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CIEH - Chartered Institute of Environmental Health

About the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is a UK based professional body that operates within the field of Environmental Health and Safety. Membership of the organisation is open to professionals working in the area of Health and Safety and within the field of Environmental Health and there are four levels of membership available Associate, Affiliate, Member and Fellow.

The CIEH in its current format was established in 1984 when it received a Royal Charter. Royal Charters in the UK give recognition of an organisation at a national level and provide a range of rights and powers. However, the modern institute has much older roots and its origins can be chased back well over a hundred years to 1883 when the Association of Public Sanitary Inspectors was established. This body has operated continuously, becoming the Institute of Environmental Health Officers.

The long history of the body makes it possibly the leading public health institute in the world and it has long been at the forefront of the public health arena. It was back in the Victorian Era, when the CIEH’s parent body was established, that links between health and environment were first established. The industrial revolution and the rapid changes in both society and industry led to a completely new way of life for the majority of people. With this came new challenges and issues that we recognise today, including pollution and infection, were first being explored. With a long history of research, training, education and contribution to policy making the CIEH is recognised as a hugely valuable contributor to modern public and environmental health.

More than ever, perhaps, today issues of health, pollution and the impact on the environment of our lifestyles and industrial and production processes are a key concern to both individuals, governments and business. The CIEH provides certification and training in the area of public health and the environment, which is relevant, thorough and effective in many of areas of life and business.

Environmental Health professionals work in a huge range of settings across the world. There is probably no industry or business that is not affected by Environmental health issues and professionals in this field work in all sectors either directly as employees, consultants or inspectors. Those areas that will be commonly known to most people in which Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) play a vital role including, food, public health, environmental protection and health and safety.

The CIEH provides a range of courses that cover many different sectors and are widely applicable in any industry. The organisation also offers professional level training through a series of partner bodies, including accredited degrees. Professional qualifications from the CIEH are aimed at individuals looking to develop a career in Environmental Health.

Environmental Health Practitioners are able to apply for membership of the CIEH which allows access to a range of benefits, training, information and industry-leading insight. Career routes in environmental health are wide ranging and can involve working for local or national government, as an independent consultant or within companies of any size. Hospitality is a big sector in environmental health but other common sectors where it may be a focus are construction, property, environmental protection and the sustainable development industries.

CIEH courses are accessible and affordable for most firms. The CIEH is an influential organisation at a national level and is a key consultee for government when preparing Health and Safety legislation. This makes the CIEH the ‘go-to’ source for training and its courses are designed and structured to make mastering Health and Safety principles simple and straightforward.

CIEH courses cover the basics and offer different levels of qualification up to NVQ level 3, to suit a wide range of training needs. The e-learning selection of courses focuses on three main areas; food safety, health and safety, workplace safety. The courses are ideal for any firm of any size but the flexibility of their e-learning courses is especially appropriate for those in certain industries such as hospitality, where a business may not have the opportunity to offer in-house training to its staff.

There are various elements of environmental health; food, growth of plant life and habitats, waste management, noise, light, water and other types of natural pollution. Very few, if any, employees can afford to be without at least a basic knowledge of health and safety as it stands in relation to their industry. Legislation will often require certain standards and levels of training in many industries. In the food manufacturing, processing and the hospitality sector, basic food hygiene training is essential.

CIEH Food Safety Training

General Food Safety

The basic level qualification offered by the CIEH is a general food safety course. The Level 1 Food Safety course is an introductory one that covers the basics of food handling, hygiene and allergens. Effective management of these areas is also covered and the general food safety course is best suited to any employee working in hospitality.

Food Safety for Catering

This training is a follow on from the Level 1 Food Safety course and comprises:

The level 2 food safety courses are aimed at anyone who works with food, handling or preparing it a commercial setting.

Food Safety for Manufacturing

CIEH Health and Safety Training

There are a comprehensive range of health and safety courses available through the e-learning programme offered by the CIEH. These start at an introductory level and go on to cover more specialist and in-depth areas of learning, they include:

Entry Level 1 / Introduction Courses

Level 2 Courses

Level 3 Courses

The Level 3 Health and Safety in the Workplace is designed for supervisors and managers in particular and is not aimed at general employees. Modules cover relevant legislation, accident reporting and recording, and detailed information on the roles of management in the area of health and safety.

CIEH Workplace Training

Who Should Take an Online CIEH Training Course?

Whilst individuals may wish to take some training themselves, by and large employers will need to ensure that their staff have the relevant qualification. There are five main areas that employers need to inform their colleagues about. Chemical hazards particularly in jobs that handle chemicals require full training and procedures. Unseen hazards such as asbestos, radiation, severe temperatures require rigorous health and safety rules, this also includes exposure to loud noises especially those that are suffered for long periods of time. There are biological hazards which could involve contacts with other people or animals like faecal mater, blood, mould and even viruses. The fourth is electrical hazards which supposedly affects up to 1000 people per year. This is mainly for construction (power cables) but can also include equipment and even office equipment. The last is ergonomic hazards which involves injury from lifting too much or in an incorrect manner potentially causing life alerting and career finishing injuries.

The CIEH may be one of the most experienced organisations in the field of Health and Safety in the world. They have been actively involved in public health for well over one hundred years and have expertise and knowledge that is extremely broad. The CIEH is hugely influential at a national level, guiding policy and legislation in relation to Health & Safety. This makes the organisation ideally placed to offer in-depth and relevant training across all industries when it comes to health and safety.

The CIEH training offering is broad, with over twenty courses specifically designed to be accessible to all and also be affordable for both individuals and employers. The skill sets that the training develops have been created by specialists in each area. Small firms, particularly in hospitality, may find the CIEH training courses are the perfect solution to balance the essential need for training against an often-busy work schedule. E-learning courses from the CIEH can be taken at the individual’s convenience and avoid disruption and lost productivity for employers. For small firms who lack an HR and training team, e-learning with CIEH offers the chance to comply easily and in an affordable way with training requirements of their industry.

It is so vital in today’s world to be aware of the environment and the impact we are having on it, from recycling and reusing, to becoming carbon neutral, now more than ever every company needs an awareness of the impact they have on the environment throughout their supply chain across the globe not just the country they live in. Many businesses have even joined organisations such as Planet Mark in order to reduce their carbon footprint and help save the planet.

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