Training
Develop with training
Through training, staff at the University of Bristol can gain new skills, enhance knowledge, and develop professionally.
Most importantly, training protects us and the people around us by ensuring we have the competency level that’s required to deliver a role or activity safely.
Identifying training needs
There are many forms of training that you might experience. These include inductions, individual e-learning modules, group workshops, job-specific training, and formal training outside of the University.
Your training needs should be identified before you start working in a new role and reassessed periodically as your work progresses.
Most training should be booked through Develop.
Health and Safety essentials
Health and safety essentials
Training resources:
Topic: Essential health and safety training at the University of Bristol.
Format: e-learning module
Delivered by: Safety and Health Services
Completed by: All staff
When: During staff induction and refreshed every 12 months
Workstations and DSE
Workstation e-learning
Training resources:
Topic: Setting up your workstation and display screen equipment safely and comfortably, suitable for traditional office working, NWoW and home working.
Format: e-learning module
Delivered by: Jessica Vance, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: All staff using a computer
When: During staff induction and refreshed every 12 months
DSE assessor training
Topic: Coordinating the DSE risk assessment process locally and providing support and advice to staff who are experiencing difficulties with their workstations.
Format: In-person training or online workshop
Delivered by: Jessica Vance, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: Staff who wish to become Display Screen Assessors for their team or workplace
Fire safety
Fire safety induction e-learning
Training resources:
Topic: Essential fire safety information including staff responsibilities, what to do in the event of a fire and how to reduce the risk of fires occurring.
Format: e-learning module
Delivered by: Kevin McSweeney, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: All staff
When: During staff induction and refreshed annually
Fire safety awareness training
Topic: General fire safety training including responding to fires or fire alarms and using escape routes, fire extinguishers and fire doors.
Delivered by: Kevin McSweeney, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: Site Services staff and open to all staff
Fire door inspection training
Topic: How to inspect and test different types of fire doors to verify these meet regulations.
Format: In-person training with discussions and practical inspections
Delivered by: Kevin McSweeney, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: Estate Assistants and open to all staff
Fire extinguisher training
Training resources:
Topic: Training for using fire extinguishers safely, which involves gaining practical skills by using extinguishers to fight simulated fires.
Format: In-person training including a presentation, discussion and practical session
Delivered by: Kevin McSweeney, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: Open to all staff but particularly beneficial for staff working in kitchens, laboratories, plant rooms, and workshops
When: Refresh annually
Fire warden training
Training resources:
Print your resources with enough room for notes and bring them to your session.
Topic: Fire safety for fire wardens, including general fire safety, home fire safety, fire alarm investigations and details about the fire warden role.
Format: In-person training with refresher sesssions
Delivered by: Kevin McSweeney, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: Staff training to be fire wardens
Evac chair training
Topic: Using an evacuation chair to support a person’s escape from a building if they cannot do so without assistance.
Format: In-person training using equipment
Delivered by: Kevin McSweeney, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: Fire wardens, particularly those working in multi-storey buildings containing a passenger lift, and open to all staff.
Evac chair and evac lift training can be provided during the same session in buildings where both options are available.
Evac lift training
Topic: Using an evacuation lift to support a person’s escape from a building if they cannot do so without assistance.
Format: In-person training using equipment
Delivered by: Kevin McSweeney, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: Fire wardens, particularly those working in multi-storey buildings containing a passenger lift, and open to all staff.
Evac chair and evac lift training can be provided during the same session in buildings where both options are available.
Biological, chemical and laboratories
Biosafety training
Training resources:
- Biorisk training courses on Blackboard, current courses available:
- Induction into biorisk and its management at the University of Bristol (mandatory)
- Transport of biological materials awareness (mandatory if research involves infectious material)
Topics: The principles of good microbiological practice and containment when handling biological agents or materials that might contain them, such as blood and tissues, or genetically modified material.
Format: Online via Blackboard
Delivered by: Simon Golding, Safety and Health Services
Completed by: Staff and students working with biological materials in a laboratory environment, including safety advisers, research students, research workers, principle investigators and support staff, even if they have completed similar training elsewhere.
First time access and enrollment (see next section if you have enrolled on a biosafety course before):
- Login to the blackboard home page and then select Organisations in the left navigation menu
- On the organisation page, select the Organisation Catalogue link to access the catalogue search page
- On the Organisation search form use Organisation name contains and type "biorisk" as the search term and press GO
- On the search results page hover your mouse over safe-bio in the item list, click the down arrow and it will bring up an enrol option for you to select and complete
- After enrolling you will have access to the biorisk modules. In the future you can access these from the Blackboard organisations page directly (see below)
Access if already enrolled (see previous section if you have not enrolled on a biosafety course before):
- Login to the blackboard home page and then select Organisations in the left navigation menu
- When viewing the organisation page, if "Biorisk training organisation" item is not already listed, you can search for "biorisk" using the search box
- (Optional) You can use the star icon to save an organisation as a favourite to make sure that it is always listed on the organisations page after login
- Select the "Biorisk training organisation" item and on the next page select the module that you want to complete. Follow the instructions to complete the module.
Contact the IT Service Desk if you have any issues logging in to Blackboard.
Shipping biological substances and dry ice (CAA validated)
Training resources:
- Online courses to achieve Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) certification, valid for two years.
You can also ask someone in your school or faculty (list is campus or VPN access only) who has already been trained to help with shipping your items.
Topic: Couriers require you to have Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) certification before they will transport dangerous biological and related goods that you have packed. This training achieves CAA certification and covers paperwork, packing and labelling to prevent harm to people or the environment and damage or loss during carriage.
Format: Online study at your own pace at any time or via a live online classroom-style course that runs periodically throughout the year. Both versions conclude with an open-book exam.
Delivered by: External training providers. For details and to book follow the links below. In each case you will need to agree payment and a means of payment with your school before booking. Courses are not funded by Safety and Health Services. For the scheduled classroom course you can also pay for several people at the same time using the booking form if there is a group of you requiring training.
- Online self-paced course provided by Saf-T-Pak training. Ensure you register for the UK version of the course. There is also an optional manual for this course but be aware that this can take some time to ship from North America. You will be sent an admin key and a course key with instructions. Please send the admin key to the University Biological Safety Advisor to add to central records or schools may also opt to have their own course administrator.
- Live online classroom style course provided by Peter East Associates who are the University's appointed Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor.
There are currently no plans for courses on-site.
Completed by: Staff transporting biological material using national or international carriage, with the course repeated every two years.
Cell culture
Training resources:
- Cell culture laboratory and equipment overview
- Fundamental techniques in cell culture laboratory handbook
Topic: Guidelines and best practices when undertaking cell culture
Format: Video and reference manual
Delivered by: The European Collection of Cell Cultures at Public Health England (ECACC) and Sigma-Aldrich
Completed by: Anyone undertaking cell culture
Gas safety
Training resources:
- Handling gas cylinders and liquid nitrogen safely within Universities - Available after a pass key has been purchased.
Topic: Compressed gas handling or liquid nitrogen handling
Format: e-learning modules and practical workshop
Delivered by: Claire Weinberg, Safety and Health Services Completed by: Staff requiring compressed gas handling or liquid nitrogen handling training
To book, contact us to purchase a pass key. Costs are:
- Handling gas cylinders safely within Universities module: £31 per person
- Handling liquid nitrogen safely within Universities module: £31 per person
- On-site practical workshop: £90 per person
Workshops are delivered for a minimum of 10 people and attendees must show they have completed the e-learning module before registering.
Laboratory health and safety essentials
Training resources:
Topic: Essential basic training for working safely in a chemical laboratory covering topics such as COSHH, laboratory fire safety, handling and storage.
Format: e-learning modules and short assessments
Delivered by: Royal Society of Chemistry
Completed by: Postgraduate students and University researchers working in chemical laboratories
Radiation
Laser safety
Training resources:
Laser safety videos:
- Module 1: Laser safety
- Module 2: Laser alignment
- Module 3: Laser eyewear and filters
- Module 4: Laser classification
Topic: Laser safety training
Format: Presentation slides and videos
Delivered by: School laser safety officers
Completed by: Staff using lasers
Radiation protection
Training resources:
Topic: Using sealed radioactive sources
Format: Guidance and presentation slides
Delivered by: Tony Butterworth
Completed by: Staff using sealed sources of ionising radiation
X-ray radiation
Training resources:
Topic: Basic knowledge on x-ray radiation protection
Format: Presentation slides
Delivered by: Tony Butterworth
Completed by: Staff working with x-rays
RPE face-fitting
You need to wear Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) when carrying out certain types of research. It will be recorded in your risk assessments if you need to wear RPE.
Each person must have RPE fitted for them specifically. Wearing poorly fitting face-pieces gives reduced protection from airborne hazards and increases the risk of leaks.
Equipment that should be face-fit-tested
Face fit testing is required on all types of tight-fitting face pieces to ensure RPE is suitable for you and will provide adequate protection. This includes:
- filtering face pieces (disposable masks)
- half masks
- full face masks
Further resources: HSG53 regulatory guidance
Book a course
Visit Develop to book a course, or contact us to:
- suggest a training topic
- request local training for a group
- discuss any aspect of training or competency further
- book a course that's not listed on Develop
Protection from radiation
Health and safety training takes a wide variety of forms, and one example is radiation protection training.
Every year, we provide radiation protection training for:
- 500+ existing radiation workers
- 50+ new radiation workers
empowering them to stay safe during their work at the University.