Safe Pass and work in Ireland

[kevin wooldridge]

I note that a couple of recent job adverts for work in Ireland are asking for applicants who hold the Safe Pass qualification. No problem with that, but does anyone know whether it is possible to gain this qualification outside of Ireland?

I have also heard that some Irish employers expect their staff to pay for the cost of this qualification (c100 euros). Is that legal? I have always understood that Irish Health and Saftey legislation is virtually indistinguishable from UK law and such a charge would be out of order here.

Any chance that Hosty could clarify the situation and ask future Irish advertisers to state whether they or the employer is expected to pick up this tab?

[BAJR Host]

Will look into this asap... I will contact the AIA

and ask for clarification... and take on the suggestion about who pays.

David

Another day another WSI?

[lucy78green]

a lot of companies paid for their staff to do it, and then those staff up and left to other companies, so now they require you to have it before you start working for them. It depends on where in Ireland you do it too, in Dublin it can be up to 200 Euros but I did a search on the Fas website to find trainers in a convenient county and managed to find a course for 90 Euros. I don't think that you can do it outside Ireland. Other EU countries have their equivalent and we were originally told that as the safepass card has the European Union symbol on it it was ok elsewhere, but I know of diggers who were told they'd have to do it again by the relevant authorities - I think it's a money making scheme to be honest....

Lucy

[EarlySlav]

ADS paid for mine and other staff which they are supposed to do. I know of another company in Dublin that was getting staff to pay which is a legal no no. Staff are not working freelance so companies are being very underhand if getting out of paying before they can work.

[Mtgorry147]

If you have been employed by a company prior to getting your safe pass, then the company is legally obliged to pay for the course.

The situation has developed over the last couple of years where companies generally will not employ anyone without a safe pass in order to save themselves some money.

As for the cost, I haven't seen it as mush as 200 euro yet but generally Lucy is right when she says its more expensive in Dublin.

I've had to arrange a few courses and obviously its cheaper if you can get a group to do it. Similarly, when i did mine, i did one that didn't provide a lunch so it was slightly cheaper.

As far as i am aware, you cannot do the safe pass course outside ireland, but you can book in advance, come over, do the course and start work imediately. Believe me, its impossible to fail

[EarlySlav]

So would we be better as diggers working freelance and claiming the cost against tax? But nice to see units treating thier staff in this way as we are so flush with money.

[troll]

Do they do a course on how to safely fall out of the bunks in the Drogheda Green Door hostel? Did far too many guinness and Paddys chasers.

[Mtgorry147]

I would say that you';d be lucky to be employed as a freelance digger. The only people who tend to get freelance are the licence holders.

So really you're probably stuck.

[Oxbeast]

What! They expect you to pay for your own health and safety training? There ought to be an obligation to pay for that, as its the company that gets in trouble if you don't have it.
They can naff off. More of the rubbish I've heard on the grapevine about Irish units...

[Mtgorry147]

Ox

Its not tnat they expect you to pay for it. Its the fact that they wont employ you without it.

The legislation states in Ireland that nobody can go onto a site without the safepass - that includes mr pizza delivery man cause we all know how many pizzas we've had delivered on site

If you employed by a company without a safe pass, then THEY are legally obliged to pay for your safe pass course.

Its not all bad in Ireland!!

Very similar to some uk units