If you run HR or training for an Irish company that puts anyone on a ladder, on a roof, in a MEWP or up a step, the Working at Heights Course needs to land in week one of onboarding - not week eight, not "when we get round to it". Here is the playbook for embedding the Working at Heights Course into new hire onboarding without slowing down the start date.
Why Working at Heights Training belongs in week one
Three reasons new hire compliance can not wait:
- HSA exposure starts on day one. The moment a worker steps onto a site, your duty of care under SHWW Act 2005 is live. A new hire without a Working at Heights Certificate is a fall claim waiting to happen.
- Insurance premium impact. Insurers look at the percentage of your workforce that is currently certified. Drop below 95 percent for more than a quarter and premiums climb at renewal.
- Site-access blockers. Most main contractors will refuse a sub-contractor crew if any individual lacks a current Working at Heights Certificate. New hires sit on a bench while they wait for classroom places.
The 45-minute online Working at Heights Course closes the gap on day one.
The 5-step new hire Working at Heights onboarding flow
- Pre-start (signed offer letter accepted). Send the new hire a Working at Heights Course link with their welcome email. Many complete it before their first day.
- Day 0 induction. 45 minutes of the Working at Heights Course, supervised on-site or remote. PDF Working at Heights Certificate downloaded into your HRIS.
- Day 1 toolbox talk. Pair the Certificate with a 10-minute on-site Working at Heights toolbox talk - covered in our toolbox talk template.
- Week 1 buddy shadow. New hire shadows an experienced certified worker on real tasks.
- Day 30 sign-off. Supervisor signs the new hire off as competent on the specific equipment they will use.
From signed offer to fully competent worker: 30 days, fully documented.
Adding the Working at Heights Course to your HRIS
The team plan dashboard at /team integrates with most Irish HRIS workflows:
- Bulk seat purchase with monthly invoicing for predictable HR budgeting
- CSV upload of new hires for batch enrolment
- Automated email to each learner with magic-link course access
- Webhook or scheduled CSV export of completion records back to your HRIS
- API access on enterprise plans for direct sync with Workday, BambooHR, Hibob, PeopleHR, etc.
Most HR teams trigger the Working at Heights Course enrolment automatically the moment a new hire moves to "offer accepted" status in the ATS.
Onboarding Working at Heights for different role types
| Role | Working at Heights Course | Add-ons |
|---|---|---|
| Construction labourer / site operative | Yes - day 0 | Safe Pass + Manual Handling |
| Site supervisor | Yes - day 0 | + Supervisors module |
| Warehouse / logistics operative | Yes - day 0 | + Manual Handling, Forklift if applicable |
| FM / maintenance technician | Yes - day 0 | + Electrical safety if applicable |
| Office worker who never goes above ground | Optional - awareness | None |
| Healthcare clinical staff using stepladders | Yes - day 0 | + Manual Handling |
| Hospitality / venue staff | Yes - day 0 | + Manual Handling, Fire Warden |
| Retail stocker | Yes - day 0 | + Manual Handling |
Onboarding compliance dashboard your HR team will love
The team dashboard tracks every new hire from enrolment to certificate:
- Live status: not started / in progress / passed / overdue
- Time-to-completion per learner (most finish in under 60 minutes)
- Bulk reminder for any new hire who has not started 24 hours after enrolment
- One-click download of all current Working at Heights Certificates as a ZIP for the H&S file
- Auto-renewal reminder 90 days before each certificate expires
Cost per new hire
At the standard 35 euro per Working at Heights Course, a company hiring 50 new workers a year pays 1,750 euro for full Working at Heights compliance. Volume tiers reduce this to roughly 1,150 euro at the 50-seat tier. Compared to the 9,000 to 25,000 euro classroom equivalent (50 worker days lost plus tuition), the savings fund the rest of your onboarding programme.
What the new hire actually does
From the new hire perspective the experience is:
- Click the magic link in the welcome email
- Watch 8 short modules - 45 minutes total
- Pass the 20-question final assessment
- Download the PDF Working at Heights Certificate
- Forward it to HR (or auto-sync via the dashboard)
Done before their first coffee break on day one.
Common HR mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- Waiting for a "training week" with multiple new hires. Compliance gap until that week happens.
- Sending the link without a deadline. Set "complete by end of day 0" as the standard.
- Not tracking certificate expiry per worker. The team dashboard does it automatically.
- Treating new hire training as a one-off. Build it into the offer letter template.
- Mixing up Safe Pass and Working at Heights Course. They are separate qualifications; both are needed for construction sites.
Frequently asked questions
Can a new hire start work without a Working at Heights Certificate?
Only if they will not work above ground. For any role involving ladders, MEWPs, scaffolds or elevated tasks, the Working at Heights Certificate must be in hand on day one.
How fast can we onboard a single new hire?
From "offer accepted" to fully Working at Heights Certified: under 60 minutes if the new hire opens the link straight away.
Do you offer custom-branded certificates for our company?
Yes, available on bulk team plans of 50 seats or more. Contact /contact for details.
Can we restrict the Working at Heights Course to company-domain emails only?
Yes - the team dashboard supports email-domain whitelist for enterprise enrolments.
Add Working at Heights to your week-one onboarding today. Pre-purchase team seats on the team training page and have every new hire fully Working at Heights Certified before they step on site.
