FAQ’s – training in times of COVID-19

Having recently announced that we have recommenced our training courses, we understand that there are many questions that you as a delegate or course booker may have. We have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions which will hopefully help answer any that you may have, but if there is anything we haven’t covered below or you are unsure about – please do get in touch. We are committed to being fully transparent about our efforts to keeping our staff and customers safe.

What measures have you put in place to meet government guidelines?

The team have worked hard behind the scenes to conduct in-depth risk assessments and put in place a robust plan to continue delivering our training courses to the highest standard, and in a safe and socially-distant manner.

Some of the measures put in place include:

• Implementation of a one-way system for delegates to follow
• Reconfiguration of the training rooms to allow for 2m distance between desks
• Reduction in delegate numbers
• Temperature and oxygen levelchecks on arrival
• Provision of PPE for all delegates; this includes face masks, gloves and hand sanitiser. Dependent on the course further PPE will be provided – for example Confined Space – dedicated PPE Box per delegate to also include overalls and eye protection
• Increase in cleaning regime with a deep clean after each training session
• Change in cancellation terms
• Sanitising stations throughout site

What should I expect when I arrive for a course at the Training Academy?

Prior to arriving you will receive a medical questionnaire to complete to ensure you are not displaying any symptoms of COVID-19. If you haven’t done so we will ask you to complete this on arrival.

On the day of your course, you will be welcomed by a member of staff at our Welcome Station where you will be briefed on the safety measures. A member of the team will take your temperature and check your oxygen levels. You will also be given the opportunity to collect your personal PPE to wear whilst you are on site and asked to use hand sanitiser prior to heading over to our Breakout Area and helping yourself to a hot beverage, if you wish. You can then go through to the Training Academy and take a seat at one of the desks. There are sanitising stations in the Breakout Area and Training Academy where further PPE supplies are also available.

Where practical elements form part of the training course, your trainer will brief you on these beforehand.

You are coming to our place of work to provide training. What provisions do we need to make?

Alpha want to ensure the safety of our trainers and delegates at all times while on our customer’s sites, and will want to ensure the recommended safety measures have been put in place to meet the current government guidelines, this includes social distancing signage, hand sanitising station.

We will request a copy of your risk assessment and any other information on these safety measures to deal with COVID-19 and if we feel it is necessary, we will also ask for photos of the training area too.

Safety is our number 1 priority.

What about training on the Mobile Confined Space Training Unit?

Our Mobile Confined Space Training Units are used at our customer’s site and travel all over the country. Due to the nature of the training, we have had to make the following adjustments:

• We will limit the number of delegates who are able to attend training to a maximum of 4 at any one time
• We ask all delegates to wear clean clothes and shoes
• We ask all delegates to complete their medical forms prior to the commencement of the training
• All delegates are expected to come with suitable PPE such as gloves, face mask

You can view the full risk assessment here.

How do you ensure that everyone is following social distancing guidelines during the practical elements of a course?

We will provide as many visual pointers and verbal reminders as possible, but to a certain extent we will rely on the cooperation of all delegates to use common sense and keep their distance. Practical elements will be delivered outside where possible, or in an area with good air circulation.

During First Aid training, how do you manage shared touch points such as Resuscitation-Annie?

During our First Aid courses, each delegate will be provided with a new Annie face and lungs along with a bundle of dressings which they can use for the duration of the course.

Each Resuscitation Annie ‘torso’ will be cleaned by the trainer before each delegate takes part in the practical demonstration.

Once the course has finished, the Annie lungs will be disposed of safely and the Annie faces will be collected by the trainer who will perform a deep clean on them before the next course.

At all times, any shared touch points will be cleaned immediately by the trainer with an antibacterial spray or wipes.

Please do get in touch with the team if you have any further questions.