Here's what people ask us the most
Where did the idea come from?
We are passionate about keeping people safe, and our unique combination of experience in agriculture and in process management enabled us to develop this training system. Click here to find out more about us.
Why should I train with you?
Your training is safe online and able to be accesed anytime as proof. You get a certificate of achievement from SmartHS, and you will be able to demonstrate your record of learning to potential employers, as well as other agencies such as Worksafe.
We are not NZQA accredited and this is not a course (no pun intended) that we have chosen to take, we prefer to be flexible and focus on providing high-quality affordable training.
This depth of knowledge is what will help keep you safe, and we prefer to focus on that rather than worry about red tape.
This may change in the future, but for the moment we are happy being independent and flexable enough to make changes quickly as things evolve.
Do I have to travel to your training sessions?
Our training takes place online so you can do it from wherever you like. We are interested to hear about the strange places from where people have taken our courses - we don't mean Hamilton, but if you've taken our courses when located up a mountain it would be cool to hear your story!
How long will my staff be out of action while they are training?
Once you pay for your course you will have access to our learning material.
It is our strong recommendation that you take the time to go through it and make sure you understand it before taking the assessment.
There is no time limit, so it is totally up to you.
Can we do it from our farm if we are in a bad internet area?
You can log in from anywhere, even Hamilton!
We might get called out, do we have to start again?
We appreciate things can happen and there's no such thing as a "normal" day, so if you get called out while you're in the middle of your assessment you can simply pick up where you left off.
We are aware there is the opportunity to "cheat", we would ask that you don't as it is your safety you are putting at risk if you do. It is better to spend more time learning or asking for help, than taking a risk and paying the ultimate penalty.
If my staff have English as a second language can I help them?
Please do. Sit with them and explain things, show them on the machines, a few minutes now could save a tradgety.
We would encourage farm owners or business managers to undertake the training too so it is easier to explain things.
You will then be able to help people learn, and therefore help keep them safe - if they feel valued maybe it helps them stay with your business.
Can you guarantee our safety?
We cannot guarantee your safety, even if you have taken and passed one of our courses, so while the intention is to help you stay safe there is still the possibility that an accident might happen.
Health and Safety training is about trying to minimise the risk. It does not eliminate the risk.
Our courses are designed to help you recognise what the risks are, and to take reasonable steps to reduce them.
No minimum number of candidates to fill a 1 or 2 day course.
No expensive risky travel to a course.
As a purchaser you have full knowledge of personal input into the training material if you choose to observe your employee during the study phase. This is optional and no added cost.
Your employee is assessed on your machinery, on your farm, in your conditions with you assessing them using our practical assessment guides and marking sheets.
Often employees undertake the study in their own time but we prefer if you can spare the time to sit with them to discuss details as they go through the training material.
How do I arrange the practical test?
The practical test is a resource we provide for you to help your employees apply the skills they learned in their courses. Our training is online only but these practicals help you confirm their skills have improved since taking the courses.
NOTE: the practical assessments we provide are only examples of how a course could be set up. You need to set up the practical course to suit your location, environment and equipment on your property.
Do they get another try?
The purpose of the training is to make sure your people are safe, so if they do not achieve competency you need to know where they need help.
The manager or farm owner will see the results for each candidate, including a report showing which questions were answered incorrectly. You can then use this to provide more training to help them achieve the required standard - remember this could save their life.
You can authorise ONE free resit of an assessment, this is a good time to get involved and sit with them to explain things and make sure they are reading the questions correctly and fully understand the training material.
If the student does not achieve the required level after that attempt you can purchase another resit at half price.
If the student does not acheive competency at this third attempt the process will start from the beginning by purchasing a new course at full price.
It is imperitive that any failed attempts are reviewed to identify where training deficiencies have occurred to ensure further training covers these areas.
During practical assesments make sure they can repeat critical skill sets to be sure they are competent. Taking a short video here is a smart idea too and could be of safe driving during every day work.
Can I access after completing the assessments?
Once you have access via your access number and password, your study material is available to you at any time.
They can be used during the course assessments by having two devices open or two browsers open to flick between but also available to you in the future as reference material and refresher information.
Occasionally the information will be updated as new legislation becomes avaialable or as industry recommendations are deemed applicable.
Can I access my training records?
Training records are held by the purchaser of the course. Records are held in the cloud so are there for ever.
You can visit smarths.co.nz anytime and log in again to see all the records of the training completed or in progress
Both the purchaser and student are issued the competency certificate on passing the course for training record purposes.
If the student leaves employ of purchaser, the records remain with the purchaser, they are non-transferrable to the next employer.
