IOSH Training

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities

Level 1 environmental awareness qualification for the workforce, delivered in-company at your site or as a closed virtual classroom for your team in one day, with an IOSH-issued certificate for every delegate.

IOSH-approved provider 100% pass rate Trusted since 1984 For the whole workforce
Key facts at a glance
Level 1
Qualification levelEnvironmental awareness
1 day
Duration~6 hrs trainer-led + 30-min exam
In-company
DeliveryOn-site or closed virtual
IOSH cert
CertificationIOSH-issued certificate
Key facts at a glance

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities, at a glance

A one-day Level 1 environmental awareness qualification for the workforce, delivered in-company across the UK.

Course
IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities
Level
Level 1 awareness qualification
Duration
1 day
Audience
Front-line workers, supervisors and the wider workforce in any UK sector
Delivery
In-company on-site at your premises, or as a closed virtual classroom for your team
Assessment
Short written test plus practical exercise, both taken at end of the course day
Pass mark
60% combined
Certificate
IOSH-issued, no expiry (IOSH recommends a refresh every 3 years)
Group size
Up to 16 delegates, no formal minimum
Price
On application, tailored to your delegate numbers, site postcode and travel
Trainer
IOSH-approved KeyOstas trainer with UK industry experience
– Learning options

Two ways to deliver it. Your team, one day.

We deliver IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities in-company only, in one of two formats. Same syllabus, same assessment, same IOSH certificate.

– Option 1

In-company, on-site

POA, quote on application

Our trainer brings the materials and the assessment. You provide the room and the delegates. One day, your site, your sector, no travel for your team.

  • Trainer comes to your premises anywhere in the UK
  • All materials, IOSH registration and certificates included
  • Best for single-site teams, workshop, yard or depot environments
  • Optional sector-specific module built around your operations
Make an enquiry →
– Option 2

In-company, virtual classroom

POA, quote on application

Live trainer-led session over Microsoft Teams or your preferred platform. Same content, same assessment, same IOSH certificate. Closed to your team only, no mixing with other companies.

  • Live trainer-led over Microsoft Teams or your platform
  • Closed cohort, your team only, no public mixing
  • Best for multi-site or hybrid teams, lower-carbon delivery
  • 6 or more delegates per cohort recommended
Make an enquiry →
Both options are private to your team. We do not run public open cohorts for IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities. Looking for a public classroom or virtual course instead? See IOSH Managing Safely (3 days, line managers) or the IOSH Safety for Executives and Directors (governance-specific).
Quick answer

What is IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities?

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities is a Level 1 awareness qualification awarded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). It runs over one day and equips staff at any level with the skills to recognise environmental hazards, understand their organisation's environmental management responsibilities, and act on those duties in their day-to-day role.

Is this the right course?

Right for your team if you need workforce-grade environmental awareness

Yes, if your team needs
  • A workforce-grade environmental qualification
  • Recognised certification for environmental awareness compliance
  • Awareness training before ISO 14001 audit or supply-chain procurement requirement
  • Onboarding or induction content for new starters in environmentally-sensitive sectors
Probably not, if you need
  • A management-level qualification for environmental managers, try IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities or NEBOSH Environmental Certificate
  • A formal Ofqual-regulated qualification, try the NEBOSH Environmental Certificate (Level 3)
  • A career-track environmental professional credential, try IEMA Foundation Certificate or IEMA Practitioner
Considering both? Talk to us
  • Many clients mix IOSH WER for the workforce with IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities or NEBOSH Environmental Cert for line managers
  • We can run mixed programmes across delivery weeks, on-site or virtual
What delegates take away

Six outcomes every delegate leaves with

Mapped directly to IOSH's stated learning objectives for the qualification.

01

Recognise environmental hazards

Identify the environmental hazards present in your day-to-day work: pollution sources, waste streams, emissions, hazardous materials. Distinguish between hazard and environmental risk.

02

Understand sources, receptors and pathways

Apply the source-pathway-receptor model to environmental risk. Trace how a pollutant moves from its source through the environment to a receptor, and where controls work best.

03

Read and apply environmental risk assessments

Understand how your organisation's environmental risk assessments are built. Spot the controls that protect air, water, land and biodiversity. Know what to do if a control fails.

04

Discharge your environmental duties at work

Understand your personal responsibilities under your organisation's Environmental Management System (EMS). Know when to escalate. Know how to report an environmental incident.

05

Identify EMS elements in your workplace

Recognise the key parts of an EMS in your workplace: environmental policy, objectives, training records, monitoring, audit. Understand how ISO 14001 fits in.

06

Apply environmental best practice on the job

Apply environmental best practice across waste management, fuel storage, hazardous materials handling, emissions to air and water, and incident response. Know your role in your organisation's sustainability work.

Course content

Syllabus: four modules over one day

Matches IOSH's official four-session structure for the qualification.

1

The environment in context

Definition of "environment". Key environmental issues affecting UK business: climate, biodiversity, resource use, pollution. Definitions of hazard, risk and harm. Why environmental compliance matters commercially.

2

Working with the environment

What is pollution? Sources, receptors, pathways. Environmental consequences of typical working practices. Environmental risk assessment principles. Effective control mechanisms (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, PPE) applied to environmental risk.

3

Protecting the environment: Environmental Management Systems

What is an EMS? Benefits of an EMS to your organisation. EMS structure and models (ISO 14001 and others). Identifying which EMS elements your company already has. Roles and responsibilities, yours, your manager's, your environmental officer's.

4

Choice of module, tailored to your organisation

Option A: Organisation-specific module, compiled with your sector and operations in mind, walking through environmental issues unique to your site, sector and supply chain. This is the option most KeyOstas clients choose.

Option B: Environmental best practice, a generic operational module covering waste management, fuel storage and use, hazardous materials, emissions to air and water, and environmental incidents.

How it compares

How IOSH WER compares with the alternatives

Two head-to-head comparisons to help you choose the right environmental course for each part of your workforce.

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities vs IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities

IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities
Level 2 Management · Supervisors
Best for

Line management and EMS responsibility. Managers and supervisors who own environmental processes.

Depth

Typically longer modular delivery. Lead, monitor and improve environmental performance.

Assessment

Written test plus management application exercise on the day.

Career path

Bridges to NEBOSH Environmental Certificate or IEMA Practitioner for career-track leads.

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities vs NEBOSH Environmental Certificate

NEBOSH Environmental Certificate
Level 3 Ofqual · Practitioners
Best for

Career-track environmental practitioners or designated environmental leads. Awarded by NEBOSH.

Depth

Around 10 days of study, Ofqual-regulated Level 3 qualification.

Assessment

Formal NEBOSH exam plus practical assessment, externally marked.

Career path

Progress to IEMA Practitioner or full environmental professional credentials.

If you are rolling out environmental training across a workforce, you typically want IOSH WER for the broad team and NEBOSH Environmental Cert for one or two designated leads.

Where it fits

Roles, procurement contexts and pathways

Sector roles it suits

  • Manufacturing operatives
  • Logistics and warehousing staff
  • Construction trades
  • Facilities and maintenance teams
  • Hospitality and food service
  • Healthcare estates
  • Local-authority operatives

Procurement and compliance contexts

  • ISO 14001 supplier requirements
  • Public-sector procurement pre-qualification (SQ environmental section)
  • Major-client supply-chain audits
  • Carbon reporting evidence (SECR and ESOS supporting documentation)

Pathway to further qualifications

After IOSH WER, learners often progress to:

  • IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities (for line managers)
  • NEBOSH Environmental Certificate (Level 3)
  • IEMA Foundation Certificate (for those moving into environmental roles)
Assessment

What happens at assessment time

At the close of the course day, every delegate completes a combined assessment.

Written test

Around 20 multi-format questions covering definitions, EMS recognition, source, receptor and pathway, and environmental incident response.

Practical exercise

Typically a sector-relevant scenario: spotting environmental hazards in a workplace photo, sequencing an incident response, or applying EMS principles to a worked example.

Time
Around 30 minutes combined
Pass mark
60% combined
Marking
IOSH-approved markers. KeyOstas handles IOSH registration and certificate dispatch for every delegate.
Resits
IOSH allows resits. KeyOstas coordinates resits at no extra tuition cost; IOSH may charge a small re-marking fee. In practice resits are rare; our pass rate on IOSH courses sits at 100%.
Training delivery

How KeyOstas delivers this course

On-site delivery

  • Trainer comes to your site for the day
  • All materials, registration and certificates included
  • Suitable for groups of 6 or more
  • Available UK-wide (Midlands head office, regional trainer network)
  • Optional sector-specific module, we build the case studies around your operations

Virtual classroom

  • Live trainer-led session over Microsoft Teams or your preferred platform
  • Closed to your team only, no other companies in the room
  • Same syllabus, same assessment, same IOSH certificate
  • Lower carbon footprint for distributed teams
  • Same group size and per-delegate pricing as on-site
Proven impact

Three numbers that matter

40+ years

Delivering IOSH-approved and NEBOSH-accredited training across the UK since 1984. One of the longest-standing safety and environmental training providers in the country.

100%

First-time pass rate on KeyOstas IOSH courses. Supported by trainer coaching, exam-prep walk-throughs and structured practical-exercise prep on every cohort.

200,000+

Organisations globally have used IOSH training to build environmental and safety competence in their workforce.

Why KeyOstas

Five reasons UK employers pick us for IOSH training

01

IOSH-approved provider, audited annually

KeyOstas holds full IOSH-approved provider status. Our trainers, materials and assessment processes are independently audited by IOSH each year. Not every provider holds that status; some run unaccredited "IOSH-style" courses without the official certificate.

02

One-day workforce-grade environmental training

We have built our IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities delivery around the workforce: front-line workers, mixed reading levels, shift cohorts, and real workplace environmental scenarios. The course is jargon-light, scenario-heavy, and runs in one day with everyone certified at the end of it.

03

100% pass rate on IOSH courses

A 100% first-time pass rate across our IOSH courses. We invest in trainer coaching, worked exam examples and structured environmental-scenario practice on every cohort.

04

Sector-specific module included

Most providers run a generic best-practice module. We offer a sector-specific module as standard; we build the case studies, hazards and EMS examples around your operations. Your delegates leave with content they can apply to their site on Monday.

05

UK-wide delivery, Midlands head office

On-site delivery anywhere in the UK from our Midlands head office (Southam, CV47 0FS). Trainer network covers Scotland, North East, North West, Yorkshire, East and West Midlands, South West, South East, London and Wales.

UK regional coverage

Where we run IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities

On-site delivery across England, Scotland and Wales, from our Midlands head office.

Head office

Midlands

Southam, Birmingham, Leicester, Coventry, Northampton

London and South East

London, Reading, Brighton, Guildford

South West

Bristol, Bath, Exeter, Plymouth

East of England

Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich, Chelmsford

Yorkshire and Humber

Leeds, Sheffield, York, Hull

North West

Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Lancaster

North East

Newcastle, Sunderland, Middlesbrough

Scotland and Wales

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Swansea

How to book

Three steps to your in-company course

Step 1

Tell us your details

Send the enquiry form with delegate numbers, your site postcode and your preferred week.

Step 2

We send a fixed quote

Tailored to your sector, group size and travel. Includes IOSH registration and certificates.

Step 3

Trainer comes to you

One day on-site (or virtual), full course delivered, assessments marked, IOSH-issued certificates sent within 4 to 6 weeks.

Frequently asked questions

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities FAQs

What is IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities?

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities is a Level 1 environmental awareness qualification awarded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. It runs over one day and equips staff at any level with the skills to recognise environmental hazards, understand their organisation's environmental responsibilities, and act on those duties in their day-to-day role.

Who is IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities for?

It is designed for the wider workforce: front-line workers, supervisors, and any non-managerial staff who need a recognised environmental awareness qualification. It works across every UK sector. It is not aimed at environmental managers (that is IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities) or career environmental practitioners (that is the NEBOSH Environmental Certificate or IEMA Foundation).

How long is the course?

One day. Around 6 hours of trainer-led content plus the assessment at the end. KeyOstas delivers it in-company at your premises or as a closed virtual classroom over Microsoft Teams.

How is the course assessed?

A combined assessment taken at the close of the course day: a short written test of around 20 multi-format questions plus a practical exercise (typically a sector-relevant scenario). Pass mark 60% combined. IOSH-approved markers handle the marking, and KeyOstas handles IOSH registration for every delegate.

What level is IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities?

Level 1, an awareness-level qualification. It is not regulated by Ofqual in the same way as a NEBOSH or IEMA qualification, but it is internationally recognised by UK employers and increasingly required for supply-chain compliance with ISO 14001-certified clients.

Are there any entry requirements?

No formal entry requirements. You do not need prior qualifications or environmental experience. A working standard of English helps with the written assessment; IOSH recommends Functional Skills Level 1 or equivalent.

How much does the course cost at KeyOstas?

We deliver IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities in-company only, and price on application. The cost depends on delegate numbers, site location and any travel or accommodation requirements. Get in touch with delegate numbers and your site postcode for a tailored quote. All prices include IOSH registration, the assessment and the certificate.

Does the certificate expire?

No, the IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities certificate has no expiry date. IOSH recommends a refresh every 3 years to stay current with regulatory changes and best practice. KeyOstas can run repeat cohorts on the same site for new starters or refresher groups.

Do you run public classroom or virtual courses?

No public open cohorts. We deliver IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities as a private in-company course, either on-site at your premises, or as a closed virtual classroom for your team over Microsoft Teams or your preferred platform. Same syllabus, same assessment, same IOSH certificate in both formats.

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities vs IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities, which should I do?

Different audiences. IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities is for the wider workforce: front-line employees and induction-level awareness. IOSH Managing Environmental Responsibilities is for line managers and supervisors with EMS responsibility. If you manage people or own an EMS process, you want Managing. If you are being trained as part of a workforce, you want Working.

IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities vs NEBOSH Environmental Certificate, which is right?

The IOSH course is a 1-day Level 1 awareness qualification. The NEBOSH Environmental Certificate is a Level 3 Ofqual-regulated qualification with around 10 days of study and formal exams. IOSH WER is for workforce-wide environmental competence. NEBOSH Environmental Cert is for career-track environmental practitioners or designated environmental leads.

What is the maximum group size for an in-company course?

Up to 16 delegates per cohort with no formal minimum. Beyond 16 we would split the day into two cohorts or run consecutive days to keep the learning quality high. Talk to us about larger workforces and multi-site rollouts.

What happens if a delegate fails the assessment?

IOSH allows resits. KeyOstas coordinates resits with the delegate at no extra tuition cost; IOSH may charge a small re-marking fee depending on the circumstances. In practice the IOSH paper is short and well-scaffolded by the day's training, so resits are rare. Our pass rate on IOSH courses sits at 100%.

Ready when you are

Ready to book IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities for your team?

One day. Your site or virtual classroom. Every delegate IOSH-certified at the end of it. IOSH-approved trainers with real UK industry experience. 100% pass rate on IOSH courses.

IOSH-approved Provider 100% pass rate Trusted since 1984

This page is checked annually against the current IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities syllabus and assessment specification published at iosh.com.

Last reviewed: May 2026, checked against the IOSH Working with Environmental Responsibilities syllabus and pricing for current courses.