IOSH gives DeltaNet’s courses the stamp of approval

Providing Health and Safety training to staff is a legal obligation of any business and is key to preventing injuries or illnesses, managing costs and encouraging a positive workplace health and safety culture.

Given the importance of health and safety, it’s vital that you select a training provider that is qualified and experienced and that courses are designed and delivered by skilled professionals.

We’ve been working with subject matter experts for over 20 years to produce our Health and Safety eLearning courses which are assured and CPD Certified.

We’re extremely proud of the fact that now over 60 of our online Health and Safety, Compliance and Performance training courses have been approved by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) – the world’s Chartered body for Health & Safety professionals and recognised worldwide as the hallmark for professional excellence in workplace health and safety.

The IOSH brand stands for excellent products, high quality standards and thought leadership in safety and health, and has been consistent in delivering high quality learning course since 1945.

The IOSH stamp of approval means that our clients can rest assured that our eLearning courses meet the highest standards for trainer competence and course quality.

The list of approved courses is continuously growing, but some of the already IOSH approved courses include:

  • Manager’s Overview of Health and Safety
  • New Mothers in the Workplace
  • Managing Stress in Your Team
  • Asbestos Management
  • Legionella and Water Safety
  • Introduction to Premises Management
  • Management of Contractors
  • Personal Safety
  • Driving at Work
  • DSE Display Screen Equipment
  • Electrical Safety
  • Fire Safety
  • Hazardous Substances
  • Hand Arm Vibration
  • Managing Your Personal Stress
  • Manual Handling
  • Your Health and Safety
  • Spotting Mental Health Red Flags
  • Recognising Anxiety & Depression
  • Online Wellbeing
  • Resilience
  • Healthy Lifestyle – Exercise
  • Healthy Lifestyle – Drink
  • Healthy Lifestyle – Food
  • Healthy Lifestyle – Sleep
  • Drug and Alcohol Awareness

…and many more!

Browse all of our IOSH approved courses here and book your free demo to see them in action.


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The cybersecurity skills shortage – is it creating a big problem for small and medium-sized businesses?

It has been widely reported that the global shortage of skilled cybersecurity personnel is threatening the security of businesses, with a recent study by The World Economic Forum revealing that 60% of businesses admitting they would find it challenging to respond to a cybersecurity incident owing to shortages of skills in their team.

Research into the UK cybersecurity labour market revealed that half (51%) of all private sector businesses identify a basic technical cyber security skills gap, accounting for around 697,000 businesses. Furthermore, industry body ISACA found that 69% of those businesses that have suffered a cyber attack in the past year were somewhat or significantly understaffed.

According to experts, the skills gap is not set to close any time soon, if anything, these shortages are expected to intensify. Last year the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) predicted there would be an annual shortfall of 10,000 new entrants into the cybersecurity market but in its latest report, released in May, that was revised to 14,000 every year. This means that, over time, we can expect business defences to become even weaker and more exposed.

Businesses must train all employees on cybersecurity awareness

While training is certainly not a replacement for skilled cybersecurity professionals, these statistics highlight the need for increasing general cybersecurity awareness training among employees; not just relying on cybersecurity professionals to safeguard the businesses’ infrastructure and protect its data.  

 

At DeltaNet, we conducted research into Google’s online search habits over the last four years and found that there has been 114% increase in the demand for cybersecurity training in the workplace which suggests that employers are realising this need and turning to alternative training methods to address this issue.

“In today’s world, cybersecurity needs to be part of everyone’s job; every employee has a role to play,” says Jason Stirland, Chief Technology Officer at DeltaNet International.

“Despite the importance of recruiting, retaining and certifying a cybersecurity team, organisations cannot really secure themselves until all employees are aware of cyber threats and know how to prevent data breaches. This means ensuring that all employees, at all levels and in all jobs, have the knowledge and awareness necessary to protect themselves and their company’s data. The breach will always be a possibility until they do.”

According to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breaches Investigations Report, 82% of data breaches involved a human element. This includes incidents in which employees expose information directly (for example, by misconfiguring databases) or by making a mistake that enables a security breach to take place (such as, downloading a malware infected attachment or using a weak password).

“Untrained staff are a huge, if not the biggest threat to a business network as they can effectively open doors to threats, bypassing even the best cyber defences. Over the past year, organisations across the globe have been dealing with employees returning to the workplace, navigating office-based, remote and hybrid workers. Unfortunately, many businesses forget the importance of training their hybrid and remote workers about cybersecurity best practices – weakening the organisation’s resilience to any security breaches. IT professionals should identify any skills gaps in the organisation and ensure all employees understand their role in safeguarding the organisation’s infrastructure and protecting its data.”

What should cyber security awareness training entail?

Cybersecurity awareness training should form part of a multiyear training strategy to educate, test employees’ existing knowledge and reinforce what they have learned. Ensuring that training is refreshed at least annually will help to embed a culture of compliance and create a vigilant workforce.

Training should ensure that employees know how to recognise and report suspected malicious cyber activity, practice good cyber hygiene and safeguard their personal devices and home networks.

As a minimum, a good cybersecurity training program should include:

·       Cybersecurity Awareness

·       Phishing Awareness

·       Data Protection Awareness

·       Setting a Secure Password

·       Keeping Information Secure

·       Social Media Awareness

·       Fraud Awareness

·       Using Email and the Internet Securely

·       Securing Mobile Devices

DeltaNet’s Cybersecurity Training is trusted by businesses all over the UK, and offers a complete, cost effective solution to your training needs. Our courses offer a comprehensive overview of the key information that you and your employees need to keep your information secure and your business safe and compliant. For more information visit and to browse our course collection, click here.

 

During Cybersecurity awareness month this October, we’re offering access to 17 of our Cybersecurity awareness eLearning courses for free! To access the free courses, sign up here by 31st October 2022 for free access to the platform for seven days.   


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The Cost of Living Crisis | Supporting Employees with Drug and Alcohol Problems

From the pandemic to the cost of living crisis, the upheaval of the last two years has taken a toll on people’s mental health, and provided a perfect breeding ground for drug and alcohol abuse.

For many, recent factors such as prolonged isolation, significant work changes and political uncertainty have contributed to feelings of stress, anxiety and depression – now made worse by fears of a bleak winter ahead as energy costs spiral.

Some may turn to drugs and/or alcohol as a coping mechanism, however, regular overuse or misuse of these substances can worsen existing issues and even create further problems, not least at work.

After all, consuming alcohol negatively impacts an individual’s ability to concentrate, problem-solve, and react to problems quickly. It can also impede their judgement, memory and decision-making skills. This will naturally concern employers, as it could increase the potential for mistakes to be made, as well as pose real health and safety risks.

Even in low-risk industries, working while under the influence may affect an employee’s attendance, performance, professionalism and relationships with colleagues, all of which have negative business consequences. Of course, there will also be concerns for the employee’s health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately for employers, the issue is intensifying. According to IOSH, the pandemic has increased the number of employees misusing drugs and alcohol; positive drug tests in the workplace have increased 54% since 2019, and 25% of employees admit that drugs and alcohol have affected their work.

On top of this, research points to a link between financial hardship and poor mental health, which may in turn prompt people to self-medicate. Given the fall in ‘real’ incomes that the UK has experienced since late 2021, and the stress and worry this is causing for many people, it’s likely that alcohol dependence may become a deeper problem.

Because of this, it’s essential that employers know how to spot the signs of substance misuse and what to do if they suspect that an employee may be struggling.

First, know what to look out for

Knowing the signs of drug and alcohol misuse will enable managers and team leaders to intervene early so that they can support employees and prevent workplace issues before they arise.

Indicators of drug and/or alcohol misuse at work include:

  • More frequent absences
  • A drop in performance
  • Behavioural changes
  • Conduct issues
  • Changes in appearance

Of course, these aren’t always indicators of substance misuse; the employee may also be struggling with family stress, illness or a work problem. It’s therefore important not to jump to conclusions – if an employee is exhibiting any of the behaviours outlined above, a sensitively handled conversation in private would be advisable to try to understand the reasons why and to work out how to manage this.

Address concerns carefully and compassionately

It’s important for managers to handle potential substance misuse or abuse at work tactfully.

Openly accusing someone of using drugs or coming to work drunk or high can be feel like an attack and lead to heated confrontations, which will only make matters worse. It could also result in the employee resigning and making a successful constructive dismissal claim.

If you suspect that drugs or alcohol are influencing an employee’s actions, it’s a good idea to document the specific behaviours causing suspicion and worry. You can then present these observations to the employee in an objective, compassionate and non-accusatory manner with the aim of identifying ways to help.

Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training can help your employees recognise early warning signs in themselves and their colleagues. It will empower managers to be able to provide effective, meaningful support to employees who may be struggling. For more information on our Drug and Alcohol Awareness Training for employees click here.


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Online training – Our top 6 business benefits

Keeping your employees’ skills up to date is a vital part of business success. Regular training can help your team develop new skills, keep up with evolving industry standards, and become more effective within their roles.

However, training can be expensive. In the UK, employers invest around £42.0bn in training each year, with an average spend of £1,530 per employee, according to 2020 government figures.

With rising bills and operational costs, many businesses may be looking for alternatives to traditional classroom or in-person learning without compromising their employees’ development and mandatory compliance responsibilities.

Is eLearning cheaper than traditional learning?

We’re often asked this question and the answer, in most cases, is yes! eLearning can save on huge segments of training and development budgets but also deliver business efficiencies and improvements. Some of our clients have told us that using online learning for mandatory H&S and compliance courses has saved them as much as 80% compared to the cost of classroom learning.  eLearning avoids some of the typical overheads that come with traditional training, such as:

  • Meeting room or venue hire – in multiple locations if you have a dispersed workforce or staff working in different geographies;
  • Travel and accommodation – for both the trainer and the trainee if they need to travel to a location to take part in a training session;
  • Instructors or facilitators’ salary and expenses – they don’t do their jobs for free!
  • Printing of materials – which will result in wasted resources and more printing costs if your company decides to update a policy or if legislation changes;
  • Time spent away from work – classroom training requires the instructor and the trainees to leave their workplaces, which can impact the business’s productivity.

What is the ROI of eLearning?

Like any other investment, a successful eLearning initiative must demonstrate value for money.

Calculating your online learning programme’s return on investment, or ROI, involves comparing the costs of designing and rolling out your training courses with the benefits of your online training. You can determine if your programme has been successful when you can demonstrate that the value and benefits outweigh the costs.

According to a study by IOMA, corporations can save between 50% and 70% when they replace instructor-based training with eLearning (IOMA 2002). For example, IBM found that up to 40% of its classroom training costs were spent on travel and accommodation, and when the company moved half of its training programs to an eLearning format, it saved $579million (approx. £479million) over just the first two years. And Microsoft‘s move to video-based training helped the organisation reduce costs by $303 per learner (approx. £250), from $320 to just $17 (approx. £14).

6 benefits of using online learning as opposed to traditional learning

The benefits of using eLearning to deliver staff training extend beyond the obvious financial savings. They are realised in several other efficiencies too.

For instance:

  1. Higher productivity – eLearning helps keep downtime to a minimum, allowing staff to log on when they can and complete their training quickly. Courses are interactive, making them highly engaging, and can be delivered in shorter sessions and spread out over a certain period so that businesses don’t lose employees for entire days at a time.
  2. No time wasting – Rather than being on a group course with people at different levels and learning speeds, online training puts people in charge of their own development and enables employees to complete training at their own pace. In addition, courses can be more specifically tailored to an employee’s job role and existing knowledge and understanding of a subject through adaptive learning. This short video explains more about adaptive learning and how it can deliver next-level ROI on your training investment.
  3. More inclusive – With eLearning, course content can be translated into many different languages. Providing training in an employee’s first language not only helps to improve learning outcomes and understanding, but it can also help employees feel more included and motivated and can help build a happier and more culturally inclusive work environment. At DeltaNet, our courses can be translated into over 100 different languages, so regardless of location or language preference, you can provide your employees with the right training.
  4. Flexible solution – eLearning is a fast and flexible solution to your compliance training needs which can be rolled out quickly to anyone in any location. Online delivery avoids many of the expenses and logistical planning associated with traditional learning, as well as the costs related to missed training sessions if a staff member is off sick. eLearning can simply be picked up when the employee is back at work.
  5. Promote long-term learning and behavioural change – German psychologist, Hermann Ebbinghaus, carried out numerous memory studies and found that people forget what they’ve learned shortly after learning it. He suggested that we forget about 50% of our learnings after the first hour and around 90% after a month. This is because people will forget what they don’t use – ‘Use it or lose it’. So for training programmes to be successful, training can’t be looked at as a one-off, box-ticking exercise. Instead, information needs to be refreshed and reinforced regularly to achieve long-term learning and create behavioural change across the organisation; this can easily be done with online refresher training courses.
  6. Identify and close skills gaps – Learning management systems allow you to automatically collect and interpret data about your learners so you can track progress, ensure employees are meeting their compliance objectives and determine how individual parts of your businesses are performing. Combining and comparing these figures will help you to draw an accurate picture of the overall health of your organisation, promote future learning opportunities and address gaps in knowledge that hold your organisation back or put it at risk.

With the right training provider, eLearning can significantly benefit your employees and your business. So it’s no surprise that more and more companies are modernising their digital learning strategy by having eLearning in the workplace.

Book a free tailored demo today, and we’ll show you how we can help you solve your biggest training challenges with people-centred eLearning.


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Revealed: the common root causes behind ‘wholly avoidable’ workplace accidents

According to new research by our sister company, WorkNest – , 200 organisations have faced over £47million in fines since 2005 for workplace accidents judged to be ‘wholly unavoidable’.

The study looked at 200 health and safety prosecutions brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) dating back to 2005, spanning ten different sectors, to establish common root causes. WorkNest specifically examined the prosecutions with commentary containing phrases such as “wholly unavoidable”, “could have been prevented”, and “entirely preventable”.

In 97 of the 200 cases that were reviewed (48.5%), inspectors stated that the employer had failed to put in place adequate risk control plans and strategies to manage health and safety risks – a fundamental error which resulted in serious injuries and even fatalities.

The fact is, the vast majority of workplace accidents are preventable. These statistics are especially alarming, as in 2022, there is simply no excuse for organisations not to be managing their health and safety risks, and for business owners not to know what is required of them under health and safety law. Still, annual fatal injury statistics continue to remind us that serious incidents can and do occur in all manner of workplaces, and in order to drive down the numbers, business leaders need to know why.

So what health and safety mistakes are employers still making?

Whilst some accidents have multiple contributing factors, the three most common primary root causes of serious safety incidents in the workplace, according to WorkNest’s research was: Lack of planning (48.5%), Failure to risk assess (32.5%) and Lack of machine guarding/ maintenance (8%).

Other underlying failings cited by the HSE included a lack of training (3.5% of cases), poor supervision (1.5% of cases) and poor management systems (1% of cases).

A lack of training is a key mistake

The HSE’s Accident Prevention Advisory Unit has shown that human error is a major contributory cause of 90% of accidents, 70% of which could have been prevented by management action. Enrolling employees in courses such as Health and Safety Essentials and Introduction to Working Safely – as well as immersive training challenges – will help to prevent accidents by ensuring everyone in your organisation is aware of their responsibilities.

Note that training was also identified as a secondary reason behind many of the incidents that formed part of the research, so it’s importance should not be overlooked.

What does this analysis tell us?

Examining the root causes of these cases highlights that even in 2022 – nearly 50 years on from the introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act – many organisations are failing to implement even the Plan and Do phases of Plan, Do, Check, Act. These are the basics of good health and safety management, and the fact that some employers are still not taking these steps – and are running the gauntlet for whatever reason – is very concerning.

Aside from the devastating human impact, these oversights are costing employers significantly. In fact, taking into account the fines and legal costs involved, these 200 prosecutions cost employers over £47 million, plus almost £4 million in legal costs.

Often, the rationale for poor practices is “I wasn’t aware”, “I don’t have the time”, “that’s not my job”, “we don’t have the funding” or simply “it will be alright”. When you run a business, time and money is precious, but a lot more time and money will be consumed by a serious incident or fatality – and many organisations have learned the hard way, so invest in good health and safety training practices now.

Not sure your safety training processes are up to scratch?

DeltaNet can help your organisation take a proactive approach to health and safety compliance through a comprehensive suite of Health and Safety e-Learning courses. Our RoSPA Assured, IOSH Approved and CPD Certified Health and Safety solutions that fit flexibly around the needs of your business. Whether you’re looking to deliver a ready-made online learning programme, or create something entirely bespoke, we’ll work with you to enhance your business performance with our health and safety training solutions.


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