Health and Safety for Apprentices

Author: Emma Jones

As an employee, you have the right to feel safe and happy in your working environment and not be exposed to any dangerous situations. Your company has to have health and safety guidelines by law and must make sure that you are given adequate training in them.

They also have the responsibility to remove or fix any hazards in your workplace and give you the means to be safe if you are working off site. When you start your new job as an apprentice make sure you receive health and safety training and beware of any potential dangers.

Health and Safety Training

As part of the training that you receive as an apprentice you should be given health and safety training. The content and amount of this will vary depending on your job role. In some environments, such as factories or building sites, there will be more dangerous hazards than in places such as offices.

Your health and safety training should be comprehensive and give you a clear understanding of the dangers, processes in place to protect you and what you can do to keep yourself safe.

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Health and Safety Law

There are health and safety laws in place to protect employees against harm. These laws require your employer to do a number of things. They need to do a full risk assessment of the premises to identify any potential hazards and then work out how to prevent them. This information must be written up and available to staff as well as training being given so that they understand it fully.

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

Report Any Problems

If you have not received any formal health and safety training then talk to your manager about it as it is important that you made aware of any potential dangers. If you spot anything that you think may result in a hazard then report it to the relevant health and safety officer. It is the responsibility of every member of staff to make sure that the workplace is a safe environment.

Stay Safe

Following your health and safety training you need to take onboard the information that you are given and protect yourself suitably. Never flout health and safety regulations however trivial they may seem. Your safety is much more important than looking cool or making life a bit easier. You are within your rights to refuse to do something if you think it compromises your health and safety so you need to look out for yourself.

As an apprentice you receive a lot of training in different aspects of the job. Make sure that as part of the programme you receive health and safety training. Your company is required by health and safety law to minimise the hazards in your workplace and tell you about how to protect yourself, even when you are working off site.

If they don’t, then ask about it so you are clear what dangers to avoid. If you see any dangers then report them and make sure you look after yourself, abiding by the health and safety rules – they are there for a reason.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Apprenticeship Eligibility Checker lets you tell us about your situation and find out which UK apprenticeships you qualify for and how to apply. Try it now →

Showing 20 of 84 questions

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Lucy 09/02/2023 at 1:26 am

My daughter is a dental nurse apprentice just over a year and a few months. She’s been recently been criticised by the manager (not constructive criticism) since the change of ownership as both owners had a fall out and the Dr who recruited my daughter sold his share to his partner and left. Since then one by one all that nursed for that dr were treated so bad they all left one by one and as my daughter is an apprentice she held on tight taking all the criticism which really affected her mentally and she broke down everyday saying she couldn’t do this anymore. The manager looks for reasons to blame her for not working right and tells her she’s good for nothing and that no dentist wants to work with her, she is a bright student and has always been praised by the previous dr who she was nursing for. Today she got bullied so bad by the manager in front of two other nurses who stood by the manager that she had to come home crying. She’s wrote a resignation and handed it to her now boss stating all the harassment she’s getting but I don’t know where she stands now with only 5 months before her exams she’s got no work and so mentally disturbed. Please can anyone advice what to do? Thank you

BSR 22/11/2020 at 10:30 pm

My son is a plumbing apprentice. He has from the start of his second year been left alone on jobs everyday, not supervised at all, while his boss tells him not to tell people he is an apprentice. Last week he had to isolate as tested positive to covid. His boss told him to take off the names of people on contact tracing, on a site he had been working with because in not so nice words it was inconvenient and the job wouldn’t be finished in time.
He is now preventing my son from finishing his course on time because he is not booking in the work he needs to finish purposefully. He is also saying he has to pay a tiler some money for a job that needed re-doing as one of the other partners of the firm gave him the wrong measurements to pipe up a job, again on his own all day, while no-one checked the work before getting it tiled. My argument is yes a mistake was made but not by my son, he had done as he was told, which was wrong as they gave him the wrong measurements, and also left everyday to work when he is an apprentice. The boss is charging out plumbers rates and the customer or developer is then getting an apprentice to do the work for £30 a day! What are his rights as an apprentice?

Kazza78 03/09/2020 at 10:14 am

My 16 year old son has started an apprenticeship as an electrician, only a small business, he gets paid monthly and will attend college 1 day a week. His employer has said he needs to do a health and safety course but my son has had to pay for it himself is this correct or should his employer pay for his training?

Ali 27/07/2020 at 4:10 pm

Do apprentices have a legal right to travel expenses? My son travels in his own car as an electrical apprentice for job to job every day and it’s costing him a lot of money. Should his employee be paying expenses for this?

skb 25/06/2019 at 1:17 pm

My daughter started her apprenticeship with a NHS hospital last year. So far she has not had any study days and I do not know whether she is even going to receive a certificate at the end of her apprenticeship year. She is 20 and being paid 3.70 an hour. They said they had problem getting them a study base and have asked them to sign up for a second year for a level 3 apprenticeship.
It seems like they are exploiting her and using her for cheap labour as apparently they don't have the funds. Where does she stand

Carol 12/06/2019 at 10:28 am

My daughter is an apprentice in a drs surgery. She is nearly finished her apprenticeship but over the last few weeks has become very distressed. The surgery was taken over by an other company who want to connect five surgeries and ha e o e hub which appears to be the norm now. But o several occasions my daughter has been left on her own to do her job when I say on her own there is no one else about. Is this illegal as she is an apprentice?

Bear 11/06/2019 at 12:27 pm

I am concerned about my 16 year old who is doing a Child Care Apprenticeship. This is her first experience of a full time job but so far, the impression of the Nursery is falling short for her. So she was taken on at the same time as another girl - they are both the same age and both doing the same Apprenticeship. My daughter is meant to be based in a particular room - as is the other girl - however, my daughter has so far been made to work in other areas and seems to be floating between where she is them told she is not needed and has nothing to do. She doesn't know the children, the routines or therules of the room and so far, no-one has explained anything to her. The other girl has also been issued with her room entry key yet my daughter hasn't so she has to keep asking for help to get in and out of the rooms. No-one talks to her at lunchtime - there is a lot of gossiping in the staff room and she is just feeling uncomfortable.

mtg35 19/04/2019 at 1:36 pm

My 18 yo is an apprentice in a private nursery. She is also insulin dependent diabetic. She was assured she would be given regularly spaced breaks to allow for insulin etc but this us not happening. There seems to be regular illness among staff but as there is only ONE staff toilet my daughter inevitably becomes ill too. She has been in hosp 3 times in 9 months due to this. .and had only been in hosp once in previous 10 years. No proper staffroom or relaxation area for staff and often asked to do work related things when in a break. College tutor says none of this anything to do with her...it is nursery business. Also....should apprentices be vlunted un staff ratios? Is all of this normal practice?

Donna 28/02/2019 at 8:06 am

My daughter started her apprenticeship in September. For the last 3 weeks gas been ill . She has got 3 sick notes of the doctor. Now they have sacked her and not paid her

Marty 05/01/2019 at 10:43 am

My daughter started an apprenticeship about 5 months ago with a big company, she is starting work at 8am and and not finishing till 7.30-8pm every night sometimes without a break at all she also works every other Saturday, she was told she would have 5 clients a day and has on average 11 she has been coming come stressed and crying and we live down lanes with no lights and she came home the other night crying and whaling that she was all dizzy and nearly had an accident, I told the boss who gave her 4 days off due to stress with the job! Yesterday they told her she would not be getting paid for the time off either, now she is back and it has started all over again and I am really worried about my daughters health and well-being.

Annie 12/10/2018 at 2:07 pm

My daughter turned 19 on the 8th September 2018. She is a 2nd year apprentice. She is querying her pay as she was only paid the £3.70 ph in Septembers months wages.
Her employer said she is not entitled to the higher pay of £5.90 ph as her birthday fell on 8th September, and it would only begin in the next months pay.
Should they expect the higher rate of £5.90ph from the date of the 19th birthday? I would assume so.

General 05/09/2018 at 7:49 pm

Hi, my son is at the end of his 2nd year apprenticeship as a carpenter, he got this job via a company called Skills Group. Throughout his apprenticeship his wages has been hit and miss, he loves his job however since the end of June 18 he hasn’t received a penny for his work. He has approached his employer many of times and is told the same story every time “Work is slow or just haven’t got the money to pay you” yet he puts in a full days work for his employer. I’ve approached the collage (skills group) who tell me they are investigating it!! Yet the financial (wages) is down to the employer not the collage. Please can you advise on the next step, as my son remains loyal to his employer, but it’s starting to become an issue.

Meeka 22/05/2018 at 10:55 pm

Hi my daughter started an apprenticeship within the Equine Industry & she's not received a fully break down of her employment plus she's not done health & safety....along with that she's actually being left to open up the business in most mornings on her own & she's having to deal with 20 horses which includes her having to feed & enter there stables ...my concern is what happens if God forbid any of these horses had to cause her injury as it would be that would have to find her when collecting her at finishing times meaning there's days where there is nobody there for the fully day so she's not seeing any management & it seems it's just cheap labour as far as we are concerned. My daughter loves it & she's very quite so has a problem asking for anything her wages included ...she's not bn paid for 5 weeks with only in the last 2 days asking for her National Insurance number so I believe she was working cash in hand original ...so my question is ...is she allowed to work on her own ? I'm actual want to leave as nothing seems to be done she doesn't even have a breakdown of the written work & what will be covered in set years so I need some help because I'm losing the will to will ?

Lew lew 09/05/2018 at 11:19 am

Hi there I think there are taking advantage of me because I am transgender and saying I am not aloud in the same toilet as they say I am not aloud and I have to yous the same tiolet

Freddie 10/04/2018 at 7:24 pm

My grandson is 3yr apprentice can an employer tell him to take a day off if there is no work
And does he have to pay him for that day

AnApprenticeship Editor 26/03/2018 at 11:11 am

If your son is unwell, then your son would have to visit his doctor. If his doctor thinks he should be signed off, he will be. You can see more via the link here which will tell your son all he needs to know about claiming sick pay and whether he is entitled to it.

DELYTH 24/03/2018 at 9:48 am

My son works as an apprentice Chef.He works very hard in a place that is very contradictory and doesn't have it all together.He is often roped into the gossip and drama of the place which is not his problem.There is talks if the boss selling and people walking.they all slag each other off and don't seem to have a clue about loyalty and such.The place is a shambles.This and other circumstances in his personal life ha e left him feeling very depressed.He is suicidal right now and finds one more shift at work unbearable.His boss told him to just snap out of his depression which I'm afraid isn't as easy as that.He needs to see a doctor and has told me he will.How does he get time off sick with such a non understanding boss?He needs a week away to see a doctor and be looked after.I fear for him and it's making me Ill aswell.Thankyou

Lucy 28/02/2018 at 8:54 am

Hi,

I have concerns that an apprentice I know who has worked for the same employer for a number of years is taken on regular all expense paid holidays, weekends away, meals out. He also takes her boyfriend with her and pays for him too. He will often stay in the same room to save costs.

Should I raise this as a concern or is not my place?

Mici 25/10/2017 at 8:08 pm

I starter on apprenticeship as a chef on the 18 Oct but have been told I won't be payed for six weeks is this right.

Mici 25/10/2017 at 8:05 pm

I started on the 18 of Oct on an apprenticeship as a chef. But I have been told I have to work for 6 weeks before I get any pay then I will only get paid 2 weeks on the 27 Nov. then the month after a month's pay so on and so fourth. Is this right.

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