About
Who are we
EMSS is an industry derived organisation established to create a safety passport fit for use. Working closely with employers and following guidance set by the HSE (Health and Safety Executive), EMSS ensures an essential working level of health and safety awareness is attained for those working in hazardous environments.
Led by industry professionals, and with the support of businesses throughout the world, EMSS works towards encouraging safe working practices whilst reducing the burden on the workforce, their employers and the sites they are visiting.
EMSS is accepted across a wide range of industries including:
- Oil and Gas
- Power Generation
- Renewable Energy
- Chemical
- Water Treatment
- Steel Construction
- Facilities Management
- Waste Handling
- Recyclables
What we do
Managing a national collection of industry professionals, EMSS invests each year in providing the advice, information and support that employers need to keep their workforce safe. EMSS sets industry standards for competence and health & safety, and works with a wide range of stakeholders to build a sustainable and competitive workforce for the future.
System overview
Essential Minimum Safety Standard (EMSS) Card
The EMSS Safety Passport Card first and foremost demonstrates that its holder has a verified and approved level of underpinning knowledge, and provides evidence of their ability to understand further site-specific training, instruction and inductions, enabling them to work in high hazard environments.
Online Competency Management System
Our cloud-based system enables the instant checking of all passport holders and ensures the integrity of the EMSS Safety Passport card. In addition, the Passport Holder is able to upload additional qualifications to their profile with relevant evidence such as certificates, induction cards, licences and professional/trade qualifications to allow the worker to show competence, and to reassure sites of their compliance.
Safety aware Passport Holders engaged by companies in possession of the latest industry best practice training can only serve to improve OSH performance across all high hazard industries and ultimately save lives.
System integrity
EMSS Safety Passport cards are not only difficult to physically forge but have the added security of an attached online profile. Anyone wishing to verify a card can simply scan the QR code on the card or enter the passport number on our website to view the online profile for the passport holder.
The EMSS card has the following features:
- Easy-read expiry date
- Valid for up to 3 years
- Unique EMSS passport number
- Passport Holder card verifiable via online check and mobile-compatible QR code
- Card security
- Photographic Identification
- User details sync online (preventing duplication)
- EMSS competency profile
How do I get an EMSS Safety Passport?
If you do not have an accepted safety qualification, the fastest way to gain the EMSS Safety Passport card and online profile is through our online training course -The National Safety Passport.
The online course that takes approximately 3 hours to complete. Once the training is complete, and you have uploaded an acceptable photograph for your passport card, you will be immediately issued with a temporary online profile. Your full profile will be issued when your card is processed. All cards are despatched via Royal Mail 2nd class post.
If you have an existing safety qualification that we accept, you can apply for an EMSS Safety Passport today. EMSS will contact the relevant awarding body and verify its validity.
All applicants are required to provide a photograph for their EMSS card and profile that meets our photograph requirements which will be verified before their card can be issued
NOTE: We are unable to issue an EMSS card and online profile until your safety qualification has been verified by your awarding body.
Our photograph requirements
Due to the nature of the card all photographs uploaded to be used on your card and the online profile must be verified before the image is shown against your profile
The photos must be:
- taken against a plain cream or light grey background
- taken within the last month
- clear and in focus
- unaltered by computer software
- show a close-up of your full head and shoulders. It must be only of you with no other objects or people
- facing forward and looking straight at the camera
- without anything covering the face
- in clear contrast to the background
- without a head covering (unless it’s worn for religious or medical reasons)
- with eyes open, visible and free from reflection or glare from glasses
- with your eyes not covered by sunglasses, tinted glasses, glasses frames or hair
Accepted Safety Qualifications
National Safety Passport
The National Safety Passport is an online health & safety awareness training program ingrained across many different industry sectors, both in the UK and the rest of the world. Its ease of use and quick turnaround make it a popular choice and the standard of the training delivered is considered to be amongst the highest available. As well as being widely accepted, it is also commonly used by client sites as an effective way of training their own core staff.
www.nationalsafetypassport.co.uk
VCA (European Safety Passport)
The VCA course is also commonly known as ‘The European Safety Passport’ due to its demand on the continent, particularly in The Netherlands. The quality of the training is considered to be very good and easily meets the Essential Minimum Safety Standards required to qualify the card holder for an EMSS Safety Passport card.
The S.P.A.
The Safety Pass Alliance is a classroom-based course consisting of a core day of generic safety training and then a second day which is specific to different industries. A full list of the industry-specific training days can be found on their website.
IOSH Managing Safely
A three, four or five-day IOSH managing safely course provides a comprehensive minimum safety standards course with 100% of delegates providing feedback as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. A nominated IOSH member makes sure that their stringent delivery standards are met.
NEBOSH General Certificate
Since 1989, 150,000 candidates have gained the NEBOSH certificate making it the most widely held health and safety qualification in the UK. The NEBOSH certificate involves a minimum of 80 taught hours and approximately 49 hours of private study. It is a very high-quality course delivering over and above the required essential minimum health and safety standards to work safely in high hazard environments.
CITB - Site Management
The Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS) course is directed towards project managers, site managers and supervisors, business owners and clients to gain or improve their understanding of health, safety, welfare and environmental issues on construction sites. It's carried out in a 5 day block or 5 days over 5 weeks.
CITB - Site Supervisor
The Site Supervisors' Safety Training Scheme (SSSTS) course provides site supervisors with the information needed to learn about their legal responsibilities regarding health, safety, welfare and environmental issues on site including: risk assessments, method statements, inspections, toolbox talks and briefings. The duration of this course is 2 days.