A client emails on Friday afternoon asking for proof that the subcontractor starting on Monday holds valid certificates. Anyone responsible for training and compliance has had a version of this moment, and most know the scramble through spreadsheets and inboxes that follows.
Iain Taylor, Founder of Chorus, hears about it from customers every week:
“The managers I speak to are doing the work. What they need is a way to see all of it at once.”
This guide sets out how to build training records you can rely on, so you can answer that email in minutes.
What the law expects
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must provide the information, instruction, training and supervision needed to keep employees safe. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 add that employers must consider each person’s capabilities before giving them a task, and provide training when they start and when the risks they face change.
Records are how you show you’ve met these duties. When a client, auditor, or HSE inspector asks, a dated certificate on file answers the question in seconds.
Step 1: Map training to roles
Start with roles. For each role, list the training it requires and how often that training needs renewing. A forklift operator needs operator training and periodic refreshers. A first aider needs a valid first aid certificate, and First Aid at Work certificates last three years. A fire marshal needs fire marshal training.
With requirements set against roles, new starters inherit the right training list on day one. You can also see straight away what a promotion or role change means for someone’s training.
Step 2: Record five details for every certificate
For each person and each course, record:
- Course name
- Date completed
- Expiry date
- Training provider
- Where the certificate copy is stored
These five details answer almost any question about a person’s training, and they’re what an auditor will ask to see.
Step 3: Set warning windows for expiry
Flag certificates at 90, 60, and 30 days before they expire. Ninety days gives you time to book courses with limited places or long waiting lists. Thirty days is your final prompt.
Book renewals at the first warning. A course booked early is far easier to fit around shifts and schedules.
Step 4: Hold subcontractors to the same standard
Section 3 of the 1974 Act requires employers to protect people who aren’t their employees, including contractors, so far as is reasonably practicable. For training records, that means:
- Asking for training evidence before the subcontractor starts work
- Checking that expiry dates cover the full length of the job
- Adding their people to the same matrix as your own staff
- Naming one person responsible for chasing missing records
Step 5: Give every gap an owner and a date
A gap without an owner stays open. Assign each one to a named person with a deadline, and review the whole matrix once a month. Fifteen minutes on the first Monday of each month keeps small gaps from turning into a Friday afternoon scramble.
Test your training records
Can you answer these three questions in under a minute?
- Whose certificates expire in the next 30 days?
- Which subcontractors are missing up-to-date training records?
- Could you show evidence of your team’s training today if asked?
If any answer takes longer, start with steps 1 and 2.
When the spreadsheet stops keeping up
A spreadsheet training matrix works well for a small team. As you add sites, hundreds of certificates and a rotating list of subcontractors, keeping it current becomes a job in itself.
That’s where Chorus comes in. Iain describes the split simply: your team brings the health and safety expertise, and Chorus handles the administration and processes behind it. Chorus shows who’s trained in what, what’s expiring, and where the gaps sit, including with subcontractors, in one place.
Run the three-question test on your own team this week. Download the free training matrix and see where your gaps are.
You bring the safety expertise. Chorus handles the admin.
Iain is clear about where Chorus fits. You and your team bring the health and safety expertise. Chorus takes on the administration and processes behind it, turning a hundred small unknowns into one dependable answer.
So when that Friday email arrives, you can answer it straight away, with the records to back it up.
Ready to see where your gaps are? Download the free training matrix and get a clear view of your workforce compliance today.
