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HMP New Hall - Staying Safe in Prison

The British Safety Council is offering free Level 1 qualifications to prisons and probation services throughout the UK.  To date, over 8,000 prisoners and those on probation have taken the Level 1 Certificate.

HMP New Hall is a female prison accommodating up to 500 adult female prisoners of all categories, Young Offenders and Juveniles on Detention and Training Orders. The prison, based in Wakefield, is dedicated to training and education and offers the prisoners the British Safety Council’s Level 1 Health and Safety qualification.

Before doing the BSC’s Health and Safety qualification, HMP New Hall incorporated health and safety training into their ‘preparation for work’ courses but didn’t find this effective enough. The prison then redeveloped its induction process and introduced the British Safety Council’s Level 1 qualification in Health and Safety at Work.

Ray Hoyle, Deputy Education Manager at HMP New Hall explains: “We use the health and safety qualification from the British Safety Council as a foundation course. It gets the prisoners back in to learning mode and is a valuable qualification that gives them the skills to stay safe and healthy at work”.

HMP New Hall has a large education department and half of prisoners are in full or part time education. The other half is often employed by HMP New Hall to carry out jobs within the prison environment. Ray says: “We find the health and safety course is valuable to our prisoners as it gives them a platform to take on jobs within our prison and then in the workplace when they are released from prison. We feel confident that prisoners who have completed the British Safety Council’s qualification are equipped with the right skills to take part in courses and jobs within HMP New Hall where health and safety is paramount, such as catering and manufacturing”. 

Ray continues: “In addition to safety in the workplace, it also gives the candidates a heightened awareness of safety in general and we sometimes touch upon safety issues that are common within prisons, for example not to smoke in bed. A prison is like a small community and I feel that whilst this safety qualification teaches safety in the workplace, the awareness extends to the whole prison community”.

Ray also finds the British Safety Council’s course provides an excellent way of learning and preparing prisoners for their eventual release. “The BSC course is very easy and straightforward to teach and the syllabus covers every angle.  At HMP New Hall, we are dealing with women who possibly haven’t had the chance to gain qualifications in the past.  The BSC course is an excellent opportunity for those who are at the beginning of their sentence to get back in to education and learning, whilst giving valuable experience and knowledge about safety issues that might help them when they eventually leave prison”.

British Safety Council.  Tel: 0208 600 1034
www.britsafe.org/exams/index.aspx

 

     
   
   
 
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