Run a pre-shift safety walk that identifies hazards before work starts rather than after an incident.
Occupational Health & Safety
Health and Safety Duties and Daily Routines for First-Line Supervisors
Equip first-line supervisors with a daily safety routine covering pre-shift checks, permit sign-off, behavioural observation, near-miss escalation and shift handover.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A first-line supervisor carries most of the day-to-day health and safety duties on any site or shop floor, yet many step into the role with a job title change and no structured routine for the shift ahead of them. This course sets out what a supervisor needs to check, sign, observe and record from pre-shift to handover, and why each step matters legally and practically. Participants practise a pre-shift safety walk that catches hazards before work starts, learn how to sign off a permit to work with genuine understanding of what they are authorising, and build skills in behavioural safety observation and coaching that change behaviour rather than just recording a score. Sessions also cover recognising and escalating near misses, running a dynamic risk assessment when conditions change mid-shift, and writing a shift handover that gives the next supervisor what they actually need. Case scenarios are drawn from common supervisory situations: a missing permit, a shortcut under time pressure, an ambiguous near miss, and a hazard that appears after the shift briefing has already happened.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Sign off a permit to work only when the conditions it describes genuinely match the site.
Conduct a behavioural safety observation that coaches a worker rather than simply recording a score.
Recognise a near miss and escalate it through the correct reporting route without delay.
Carry out a dynamic risk assessment when conditions change during a shift and adjust work accordingly.
Write a shift handover that gives the next supervisor the safety information they need to act on.
Explain a supervisor's personal accountability for safety decisions made during a shift.
Who Should Attend
Newly appointed supervisors and foremen taking on health and safety duties for the first time.
Experienced supervisors who have never had structured training in daily safety routines.
Team leaders in manufacturing, logistics and construction responsible for shift safety.
Operations managers who want a consistent supervisory routine across multiple shifts.
Health and safety advisers designing supervisor competence programmes.
Shift coordinators handling handover between teams on continuous operations.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Starting the Shift Right
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1The Pre-Shift Safety Walk
- Walk the work area before the shift starts to catch hazards left by the previous shift.
- Check housekeeping, access routes and emergency equipment as part of a routine pre-shift check.
- Confirm plant, tools and safety equipment are present, working and appropriate for the planned tasks.
- Record pre-shift findings in a way that creates evidence and triggers follow-up action.
Session 2Verifying Permits Before Work Starts
- Check a permit to work against actual site conditions before signing it as authorising officer.
- Confirm isolations, tests and precautions listed on a permit have genuinely been completed.
- Query a permit that describes conditions that no longer match what the supervisor can see.
- Record permit sign-off decisions and the checks that supported them.
02Watching and Coaching Behaviour During the Shift
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Running Behavioural Safety Observations
- Observe a task against defined critical behaviours rather than a general impression of safety.
- Separate an at-risk behaviour from an unsafe condition when recording an observation.
- Give feedback that reinforces a safe behaviour immediately rather than saving it for later.
- Use observation trends to target coaching on the behaviours that carry the greatest risk.
Session 2Coaching Under Time and Production Pressure
- Recognise when a worker is taking a shortcut because of unrealistic time or output pressure.
- Coach a worker on a safer method without stopping the conversation at a simple instruction to comply.
- Address a repeated at-risk behaviour through a structured conversation rather than a warning alone.
- Balance production targets against safety conversations so neither is treated as optional.
03Recognising and Escalating Problems
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Spotting and Reporting Near Misses
- Recognise a near miss that workers might otherwise dismiss as normal or not worth reporting.
- Encourage near-miss reporting by responding to reports without blame or delay.
- Escalate a near miss through the correct route based on its potential severity.
- Feed near-miss trends back to the team so reporting visibly leads to action.
Session 2Running a Dynamic Risk Assessment Mid-Shift
- Recognise site or process conditions that require an immediate reassessment of risk.
- Stop a task safely when a dynamic risk assessment identifies an unacceptable hazard.
- Decide between adjusting controls, pausing work or escalating to a more senior authority.
- Communicate a mid-shift change in controls clearly to everyone affected by it.
04Closing the Shift and Staying Accountable
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Writing a Handover That Works
- Identify the safety information the next supervisor needs that is not visible from a walk-round alone.
- Write a handover note that separates urgent actions from routine status information.
- Verbally brief an incoming supervisor on open permits, isolations and unresolved hazards.
- Check that a handover was understood by asking the incoming supervisor to summarise it.
Session 2Understanding Personal Accountability
- Explain what a supervisor is personally accountable for compared with worker and management duties.
- Recognise the point at which a supervisor must escalate a decision rather than make it alone.
- Document decisions made under uncertainty so the reasoning is clear after the event.
- Reflect on a past shift decision and identify what a stronger routine would have changed.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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