The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has launched a free and short online course for seasonal workers in horticulture.

The 40-minute online course is suitable for seasonal workers, students, and anyone working in horticulture on a part-time or full-time basis.

The HSA said it is also a useful refresher course for seasonal workers who may be returning to work in Ireland after a break.

A recent Central Statistics Office (CSO) labour force survey found that 75% of employees working in horticulture in Ireland were non-Irish nationals.

To cater for this large section of the horticultural workforce, the HSA has provided this course in over 10 languages.

In addition to English, the course has been translated into the most common 10 languages of workers in the horticulture sector: Belarusian; Bulgarian; Latvian; Lithuanian; Polish; Portuguese; Romanian; Russian; Thai; and Ukrainian.

HSA enterprise and employee support manager, Joanne Harmon said: "This free, short course is ideal for employers in horticulture to offer to their seasonal workers as part of their health and safety induction and training.

The group manager facility on the HSA e-learning website allows managers or supervisors to register a group of employees to take the course, at their own pace and in their own time.  

On successful completion of this course, learners should be able to:

A certificate is awarded to participants on successful completion of the course which includes a short assessment.

A minimum score of 80% is required to pass. Once complete, learners can download their certificate and employers can store it as part of training records.

This online course coincides with HSA guidance for seasonal workers which is also available in the aforementioned 10 languages on the HSA website. 

The guidance highlights the main hazards for horticultural workers which includes:

Pat Griffin, HSA senior inspector stated: “The HSA aims to ensure that all workers in horticulture have a clear understanding of the risks in their workplace and the actions required to avoid workplace injury and ill health.

"This online course along with our guidelines will not only serve as a useful resource for those non-Irish national employees, but also to all working in the industry," he added.