Case Studies

Why did you choose the NEBOSH Environmental Awareness at Work qualification in particular?
We wanted to improve our team’s understanding of the impact our activities can have on the environment and highlight what we can do differently to reduce this. We felt that by empowering our workforce the training would help improve our organisation’s environmental performance. We want them to be aware of the potential impacts we can have and how these can be mitigated.

We looked at the options that were available and chose this qualification because it could be delivered in one day and covered:

• basic environmental terms
• the advantages that come from sustainable development
• air, water, and land pollution and how to tackle them
• how to deal with emergencies
• the role individuals can play in a certified Environmental Management System.

How did you select which staff participated in the course?
We wanted to raise awareness across all our sites and decided that the best way to achieve this was for all our Site Managers and Contracts Managers to attend the course. Our rationale was that when they return to their projects, they could share and embed the insights gained which would raise environmental awareness more widely.

How did the participants find the course, which was delivered by NEBOSH Gold learning partner Delyn Safety UK Ltd?
Everyone found it informative and enjoyable. It provided a useful general overview of environmental issues. I suppose the only way it could have been improved for our organisation, is if the syllabus had more of a construction specific focus. It was great that at the end of the course, our delegates could take a short assessment which allowed them to gain the NEBOSH qualification.

How has offering this qualification benefited your organisation so far?

Global industry is more aware of its impact on the environment, and it has become a key consideration when selecting suppliers. If you can demonstrate that your organisation has a sound environmental record, this can give you competitive advantage in the modern marketplace.

We are finding that more of our clients are insistent that environmental awareness training is delivered to partners in their supply chain. For us, rolling out of this training was a win, win, win situation! Not only was it the right thing to do, it helped us to win business and showed our commitment to our workforces’ ongoing development.

It is clear you recognise the importance of managing activities in an environmentally responsible manner. Do you have any hints and tips you can share with others who have the same aspiration for their business?
We have found that training is key to ensuring we operate in an environmentally responsible way. You can have the best environmental policy in the world, but if your teams don’t know what it says, its impact will be minimal. We wanted this to be something that everyone knew about and felt they could have a positive influence on.

If you give your teams the knowledge and empower them to do the right thing for the environment, you will see a difference. Small changes to processes and practices can have a huge impact incrementally on your environmental performance.

Companies need to not only be aware of their legal obligations, but also understand that taking care of the environment makes sound business sense.

Rolling out this qualification is part of our commitment to the principles of sustainability.