have just recently clarified the situation on this matter. You are not legally required to undergo asbestos awareness training every 12 months. You as an employer must be happy that you or your employees are fully aware and remain fully aware of the dangers of asbestos. So, we recommend that you review your staffs awareness of asbestos at regular intervals…….we would suggest that you review your staffs awareness to asbestos every 12 months or so.

Its now up to you…..just remember no matter what type of training you as an employer or self employed person may undertake, you are legally required to ensure that the course that you do obtain fulfills your duties laid down in requirements of the relevant legislation. You must ensure that the course is designed and provided by competent and independently audited training providers.

Standards have to be met; we believe that The Asbestos Specialists meet those standards. We have invested heavily in training materials and systems to ensure that we help you to meet all of your legal requirements.
Our e-Learning asbestos awareness training course meets legal requirements for content and consistency, many do not!..... so be aware that if you obtain and use an asbestos awareness e-Learning course YOU must ensure that it meets the standards……where it does not, the threat of enforcement could be waiting. As a company striving to be the best, in 2011 we came up with our tag line……”....It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.....” we stand by it!